The Dynasty Doctor: Week Four Injury Report

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 a Senior Writer for 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.

Andrew Luck, QB IND

Luck was unable to play this week due to complications related to his right shoulder injury. I’d call this bad luck but that would be cheesy journalism. The injury has been described as a “bruise,” with “no structural damage” in the shoulder. Yet, head coach Chuck Pagano noted Luck was shut down because he “didn’t have arm strength.” There were also reports of a shoulder separation, but no damage to his labrum. That has me a bit uncomfortable. A bruise is more of a pain-limiting situation and it must be significantly painful to limit his throwing strength. A torn labrum and/or rotator cuff damage to his throwing shoulder would be a much bigger problem. Luck was reportedly doing light throwing in practice and there is talk of him starting on Thursday Night Football. If that’s the case, that would support no serious structural damage to his throwing shoulder. I doubt Luck would be playing anytime soon if he had damage to his labrum and/or rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. I hope it’s just a bruise but until I see Luck fully participating in practice and game conditions, I won’t feel at ease about him. I’m not saying he has an injury in his labrum or rotator cuff, but NFL teams don’t always report full details of an injury, especially for a player of this magnitude. Monitor this situation closely. I would not advocate panic that would result in selling him in dynasty formats right now. Let’s let this situation play out and hope for the best.

Marshawn Lynch, RB SEA

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Lynch was downgraded to out of Monday Night Football and that’s never a good sign, even though he was questionable at best up until Sunday. Lynch injured his hamstring after sustaining a calf injury in week two. Lynch has over 2,300 touches in his career and at 29 years old, these kinds of injuries are a bit of a red flag. Contenders might use this as an opportunity to get Lynch at a discount, but I would be careful not to overpay for him. We’ve seen legendary older running backs fall off a cliff pretty fast. An MRI showed “some findings” per head coach Pete Carroll and that description was sufficiently vague to leave us concerned and yet completely in the dark. Most hamstring injuries are grades 1 or 2, and recover in 1-3 weeks. More serious hamstring injuries can have a longer road to recovery, and re-injury can be as bad or worse. Thomas Rawls is an intriguing prospect at running back and should be on the radar of dynasty players.

Demaryius Thomas, WR DEN

Thomas sustained a neck injury and briefly left the game. It seems like he had a stinger based on the injury mechanism and the pain he seemed to be in, yet he was able to return to play. The fact he was able to return to the game is encouraging. Stingers can be quite painful but if the nerve in question is not irreversibly injured, players can return to play quickly. Monitor his practice participation, but hopefully dynasty players can breathe a big sigh of relief.

Jordan Reed, TE WAS

Reed sustained a concussion and was removed from the game. This is concerning given his history of multiple concussions in the past (two in 2013). He was placed on injured reserve 2013 with a concussion that had lingering symptoms. Reed will be enrolled in the NFL concussion protocol and will need to have resolution of symptoms with clearance from medical staff before returning. Monitor his practice participation and be ready to have a replacement for week five. I’ve advocated selling Reed in dynasty for a long time now and his latest injury hasn’t changed my perspective. Remember, a history of prior concussions increases risk of subsequent concussions and Reed now has at least three (and probably more) in his career. It’s hard to sell Reed now but I don’t expect him to be a reliable starter in fantasy football any longer. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if his misses several weeks with his latest concussion.

Cecil Shorts, WR HOU

Shorts dislocated his left shoulder. He had his left arm planted and got hit with downward force on his shoulder, dislocating his shoulder. This is a tough injury and Shorts may be out awhile. His value in dynasty formats is minimal.

Stevie Johnson, WR SD

Johnson grabbed his right upper leg after running a route and was later diagnosed with a hamstring injury. Severity is not yet known but most hamstring injuries are low-to-mid grade (1-3 weeks). Dontrelle Inman is worth a look as he might have an opportunity in a prolific San Diego offense.

Malcom Floyd, WR SD

Floyd had one catch for 20 yards, then left the game with a concussion. Floyd historically has a difficult time staying healthy and it’s tough to rely on him as a starter for our teams. He will be enrolled in the NFL concussion protocol and will need to demonstrate resolution of symptoms with medical clearance before returning. Give Inman a look as noted previously.

Lance Dunbar, RB DAL

Dunbar had been having a nice season, but that’s over now. He reportedly sustained a torn ACL and MCL. He is looking at surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation. He has a good shot to be back in 2016 but given his difficulty staying healthy in past years, his ability to bounce back as a fantasy option is questionable at best. In leagues with deep rosters and/or an IR spot, he’s worth holding given his production this year, but otherwise it would be reasonable to move on.

Sean Lee, LB DAL

Lee sustained a concussion on a significant blow to his head/neck and will be enrolled in the NFL concussion protocol. Lee’s injury looked similar to the one suffered by Luke Kuechly. Not all concussions are the same, but notably Kuechly has missed three weeks with his head injury. Given Lee’s history of injuries and greater scrutiny placed on head injuries in the NFL, it would not surprise me if Lee misses a few games. Anthony Hitchens may see more tackle opportunities, and keep an eye on Andrew Gachkar (four solo tackles week in week four) and Damien Wilson (five solo tackles in week four).

Mychal Kendricks, LB PHI

Kendricks returned from a hamstring injury but didn’t last long, giving his owners a goose egg in week four. Kendricks has yet to complete a full season of football and I’m growing more concerned about his ability to stay healthy. Aggravation of hamstring injuries can take longer to heal and it wouldn’t surprise me if Kendricks is out a few more games. When Kendricks returns and starts producing elite numbers in IDP formats, I would consider selling him for fair value and move on.

Alec Ogletree, LB STL

Ogletree suffered a nasty looking injury and the mechanism looked like a high-ankle sprain. After the game, it was reported Ogletree will need surgery, suggesting a more severe high-ankle sprain and/or a fracture that needs repair. The timeline for recovery from surgery for a high-ankle sprain is three months or longer. Dynasty owners will need a replacement for Ogletree and might be without him for most if not all of the 2015 fantasy season. Outcomes are fairly good (85 to 100% good to excellent) and Ogletree should be back to form once his surgery and rehabilitation are complete.

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