DLF’s Weekly Impact Events

Ryan McDowell Posted On October 12, 2012

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The 2012 National Football League season is in full swing. You have to pay close attention to everything in order to stay on top of your dynasty league. For most of us, we do well to steal some time away from our families and jobs to watch the games on Sunday. It becomes difficult to monitor the daily happenings around the league and even more demanding to process how that news affects your dynasty team.

That’s why we’re here!

Each week there are many news items that are important and helpful in the day-to-day managing of your fantasy team, yet have little affect on the dynasty value of players. Because of this, I will not be mentioning those here.

Here is a quick look at the events of the past week and how they impact the players on your team:

Ryan Williams, RB ARI

Cardinals starting running back Ryan Williams suffered a shoulder injury in his week five game against the Rams and will require surgery to repair the AC joint, ending his season. With former starting running back Beanie Wells already on injured reserve, but set to return later in the season, Arizona will rely on the inexperienced reserves William Powell and LaRod Stephens-Howling. Even though the team is winning, the running game has not had any success this season. These players have been hot waiver wire pickups this week, but seem to be a long shot to contribute to fantasy teams.

Danny Amendola, WR STL

The St. Louis Rams leading wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury that forced him from the week five game against the Arizona Cardinals. The injury was later diagnosed as a dislocated clavicle, which will keep him out of action for up to seven weeks. It’s a huge blow to the Rams and fantasy owners as Amendola had established himself as a weekly starter, especially in PPR leagues. The good news is that the Rams chose not to place Amendola on the injured reserve list, meaning he will likely be back in time for the fantasy playoffs. Rookie wide receiver Chris Givens is expected to start in his place. If Givens is somehow still on your league’s waiver wire, grab him now.

Jahvid Best, RB DET

Lions running back Jahvid Best has taken a concussion test and will find out results soon. The Lions are hopeful Best can return by week seven to face the Chicago Bears. This is a situation to monitor as Best is one of the most electric players in the league and offers huge upside in PPR leagues. The danger is that the next big hit to his head could end his career for good.

Leonard Hankerson, WR WAS

The Redskins demoted wide receiver Leonard Hankerson and started veteran Josh Morgan in his place in week five. Hankerson was on the field for only nine snaps and made only one catch. His value takes a slight hit, but this will be a week-by-week situation under head coach Mike Shanahan. Now might even be a good time to make an offer for the athletic young wideout.

Cedric Benson, RB GB

In their week five matchup against the Colts, Packers starting running back Cedric Benson suffered a Lisfranc foot injury that will cost him the next eight weeks. Benson had been surprising as a solid back for the Packers and fantasy owners. Now, with the rest of his season in doubt, Benson loses almost all value, especially considering how long he went before the Packers gave him a shot. Benson is worth hanging onto based on the chance he comes back in time for the fantasy playoffs, but don’t expect much. Alex Green and James Starks are expected to share the running back role in Benson’s place.

Bernard Scott, RB CIN

Bernard Scott, the Bengals backup running back, suffered a torn ACL in the team’s week five game against the Dolphins. Scott had been playing very well in a reserve role, but is now lost for the season. Scott was barely worth a roster spot in dynasty leagues prior to the injury, so now he is a safe drop. The Bengals will have to find a new backup as they are very thin at the position.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB PIT

Running back Rashard Mendenhall returned to the starting role with the Steelers and performed well, gaining over 100 total yards and a touchdown. Mendenhall might be the player who gained the most dynasty value in the past week as he looked even more agile and quick than prior to his injury. Of course, he promptly left Thursday night’s game with an apparent achilles injury. Ugh.

Alshon Jeffery, WR CHI

Bears rookie wide receiver Alshon Jeffery broke a bone in right hand during the Bears week five game. Jeffery is expected to miss up to six weeks. He had not been a reliable fantasy option, but had flashed some impressive skills and is now a great buy low target if owners are impatient.

Vick Ballard, RB IND

With the injury to starting running back Donald Brown, rookie running back Vick Ballard will get the first chance to start. Here at DLF, we have suggested buying Ballard when you had the chance and now he will get the chance to earn a larger role going forward. Brown is only expected to miss two or three weeks, but if Ballard is successful, it will be hard to return to Brown as the starter.

Check back next week for another update on the week’s impact events! Follow Ryan McDowell on Twitter @RyanMc23.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.