The Dynasty Doctor: Week Six Injury Report

Scott Peak Posted On October 14, 2014

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.

Victor Cruz, WR NYG

Cruz ruptured his right patellar tendon Sunday night. It’s a devastating injury, one that will end his 2014 season. He underwent surgery described as successful at an excellent surgical center (Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City). This is a serious injury and will put a severe dent in the dynasty value of Cruz. Whether or not he returns to form is questionable, but there are some encouraging studies. I wrote an article on ruptured patellar tendons for NFL athletes last year, and here is the link: https://dynastyleaguefootball.com/2013/06/01/the-dynasty-doctor-6/.

Odell Beckham, Jr. may get a chance to replace Cruz, or possibly Preston Parker. Cruz owners in dynasty may be forced to hold onto him, as his return value probably won’t be much and he has a good chance to return in 2015. How good he will be remains to be seen, but he is at a fine surgical institution and that certainly helps.

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Jimmy Graham, TE NO

The New Orleans Saints were on a bye this week, but it was reported that Graham could miss 2-3 weeks with a shoulder sprain – this sounds similar to the Jordan Cameron situation. Shoulder sprains are painful and result from stretching or tearing of ligaments (acromioclavicular and coracoclavicular ligaments). It takes time for the injury to heal and the pain to go away. A 2-3 week timetable is consistent with a grade II shoulder sprain. Cameron aggravated his injury week one and was able to return week three and had a big game this week, so there is hope for Graham owners. I don’t expect this to impact Graham’s dynasty value, although he has now had a couple nagging injuries the past two seasons. Hopefully that trend won’t continue.

Calvin Johnson, WR DET

Johnson missed this week’s game with an ankle injury. He is reportedly dealing with a high ankle sprain, and those can be nagging injuries. Recovery can take 2-8 weeks, and the Lions decided to give their star receiver some rest. It looks like a week-to-week process for fantasy owners, unfortunately. It’s good he does not appear to need surgery, but this could drag on for a few weeks. Recent reports suggest Johnson could be out until after the Lions week 9 bye, and that wouldn’t surprise me at all given high ankle sprains can take time to recover. Given his age and recent injury history, I would consider trading him for comparable value (top 12 start-up value).

AJ Green, WR CIN

Green was inactive week six and aggravated his toe injury in practice last week, putting him in a walking boot. The Bengals have kept details of the specific injury quiet, and it has been described as turf toe, or something more than turf toe. Apparently no surgery is required and no ligaments have been torn – that would seem to indicate more dreaded injuries like Lis-franc or a severe turf toe injury are not the issue. Still, this has the makings of another week-to-week injury, similar to Calvin Johnson. I hope Green can return to form this year, but toe injuries can be nagging in nature. I would not suggest selling him at a discount in dynasty leagues based on this injury.

Stevan Ridley, RB NE

Ridley sustained a knee injury and tore his ACL/MCL. MRI is on tap. Ridley will be out for the year, and it carries a 6-9 month recovery. Ridley will be a free agent in 2015 and it will be interesting to see how this impacts him finding a new team. Shane Vereen, Brandon Bolden and James White are next up, but it might be best to avoid this backfield. Good luck predicting who will take advantage of Ridley’s misfortune. It will be a situation worth monitoring, but my expectations are low.

Eddie Royal, WR SD

Royal left the game against the Raiders with a rib injury. This is not a surprise, given Royal has a tough time staying healthy. He has had a decent year, with 20 receptions for 276 yards and four touchdowns. Still, his dynasty value is non-existent, given his injury history and difficulty in predicting when he will be useful. Seyi Ajirotutu is next up on the list. Let’s hope the Chargers will finally get Ladarius Green more involved (4 for 60 yards on 5 targets week 6). Green’s snap count has been rising in the past two weeks, so that is good news.

Marvin Jones, WR CIN

Recent reports are that Bengals head coach, Marvin Lewis, is not happy with Jones’ progress with his ankle/foot injury. Surgery is being floated as a possibility. As we initially reported, a six week time-table in training camp was on the optimistic side, and now it looks like it could be considerably longer. Pay attention to how this unfolds, but it’s not looking good for Jones. Mohamed Sanu should be a valuable fantasy football contributor for the remainder of 2014.

Jerod Mayo, LB NE

Mayo sustained a knee injury and it is believed to be significant as he is out for the year. Chris White is next up on the depth chart. If Donta Hightower or Jamie Collins are still somehow available in IDP leagues, snap them up.

Bobby Wagner, LB SEA

Wagner has a turf toe injury and his playing status for week seven is uncertain. Turf toe injuries have been a headache for fantasy owners this year. Depending on severity, return to play can take a few days or 2+ weeks. Watch for Wagner’s practice participation and get ready for a replacement if he can’t go this week. Wagner is an elite LB1 in IDP formats, so his loss would be felt. Michael Morgan and Brock Coyle got snaps and are worth monitoring in deep IDP leagues. Here is a link to an article I wrote about turf toe injuries last year: https://dynastyleaguefootball.com/2013/06/15/the-dynasty-doctor-turf-toe/.

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