The Dynasty Doctor: Week Ten Injury Report

Scott Peak Posted On November 17, 2015

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Editor’s Note: Injuries are a huge part of winning and losing each year in fantasy leagues. Staying abreast of 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

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Unless fantasy owners just returned from a trip to Mars, everyone has heard that Luck could miss two to six weeks with a lacerated kidney. I presented data from a study that evaluated NFL players with kidney lacerations last week. Recovery rates are very good, so I’m not concerned about Luck for 2016. Average return to sport was 59 days, so that would be closer to eight weeks. We don’t know how severe his kidney laceration was, but it is conceivable that he could return sooner than eight weeks. In that study, the fastest return was 19 days. I expect the Colts to be conservative in dealing with this injury, as internal bleeding from an important organ like the kidney is a serious issue. I also expect Luck to have some reservations about returning to play before it’s completely healed, given risk of aggravating it and placing his kidney at risk for further damage. It wouldn’t surprise me if his return is closer to six weeks or later, rather than two weeks, but we’ll see how this situation unfolds. I would have no reservations about acquiring Luck now, as I expect him to be fully recovered by 2016. If you stumble across a panicked owner in dynasty leagues, I would make the effort to get him at a discount now.

Julian Edelman, WR NE

Edelman left the game after a foot injury. It looked like the defender fell on the back of his planted foot. He has been diagnosed with a Jones’ fracture, and is scheduled for surgery. Edelman is likely to be out six-eight weeks at a minimum, and unfortunately that means he may not be available the remainder of 2015 for fantasy teams. He is the WR7 in fantasy this year, so his loss is significant. Danny Amendola would be worth a grab if he’s on waivers, as he finished with ten receptions for 79 yards. Tom Brady loses another important target. Success rates are fairly high with this surgery, so Edelman should be back in 2016. He is perennially undervalued in fantasy, and it may be worthwhile to work a deal for him if a contender is desperate to replace him for this year.

Sam Bradford, QB PHI

Bradford got slammed to the ground on his left shoulder, and was also diagnosed with a concussion. X-rays were negative, and that ruled out a fracture, potentially on the clavicle. He has been diagnosed with a grade 2 shoulder sprain, and that carries a two-four week recovery. Best guess is it may be closer to two weeks given it’s on his non-throwing shoulder. He will also be enrolled in the NFL concussion protocol, but his shoulder injury is more likely to be the limiting factor for his return to play. Mark Sanchez completed 14 passes for 156 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Eagle wide receivers had a poor game, as Nelson Agholor had the best game with three receptions for 32 yards. Brent Celek was the star, and that says it all (four receptions for 134 yards). We’ll see if Eagles receivers can fare better next week with Sanchez at the helm, but it’s not great news for their fantasy value.

Ryan Mathews, RB PHI

Mathews gave his fantasy owners a touchdown, but left the game with a concussion. Such is life with Mathews. He managed eight carries for 18 yards, one rushing touchdown, and two receptions for 22 yards. Despite playing second fiddle to DeMarco Murray, Mathews is still the RB25 in PPR leagues (RB22 in standard formats). Mathews is a decent buy in dynasty, as he is already a low-end RB2, but carries RB1 upside if Murray gets injured. Mathews is likely available at a price that is below his current level of production. I’d do a price check on Mathews just to see how cheap he is right now. Hopefully Mathews can return soon from the concussion. Monitor his practice participation this week.

Landry Jones, QB PIT

Jones is on this list mainly to highlight the toughness of Ben Roethlisberger, who managed to return to play this week despite a mid-foot sprain last week. Jones sustained a foot injury and Roethlisberger replaced him. Antonio Brown had another big game, with ten receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Martavis Bryant had six receptions for 178 yards and one touchdown. Clearly, when Roethlisberger is in the game, huge uptick for all Steelers receivers. It helps that he played against the Browns defense. He has a week 16 game against the Baltimore Ravens, and I think all Steelers offensive players will bring lots of fantasy goodness for the holidays.

Peyton Manning, QB DEN

Manning had a terrible game, is banged up with foot/rib injuries, and now has an aggravation of plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis isn’t so much a structural issue with the foot, but can be quite painful. It can also be a nagging injury, and can take six-eight weeks to resolve with conservative measures, or longer if refractory to standard treatments. It may be an issue that persists this season, and could adversely impact his performance. For quarterbacks, foot work is critical, and if he has pain from plantar fasciitis, that might impact his mechanics. Manning seems to be resilient, and I’m sure his competitive fire makes it hard for him to sit on the bench long. Plantar fasciitis is, in the end, about pain tolerance. It’s possible with a foot insert and even a steroid injection that his pain may be controlled to a point where he can manage it and play. We’ll have to see how this shakes out, but it’s hard to count on him to be a productive fantasy starter this year. Manning was benched for Brock Osweiler after managing just five completions for 35 yards and four interceptions. This was a home game, and Denver fans must’ve been in shock. There must be concern about Manning given his poor performance this year, and he is presently the QB28 in fantasy. Osweiler completed 14 passes for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also pitched in three carries for 18 yards. Osweiler has already been named the starter for week 11. Manning’s value in fantasy has eroded, even in 2QB leagues.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR DEN

Sanders was a surprise active but could only managed four targets and no receptions. He injured an ankle last week and was unable to practice this week. It is encouraging that he was able to play, albeit in a limited fashion. Monitor his practice participation and we’ll see if he can be more productive against the Bears next week. Initial reports are optimistic about his availability for week 11.

Allen Hurns, WR JAC

Hurns reportedly has an abdominal injury, and surgery for a sports hernia has been floated. If that’s the case, he might need four-six weeks or longer to recover. Given we’re in week 11, that would likely end his value to us in fantasy for 2015. Recoveries are generally good, so I’m not so much concerned about the long-term implications of this injury. Hurns does have a propensity to get nagging injuries, but his dynasty price is likely to be cheap relative to his production. I’d still rather look elsewhere for more consistently healthy options in dynasty formats.

TJ Yeldon, RB JAC

Yeldon is in a walking boot after suffering a foot injury. It seems unlikely that he will be ready to play for Thursday Night Football. Monitor his practice participation but be ready to have a replacement. No mention of the severity, but fingers crossed. We’ve seen players return quickly from low grade foot sprains but we will have to see when Yeldon sheds the boot and returns to practice. Denard Robinson may have some life, at least for this week. I’m a buyer of Yeldon in dynasty formats.

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