Week 14 Recap

Well, Week 14 didn’t go the way I planned. Not sure about you, but I had 4 teams in these playoffs and I’m on the brink of losing all 4 (2 upsets, 2 I probably should lose). The biggest culprits for me were Miles Austin, Vernon Davis, and my trio of Saints (Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Jimmy Graham). All three guys underperformed considerably and may end up costing me dearly.

From an injury standpoint, Week 14 wasn’t terrible, but we did get news that Fred Jackson is out for the year after suffering a grade 2 MCL sprain of his right knee. Shutting him down makes total sense, with the Bills’ season being over already and his extensive history of knee pathology. CJ Spiller becomes the man in Buffalo and should see a huge increase in his value moving forward.

Additionally, we saw a couple of Giants who are gritting out injuries, but really having a hard time with them. Hakeem Nicks had to have X-rays done on his sore knee and seems to have a bout of swelling and soreness each and every week now. To add insult to injury, he came down directly on the knee, causing pain and some missed time during the game. In addition, Ahmad Bradshaw suffered a knee sprain to go along with his already sore foot and neck, so he’s dealing with a trio of painful injuries at the same time. High pain thresholds are one thing, but three injuries (and two involving his legs) at once is tough to deal with and may lead to his workload being decreased, especially with David Wilson’s breakthrough game. I’d expect Nicks to be limited all week and be close to a game time decision while Bradshaw’s news will come out as the week goes on, giving us insight about his Week 15 status. Stay tuned.

And how can we forget Robert Griffin III and his right knee injury. Word is (as I expected) he suffered a sprained lateral collateral ligament (LCL), but the severity seems to be in the grade 1/2 range, which is definitely something that can be played through. What RGIII loses with this injury is some stability in the knee when he cuts or twists, as the LCL is the ligament that connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone) on the outside of the knee. So anytime a player has LCL involvement and tries to play through it, a brace of varying strength is involved. My expectation is that he will play this week, especially since the severity of the sprain is a grade 1 or 2, which is mild to moderate in nature. However, we’ll wait til Friday to see what his practice participation was like this week.

Quick Hits:

Jay Cutler suffered a “whiplash” type injury on Sunday, which is normally categorized as a muscular injury to the neck muscles. He should receive a ton of treatment this week to help decrease inflammation and soreness and should play this week…Jared Cook seems to have suffered a re-aggravation of his shoulder injury from early in the season. Watch out for him to be limited this week and his availability for Week 15 is up in the air…Ray Rice suffered a hip pointer that’s being classified as “minor”. Wait until later in the week to see if he practices or not this week, but with the Ravens in the thick of the home field advantage race, expect him to play. Click this link (http://tinyurl.com/benbhhw) and scroll down to the Hip Pointer paragraph to gain a better understanding of what this injury entails…Victor Cruz had a monster day on Sunday, but he also hurt his shoulder during the game, requiring sideline evaluation to determine the extent of the injury. He basically played the whole game otherwise, so expect him to be just fine. We’ll monitor it just in case…Dwayne Bowe has two fractured ribs, which means he’ll either be able to play through it and tolerate the pain or his season may be over. More information should come out this week…Marshawn Lynch flared up his low back a little bit during his standout game against the Cardinals. Remember, he’s dealt with back spasms all season and has basically been a “rest” scratch from every Wednesday practice this season. He’ll do the same deal this week and should be fine for Week 15, but back spasms are a tricky, fickle injury, so keep an eye on him…Darren McFadden practiced today, which is a great sign for his availability for Week 15 after re-aggravating his high ankle sprain this past Thursday. If he continues to increase his availability, he should be fine, but monitor his situation closely.

That should cover the biggies. If your leagues are anything like mine, tonight is a VERY important night. Not only are my Pats playing on MNF, but I also need Steven Ridley and Matt Schaub to have huge days and Wes Welker and the Houston Defense to do not so well. So here’s hoping the Pats win 52-45 (wishful thinking, I know).

Setting Your Week 9 Lineup: Friday Injury Updates, Twitter-style

Jordy Nelson (Q): Didn’t practice today, still dealing with hamstring strain, will test Sunday before game, hammy’s are tricky, so have a backup just in case

Issac Redman (P): Will play, but same can’t be said for Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer, who are both doubtful. Look for Redman to get most of the work, tough matchup with the Giants, but he’s the guy this week

Adrian Peterson (Q): He didn’t practice, but did do some rehab work on the side to test that ankle of his. Looks like he’ll play, but monitor just in case. Remember, ankle/hip injuries on same side as post-ACL reconstruction is never positive (RE: Mendenhall). Scares me a bit moving forward, may be a nice sell-high guy. But word is he will play this week.

Calvin Johnson (Q): Didn’t practice at all this week, knee soreness is really becoming a problem. I think he still plays through it, but he just hasn’t looked the same, as I stated earlier this week (https://ziaddahdul.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/wednesday-injury-report-megatron-dez-tannehill-more/). You just can’t bench him unless he’s ruled out, so he’s in your lineup if he plays.

Felix Jones (P):  Probable to play, dealing with a shoulder injury in addition to his knee. I just don’t like the way he’s run these last two games, doesn’t look like he has any burst or explosiveness. And Atlanta is pretty solid against the run. He’s a flex at best.

Donald Brown (P): He participated fully today, which is great news for his likelihood of playing on Sunday. He’s got a few things working against him: Tough Dolphins run D, split carries with Vick Ballard, and still finding his rhythm after knee surgery. I think he’ll be involved, but it’s hard to tell how much with time shares. He’s probably more of a flex guy at this point.

Ryan Tannehill (Q): Limited all week with thigh injury, my guess is he plays, but they’ll evaluate him this weekend and make a firm decision at that point. Matt Moore is listed as probable, so know that option is there just in case Tannehill can’t go. With Brian Hartline also questionable and looking like a game-time type decision, Miami may be running the ball quite a bit this week. I like Tannehill’s chances of playing, but can’t imagine you’d want to start either of these guys this week.

Dez Bryant (Q): Limited all week with a hip injury, the extent or specifics of which has not been released. It seems like he’s questionable with the idea that he’s going to play, but he did take a nasty tumble on that play at the end of the Giants’ game. Looks like it could have been a hip pointer type of injury, but if he suits up, you probably have to play him, especially since they play the Sunday night game. Maybe a Kevin Ogletree pick up is in line just in case you need a quick change.

Darren Sproles (O): Out indefinitely with a fractured hand (not sure the specifics, usually means the long bones in the hand that connects the small wrist bones to the fingers) that also required surgery. I’d say, if pressed, that he’ll be out at least 3 weeks, especially since he’s so important to the passing game, which clearly requires healthy hands (you know, to catch the ball). Pierre Thomas is an immediate pick up and you can even think of targeting a guy like Chris Ivory, who will now get some more run with Sproles out.

Ben Tate (O): Already ruled out with a hamstring issue. Seems to be lingering pretty good for him, as he’s been ruled out pretty quickly each week. Justin Forsett becomes the backup this week against a really bad Buffalo run D. Looks as if Arian Foster will continue to get run into the ground.

Victor Cruz, Ahmad Bradshaw, Aaron Rodgers, Percy Harvin, Lance Briggs, Jermichael Finley: All listed on their teams’ respective injury reports to some extent (Bradshaw is the only one not Probable, he’s questionable), but all will play. Get them in your lineup.

Cowboys/Giants: In Game Thoughts

Miles Austin looks solid overall, much more spectacular in the 2nd half. Not sure if the 1st half was rust or what, but he was not involved in the slightest. The 2nd half, including his TD catch, has been much different, as he looks like his dynamic self again. And he’s changing directions and speeds without hesitation, which can be an issue with hamstring pulls. I like his value a lot based on what we’re seeing tonight from an injury standpoint.

Jason Witten, do I have to say anything I haven’t already said about him playing tonight?? Just wait it out and he should be fine long term. He was at least blocking well without an issue

Hakeem Nicks looks a bit off. I personally didn’t see anything related to his foot injury that appears to be limiting him. He just doesn’t see in the flow of the game. I’d lean more towards rust than anything else, considering he didn’t really practice at all this preseason. It’s looking like it could take a week or two for him to get back to his old self, but part of his issue tonight could be Brandon Carr/Morris Claiborne as well, as they looked every bit as advertised against Nicks and Cruz.

Dez Bryant hasn’t had too much involvement tonight, but at the very least he doesn’t look limited. He just seems like he’s getting a lot of attention from the Giants D and can’t seem to get anything going. Maybe it’s because Kevin Ogiltree has 1,210 targets tonight (sorry, I’m a little bitter). Bottom line: His knee injury looks like it’s behind him. I think he’ll be just fine.

Victor Cruz, there’s no injury here, just interesting how many balls he’s dropping tonight. Not a clean start tonight for the G-Men receivers.

Cowboys/Giants Injury Updates

Hakeem Nicks, Giants: Sat out of practice today, which makes it two days in a row following his sitting out yesterday. It’s a little discouraging seeing him sit out two days in a row, especially since he looked good in the last preseason game of the season against the Pats. One report, courtesy of the New York Daily News, has him saying “…it’s nothing that is going to stop me from playing.” Soreness is very normal for anyone post surgery, especially with as much as he’s been ramping up to get ready for week 1. I’m still confident he’ll play, but sitting out two days in a row makes me think it’s a little more than precautionary. His official status tomorrow will give us some much needed clarity, but I still think you roll with him.

Jason Witten, Cowboys: Limited participation in practice today, still did not take part in contact drills. I don’t expect him to play, especially with how much contact he can potentially take the midsection being both a blocker and a pass-catcher. Sit him for week 1.

UPDATE: Jason Witten has officially been listed as Doubtful for tomorrow’s game. Adjust accordingly, but plan on him being out.

Miles Austin (hamstring)/Dez Bryant (knee): Both were full participants in practice today and both look ready to roll. I like Austin a lot here, especially with starting corner Prince Amukamara being likely to miss the game on Wednesday and with Witten (Romo’s safety valve) also not at 100%. Austin is much more likely than Bryant to have increased targets due to their skill sets, as Austin is more of a possession-type receiver than the speedy, athletic Bryant.

Cowboys Defense: Jay Ratliff is likely to sit out Wednesday’s game with an ankle sprain, meaning the middle of the Cowboys front 4 will be significantly hurt. Also, linebacker Dan Conner (hip) and cornerback Mike Jenkins (shoulder) were both limited in practice today, meaning all 3 levels of the Cowboys defense is hurting a bit. Looks like this could be a run-and-shoot type of game if the Giants put up a couple early scores, which negatively affects the Cowboy defense, but significantly favors both offenses’ passing games. Look for a high scoring one on Wednesday. Jenkins’ injury is a bit more concerning, coming off a rotator cuff and labrum repair, which essentially provide the majority of the stability to the shoulder joint itself. He probably sits out Week 1, which means Nicks/Cruz will have one less DB to worry about.