The Dynasty Doctor: Week Ten Injury Report

Scott Peak Posted On November 12, 2013

Editor’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.

Arian Foster, RB HOU

Foster owners got bad news at the end of last week when rumors floated that his season was over due to lingering back problems. Foster visited with three specialists and surgery was recommended by all of them. The problematic area is in his lower back (lumbar spine), and could be a disc herniation, or a similar abnormality irritating spinal nerves. Foster had similar back problems in training camp, and had an epidural injection. These injections may not be effective beyond three months, and it seems like Foster’s pain may have flared up again if the epidural has worn off. Back surgery for NFL athletes has good results in most cases, with 75 to 90% returning to play 5-8 months after surgery. If Foster has surgery now and there are no unexpected complications, he stands a reasonably good chance of returning in 2014. Rob Gronkowski has had two level microdiscectomies and has returned to play. Surgery may also prolong an elite athlete’s career compared to non-operative measures. Ben Tate will assume feature-back duties, but he is a free agent in 2014. Dennis Johnson and Ray Graham are interesting stashes for dynasty league owners.

Dez Bryant, WR DAL

Bryant owners got a scare when it was reported he may have a disc herniation, which was refuted by the Dallas Cowboys. Reports are he received an epidural injection for pain, and that implies an underlying structural problem, such as a herniated disc. Epidural injections are effective at controlling pain in nearly 90% of cases, and the effect is usually seen within days of getting it. Much like Foster, Bryant may have a short-lived benefit, but the epidural injection may give him enough time to play out the schedule in 2013. Whether or not Bryant ends up having surgery will depend on how the underlying structural problem, such as a herniated disc, heals and whether he is having pain after the epidural injection wears off. This is a situation that requires monitoring for both re-draft and dynasty owners. Bryant only had one catch for 44 yards against the Saints, but that was attributed to defensive schemes used to defend him. Bryant played in 43 of 46 snaps, so his playing time was not limited by the injury.

Peyton Manning, QB DEN

Manning was hit late in the game against the San Diego Chargers and the defensive lineman wrapped up his ankles and Manning fell to the ground. Manning was recently treated for high-ankle sprains. He admitted he was sore after the game, but he was able to stay in the game, so that is encouraging. The MRI on Monday did not show anything new and it appears he escaped with an aggravation of his ankle sprain. He is expected to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week and that means he should be in your line-ups.

Tony Gonzalez, TE ATL

Gonzalez injured a toe on his left foot, and admitted it bothered him during the game. He struck a tone of uncertainty after the game, regarding his availability next week. More tests are scheduled, but Gonzalez has only missed three games in 15 years. He had a paltry 3 receptions for 29 yards against a tough Seahawks defense. Falcons head coach Mike Smith did not provide an update after the game. Hopefully this won’t be a long-term issue, but pay attention to his practice participation and further updates this week.

Stevie Johnson, WR BUF

Johnson sustained a groin injury playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He posted a meager 3 receptions for 48 yards and no touchdowns. After the game, he was hesitant about his availability for the Bills week 11 battle against the New York Jets. Depending on the severity of the groin strain, healing can take 2 to 6 weeks or longer. With Robert Woods nursing an ankle sprain, T.J. Graham and Marquise Goodwin may get more targets until Johnson returns.

Terrelle Pryor, QB OAK

Pryor has a sprained MCL and felt “very sore” after the game. Grade 1 MCL sprains can improve with rehabilitation in 1-2 weeks, and grade 2 MCL sprains a bit longer at 3 weeks. Severe MCL sprains could take 6 weeks or longer, especially in the uncommon instance where surgery is needed. Most MCL sprains can be treated without surgery. For Pryor, much of his fantasy value is determined by his rushing yardage. In fact, Pryor has just five passing touchdowns the entire year, and he has twice as many interceptions (10). Against the New York Giants, Pryor managed just 122 yards passing, one rushing touchdown, one interception and just 19 yards rushing. Pryor’s mobility may be an issue with an MCL sprain, and we will see how it impacts his usefulness as a fantasy football asset in the coming weeks.

Vernon Davis, TE SF

Davis sustained a concussion when his head hit the ground hard. He was removed from the game and will enroll in the NFL Concussion Protocol. The time it takes for him to pass through this protocol depends on the severity of the concussion, how soon his symptoms resolve and whether he can advance sports-specific activities without having symptoms. Darren Sproles didn’t miss a game, but that’s the best case scenario. It could be a week or longer, but we will see how fast Davis recovers from it. Vance McDonald gets his shot if Davis misses time.

Jake Locker, QB TEN

Locker is believed to have suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot and may need surgery for it. Titans head coach Mike Munchak confirmed Locker is out for the year. Locker showed promise this year, but he cannot stay healthy. Dynasty value is shaky unless he proves he can stay healthy. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the next man up at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans and he had a nice day against the Jacksonville Jaguars (22 pass completions, 264 yards passing, two touchdowns plus three rushes for 13 yards and another touchdown rushing). Of course, anyone can get that kind of production against a woeful Jaguars defense. The Titans get the Indianapolis Colts in week 11, a defense that just got torched by the St. Louis Rams.

Jay Cutler, QB CHI

Cutler returned from a groin injury and ended up leaving the game with a high-ankle sprain. The groin was evidently not a problem for him, and the ankle sprain got him pulled from the game. Initial tests are negative and that suggests a fracture is not likely. Negative x-rays also suggest a less severe high-ankle sprain, as separation of bones in the ankle can be seen, called “diastasis,” and would imply a more significant injury. Cutler has already been ruled out for week 11. High-ankle sprains can take 2 to 8 weeks to heal if surgery is not required. Hopefully Cutler will only miss week 11 but we will need to see how this situation unfolds.

Seneca Wallace, QB GB

Wallace had his less than 15 minutes of fame, departing the first quarter of the Packers game against the Eagles with a groin injury. Scott Tolzien took over and was not impressive (24 pass completions, 280 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, one rush for 19 yards). Either way, the Packers quarterback situation is a mess. James Jones didn’t help out his QB, failing to get his feet down on a potential touchdown. Jones finished with 4 receptions for 44 yards. Jordy Nelson also took a hit in production, with 6 receptions for 56 yards and no touchdowns. Brandon Bostick had a decent game, catching three passes for 42 yards and a nice touchdown grab. Eddie Lacy had a tough time finding open rushing lanes, and ran for 73 yards on 24 attempts, no touchdowns and two receptions for 11 yards. The Packers offense gets a downgrade for now, and hopefully Aaron Rodgers will be back soon. Tolzien is tough to rely on unless fantasy owners are desperate for a starting quarterback.

Sean Lee, LB DAL

Lee sustained a hamstring injury while playing on Sunday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints. Depending on the severity of a hamstring strain, recovery can take 3 to 6 weeks. Initial estimates are Lee will miss 3 to 4 weeks, but hamstring injuries can be tricky. Risk of recurrent hamstring strains is 16% to 34%, so athletes need to be careful about rushing back before adequate healing has been achieved. Lee is an elite LB1 in IDP leagues, and has 63 solo tackles, 90 total tackles, 27 assists, 4 interceptions, a touchdown, one fumble recovery and six passes defensed. Losing Lee is a blow to IDP owners. Pay attention to updates from the team and when he is cleared to return to practice.

Mychal Kendricks, LB PHI

Kendricks sustained a knee injury and was classified as out for the game. The severity of the knee injury is not yet known. Kendricks was attempting to tackle Eddie Lacy, and one of the Eagles defensive backs inadvertently hit him in the right knee. His knee did appear to hyperextend on the play. Hopefully it’s more of a sprain than torn ligaments. Kendricks had been coming on of late, providing LB2 production in tackle-heavy formats and LB3 production in big-play IDP leagues. Kendricks has 52 solo tackles, 66 total tackles, 14 assists, one sack, three fumble recoveries and one pass defensed. No updates as yet from the Eagles.