The Dynasty Doctor: Week Nine Injury Report

Scott Peak

doctorEditor’s Note: Injuries are a huge part of winning and losing each year in fantasy leagues. Staying abreast of the injury situations is key as knowing what to expect from your players health-wise in the short term can help you make educated decisions in managing your team. Lucky for us, we have a Doctor in the house. Dr. Scott Peak is an ABPN board certified neurologist and neuro-oncologist. He is also a dynasty football addict and huge friend of Dynasty League Football. He’s excited to lend his expertise in medicine with hopes he may help the DLF Team and its followers better understand medical conditions and injuries that may impact NFL players and dynasty football owners. If you have a question for The Dynasty Doctor, just click here. Please remember The Dynasty Doctor is geared towards questions regarding medical science, injuries to players and their collective impact in fantasy football. Stay tuned each week as we’ll post his thoughts each and every Tuesday.

Additional editor’s note: Stay tuned to DLF for an update on Aaron Rodgers – we’ll evaluate it as soon as more information is known.

Arian Foster, RB HOU

Foster lasted one series of the Texans game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football, then was removed from the game with a back injury. Foster scored no points for his fantasy owners and that was tough to swallow. Foster missed significant time in training camp with a back injury, although it is not clear if this is an aggravation or a separate injury. Ben Tate stepped up in place of Foster, and had 22 rushing attempts for 81 yards and no touchdowns. He was targeted on one pass, but for -2 yards. Dennis Johnson impressed in limited work, with eight rushing attempts for 36 yards. The injury bug continues to plague Foster and his fantasy football owners. Updates were not available after the game, and fantasy players will need to wait for more information and monitor Foster’s return to practice.

Jeremy Kerley, WR NYJ

Kerley sustained a potentially serious elbow injury, with initial reports indicating a possible dislocation. Elbow dislocations occur when a player falls forward on an outstretched hand. The force of impact moves back to the elbow joint and can result in a dislocation, especially if twisting or rotational force is applied. Elbow dislocations can be simple, with no bone injuries, or severe resulting in bone, ligamentous and sometimes nerve or blood vessel injuries. Danny Amendola suffered a severe elbow dislocation in 2011 and missed 15 games. It seems likely that Kerley may be out indefinitely and possibly for the year. Simple elbow dislocations can take 3 to 6 weeks or longer to heal, but complex dislocations could take 3 to 6 months. Santonio Holmes may return after the Jets’ week 10 bye, but he has been hard to trust with his own set of injuries. The rest of the Jets receivers are David Nelson (3 targets, 1 reception for 19 yards), Greg Salas (3 targets, 2 receptions for 57 yards), and Zach Sudfeld (4 targets, 2 receptions for 46 yards). It may be best to avoid the Jets receivers until further notice.

Robert Woods, WR BUF 

Woods sustained a left ankle injury in the third quarter of the Bills game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was unable to return. X-rays are negative and that would suggest a fracture is not likely. An x-ray can show signs of a high-ankle sprain and a negative x-ray is good news for Woods. He was able to walk off the field to the locker room on his own and that is encouraging. Woods has been a nice surprise this year, and had 4 receptions for 44 yards against the Chiefs on Sunday. The Bills receivers have been hobbled by injuries this year, and T.J. Graham or Marcus Easley might need to step up. After the game, Bills head coach Doug Marrone said Woods needed to be “monitored.” The injury has been described as a mild sprain, so that is good news. Woods might be able to play week ten, but monitor his practice participation before starting him.

Marquise Goodwin, WR BUF

Goodwin pulled a hamstring in the fourth quarter and that is unfortunate as he had been having a nice game (2 receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown). Goodwin has 7 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns the past four games and that puts him on the dynasty radar. He might be worth a speculative pick-up in dynasty, but his value in re-draft is still minimal. Whether he misses time or not will depend on the severity of his injured hamstring. Marrone felt Goodwin needed to be “monitored,” and keep Goodwin out of line-ups until he returns to practice and is cleared for return to play.

Marques Colston, WR NO

A season of frustration continues for Colston and his fantasy owners. Colston was inactive for the Saints game against the Jets with a knee injury. He has a total of 6 receptions for 44 yards and no touchdowns the past three games. He has only one touchdown the entire year, and that is hard to fathom given Drew Brees has 21 touchdowns in 8 games. Colston has had microfracture surgeries on both knees, in 2011 for the right knee and 2009 for the left knee. Microfracture surgery is a procedure that involves drilling holes into bone, enabling bone marrow cells to create new cartilage in the knee joint. Fibrocartilage replaces articular cartilage and is less durable. The failure rate for microfracture surgery is 2.5% the first two years, but as high as 30% beyond two years. If Colston is having complications from degenerative changes in his knees, that could be hard to overcome this year and he might be best left on the bench until he proves this issue is no longer adversely impacting his production.

Darren McFadden, RB OAK

No injury report is complete without McFadden and he aggravated a hamstring injury in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. McFadden didn’t give his owners much to smile about with just five carries for 12 yards and one catch for 3 yards. McFadden first injured the hamstring a month ago, and he appears to have re-injured it. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, and have high recurrence rates (16 to 34%). Depending on the severity of injury, pulled hamstrings can take 3 to 6 weeks or longer to heal. Monitor McFadden’s practice participation and await further updates from the Raiders. McFadden’s dynasty value continues to drop. He will be a free agent in 201  and dynasty owners may want to trade him if he ends up in a promising situation. Rashad Jennings had a big day in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues, but mostly as a check-down option for Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Jennings had 15 rushes for 102 yards, one rushing touchdown and 7 receptions for 74 yards, good for over 30 points in PPR scoring. Jennings is a solid pick-up if he is still on waivers in all formats.

Darren Sproles, RB NO

Sproles sustained a concussion and was removed from the game. Sproles will be enrolled into the NFL concussion protocol and will need to demonstrate resolution of symptoms, tolerate gradual escalation in sport-specific activities and receive clearance from physicians before returning to play. It is possible Sproles could return for the Saints week 10 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Then again, whether his owners want to start him at all is questionable. Sproles has just 25 yards rushing and no touchdowns the past four games. At least he has 14 receptions for 91 yards over the past four games as well. In standard scoring leagues, Sproles is not helping his owners at all, and he is barely worth a start in PPR leagues (averaging less than 6 points the past four games). Sproles is 30 years old and he might be reaching his expiration date for running backs as useful fantasy football assets. I wish I could say Mark Ingram has value, but he had a pedestrian 4 rushes for 19 yards. The Saints backfield is a mess and best avoided whenever possible.

Terrelle Pryor, QB OAK

Pryor was removed from a blow-out loss against the Eagles, and it was later confirmed to be precautionary. Pryor is officially “day-to-day.” As bad as the Raiders looked, Pryor still had a decent game, passing for 288 yards, rushing for 94 yards, but he did throw two interceptions. Pryor can give solid production on a weekly basis with those rushing yards and next up is a Giants defense that has given up only 14 points the past two games. The Giants defense has still struggled for most of 2013 and Pryor has a shot to bounce back.

Kyle Rudolph, TE MIN

Rudolph continues to frustrate owners waiting for him to reach his vast potential. Rudolph grabbed a 35 yard pass from Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder and bulled his way into the end zone for a touchdown. Fantasy owners rejoiced until he hurt his left foot on the same play. Rudolph ended his day with 2 receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown, so it was not a complete loss for his owners. He has been diagnosed with a “broken foot,” or foot fracture. Initial estimates are he will need 4 to 6 weeks to recover, but that sounds optimistic. It could take longer than 6 weeks, and at this point, Rudolph might be a candidate for injured reserve. Fantasy owners should look for other options this year. Rudolph should be back in 2014, but his dynasty owners are undoubtedly frustrated. He could be an interesting buy-low for dynasty purposes, especially if the Vikings get a new coaching staff and quarterback next year.

David Wilson, RB NYG

Wilson had some good news, as an MRI of his neck showed “significant improvement.” Wilson has a herniated disc in his neck, and that sounds like the causative source for his neurological symptoms after a hit to his neck in week 5. Dr. Robert Watkins reportedly did not recommend surgery for it, and a disc herniation can recover with conservative management. Still, running backs with neck problems are not coveted assets in dynasty formats. The topic is controversial, but athletes can return to play after having evidence of cervical neurapraxia, which is a fancy term describing neurological symptoms that result from a hit injuring the cervical spine and/or nerves. Athletes with this injury need to demonstrate stability of the cervical spine, have resolution of symptoms and no signs of significant narrowing in the cervical spine, such as from a herniated disc, before returning to play. There is a 0 to 60% chance of re-injury based on currently available published literature on cervical neurapraxia. It is uncertain when Wilson will return, whether it is 2013 or 2014. In dynasty formats, I would recommend holding Wilson for now, wait for him to be cleared for play, then trade him once he starts putting up impressive numbers. Re-draft owners of Wilson are in a tough spot, as his return in 2013 is possible but unclear. Andre Brown, the other Giants running back, is slated to return week 10, and that will create a crowded backfield. Wilson is a talented player, and should probably be held in re-draft formats, unless a roster spot is needed.

scott peak
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