The Training Room: Week 3 Injury Updates
Early season injuries continue to wreck havoc on fantasy football rosters as we head into Week 3. This week's training room will continue to grow as the week progresses, so make sure you check back here and follow us on twitter (@4for4football) and myself (@russmanalastas) for the latest updates.
On The Mend
Rob Gronkowski (Hamstring Strain): Gronk continues to make progress from his hamstring strain, but the Patriots felt comfortable sitting him out one more week to give him every opportunity to get back to 100%. The Patriots will play the Texans this upcoming Thursday night, most likely without Jimmy Garrapolo, and Gronk states that the decision for him to play will come down to the coaches. He's looking questionable at best to suit up at this point. Projection: Misses Week 3. I'm not loving how this situation is playing out, especially on a short week. I'd feel a little more confident in Gronk playing if they had a Sunday game, but it sounds like even though he's improving, he's still not quite where he wants to be.
Jamaal Charles (ACL Reconstruction): Charles remains week-to-week as he recovers from his ACL reconstruction. Coach Andy Reid told reporters that Charles came up to him and said he wasn't quite ready to play yet in Week 2, he remains highly questionable heading into this week. Projection: Misses Week 3. Charles continues to run with the scout team, which doesn't make anyone feel confident that he's ready to make his debut this upcoming week. That could always change, but it sounds like the Chiefs will continue to rely on Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West to carry the ball until Charles is ready.
Kendall Wright (Hamstring Strain): Wright returned to practice on a limited basis last week, but was ruled out shortly thereafter. He'll continue to practice and work his way back from a hamstring strain that he's been dealing with since preseason. Projection: Active Week 3. Wright will make his return to the field this upcoming week against the Raiders, but in a crowded WR group in Tennessee, it's hard to see him being relevant at this point in time.
Zach Ertz (Rib Dislocation): Coach Pederson states that Ertz will likely be a game time decision for this upcoming week's game against the Steelers. Projection: Misses Week 3. This could go either way here, as it really just depends on if Ertz will be at more risk for aggravating the area that is trying to heal. Being that the 1st rib is right above the collarbone, it leaves that area vulnerable, so the Eagles may give Ertz one more week to get situated.
Chris Ivory (Illness): Ivory was released from the hospital late last week, and although he's been back at practice, he has not been participating. Projection: Active Week 3. Gathering all the information I could on this situation, it sounds like Ivory will attempt to practice this week and be ready for the Ravens. If he is active, he'll likely be eased back into the rotation with T.J. Yeldon, but could receive the goal line work, which could make him a decent play if you have no other options.
The Training Room
Brandon Marshall
Bottom Line: Marshall played Thursday night against the BIlls and as he was tackled, he awkwardly fell on left knee which led to him immediately grabbing for his knee. Marshall went to the locker room and after being checked out, he was back out on the field and finished the game. Coach Todd Bowles states that Marshall didn't sustain an MCL injury, but Marshall has not yet participated in practice.
Projection: Starts Week 3. Due to Marshall playing on Thursday night and being able to return to the game and be effective after getting hurt, I believe he's got a good chance to start. He'll likely be limited all week and if the knee the doesn't respond as quickly he could be a game time decision, but I think he will play. Potential Production Dropoff: ~11.5% reduction
Adrian Peterson
Meniscus Repair
Bottom Line: Peterson had to be carried off the field and back to the locker room due to a right knee injury he sustained in the second half of Sunday's game against the Packers. After going over all of his options, Peterson has decided to have surgery to repair his meniscus, which will cost him at least 4 months in terms of recovery
Projection: Out for rest of the season. If Peterson would've gone the menisectomy route where they just trimmed out the piece of torn meniscus, he would've had a shot to return. However, with a meniscus repair, it was likely that the amount of meniscus that was compromised was too large to just remove altogether so they chose to do the repair, which will have better long term outcomes for Peterson and his knee. The recovery time is much more extensive with a repair, and although Peterson has shown to recovery quickly from other injuries, it is not looking likely that he will be able to return during the fantasy season.
Ameer Abdullah
Foot Surgery
Bottom Line: X-rays came back negative on Abdullah's foot injury he sustained in the second quarter against the Titans. After getting a second opinion from well known foot/ankle doctor, Robert Anderson, the Lions placed Abdullah on injured reserve as he apparently had surgery on his foot.
Projection: Out for rest of the season. Whenever any player has foot surgery immediately after consulting with a foot/ankle specialist, the concern is that they had to do surgery to address instability in the foot. A foot surgery surely puts his chance of returning this season in jeopardy, as he'll likely be immobilized for at least a few weeks to allow the tissue to heal before starting rehab. Even though Abdullah is eligible to return after 8 weeks off of the IR, I wouldn't expect him to make a recovery that quickly. Expect the Lions to move forward with Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington.
Doug Martin
Bottom Line: Martin sustained a hamstring injury in the first quarter this past Sunday against the Falcons. He was quickly deemed doubtful and did not return. After the game, Martin states that he tweaked his hamstring, but feels like he could possibly be ready come next weekend.
Projection: Returns after Week 6 bye. MRI's are usually pretty standard procedure nowadays to get a better idea of the severity of the injury, and it sounds like the results showed a higher grade strain than they thought. I believe they'll target after the bye week to have Martin return so he gets an extra week to get closer to 100%. Charles Sims needs to be owned in all formats and will handle the majority of the carries in the backfield until Martin is able to return.
Jonathan Stewart
Bottom Line: Stewart was forced from the game against the 49ers early in the first half and did not return. Coach Rivera states that Stewart could miss a week or two of action due to the injury. He'll be week-to-week until we get any further updates.
Projection: Misses 3-4 games. Stewart has had issues with lower body injuries in the past, so this is something to definitely keep an eye on. I'd say the minimum he misses is two weeks with potential to miss up to 4 weeks depending on how his hamstring responds to treatment.
Danny Woodhead
Bottom Line: Woodhead suffered a knee injury early in the 1st half this past weekend against the Jaguars. He had an MRI on Monday which confirmed an ACL tear. He was put on I.R. and the Chargers recently signed Dexter McCluster.
Projection: Limited to start 2017 season. As we've seen with ACL reconstruction in the past, not all knees are created equal. Some can potentially take a little longer than normal expectation. The only consolation is that Woodhead suffered the injury early in the season, so he should be trending in the right direction when the start of next year's regular season gets underway.
Arian Foster
Bottom Line: Foster was forced from Sunday's game against the Patriots after just three carries due to a strained groin. He was originally listed as questionable to return but never came back. Coach Adam Gase states that Foster is currently day-to-day, but is unsure if Foster will be able to practice this week.
Projection: Misses 1-2 games. We all know the drill by now when it comes to Foster's lengthy soft tissue injury history. Although there are some reports that the Dolphins are cautiously optimistic that Foster might be available this upcoming weekend, I don't see them risking his long-term health for one game.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Bottom Line: Garoppolo landed on his right shoulder after being tackled by Kiko Alonso in the second quarter of Week 2 against the Dolphins. He was later taken to the hospital to have more testing done on the shoulder, which revealed the AC joint sprain.
Projection: Misses 1-2 games. AC joint sprains to the throwing shoulder comes down to stability in the shoulder and pain tolerance when trying to throw. I believe Garoppolo sits out two weeks due to the pain in the shoulder, which would be just in time for Tom Brady to return to the mix. Although there are reports that the Patriots are trying to force Garoppolo into being ready in time for this upcoming week against the Texans, I can't see them seriously risking Garoppolo's health just so they don't have to sign another QB.
Josh McCown
Bottom Line: McCown was hit hard and often in the Browns loss to the Ravens this past weekend. He had to be taken out of the game to be evaluated for the left shoulder in the first half, but later returned to finish out the game.
Projection: Misses 4-6 games. Reports were that McCown's shoulder is pretty banged up, but McCown is going to try and gut it out, do some rehab, and see if he can get back on the field sooner than later. The fact that he isn't going on I.R. is an encouraging sign for all the Browns skill position players, so I'm sure all fantasy owners are hoping he makes a speedy recovery.
Thomas Rawls
Leg Contusion
Bottom Line: Rawls was forced from this past Sunday's game against the Rams in the second quarter due to injury. He was later diagnosed with a leg contusion and remains day-to-day.
Projection: Active Week 3. Rawls has had a rough start to the season so far as his productivity has been non-existent. Christine Michael continues to show well so I would still expect them to give him carries, which doesn't help Rawls if he continues to struggle. Potential Production Dropoff: Undetermined. There is not enough data to figure out whether or not this injury will truly limit Rawls.
Doug Baldwin
Sprained Knee
Bottom Line: Baldwin seemed to have hurt his knee in the 1st half of Sunday's loss against the Rams. He had an MRI which came back negative, so he will be day to day as he tries to work his way back from injury.
Projection: Starts Week 3. Baldwin should be available come Week 3 when the Seahawks play the 49ers. The Seahawks need the offensive line play to improve in order for their offense to resemble last year's team. Possible Production Dropoff: ~11.5%
Donte Moncrief
Fractured Shoulder Blade
Bottom Line: Moncrief was hit hard in the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Broncos. He was originally thought to be dealing with a concussion, but later reports states that he was undergoing an MRI on his shoulder. The Colts revealed on Wednesday that Moncrief is dealing with a fractured shoulder blade and will be out the next few weeks as they let the fracture heal.
Projection: Misses 4-6 games. Luckily for Moncrief, he didn't sustain any other damage to his shoulder. It sounds like Moncrief won't require any surgery, he'll just need to rest and rehab as the medical staff will continue to do weekly testing of the fracture to make sure it's healing properly. Fractures to any bone usually take about 4-6 weeks to completely heal depending on the quality of the bone, with pain tolerance and strength being primary factors of when a player could be close to returning. The concern with a fractured shoulder blade is if Moncrief comes back too soon and gets tackled or is driven into the ground, it could potentially re-aggravate the shoulder.
Virgil Green
Bottom Line: Green was seen limping in a boot after this past weekend's game against the Colts, with later reports stating Green will have an MRI to examine the severity of the strain. Coach Gary Kubiak states that Green will be day to day.
Projection: Starts Week 3. Green was able to play the entirety of the game this past weekend so it doesn't seem to be a major issue. He'll likely be limited in practice this week and could be questionable heading into this weekend. Potential Production Drop-off: ~25% reduction.
Jay Cutler
Sprained Thumb
Bottom Line: Cutler has been playing with the injured thumb since Week 1 and it was affecting his ability to grip the ball and throw the ball effectively this past Monday against the Eagles. Coach John Fox states that he remains day-to-day, although the likelihood of him playing this weekend is slim to none.
Projection: Misses 3-4 games. Although the Bears love trying to be deceiving with their injury information or lack thereof, I believe Cutler's main issue will be grip strength and pain tolerance. If he's able to get those two factors under control, then he might return sooner than this timetable, but the return of strength in the hand is really important to reduce risk of fumbling, losing snaps, etc.
