Injury Recap

Posted 8/23 by Mark Wimer, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Professional football players are often injured during the course of an NFL season, and sometimes those injuries can linger to affect a player in the following season (Daunte Culpepper's problems during 2006 being just one of many examples of such a situation - he's still rehabbing his injured knee entering 2007). The below is a review of the most significant injuries still affecting fantasy-relevant skill position players as we enter the 2007 training camps, with more recent injuries suffered during May/June minicamps also listed. For further details on the players listed below, check out their player pages here at Footballguys.com or run a search for the person in question on the Footballguys.com News Blogger.

Quarterbacks

Cincinnati's Carson Palmer was spotted wearing a knee brace on his surgically repaired left knee on Monday, 8/6/07, after doing without bracing for most of training camp. Palmer downplayed the incident, stating "Nothing's wrong. I'm going to wear it all year, and I'm just getting used to it again."

Denver's Jay Cutler developed wrist tendonitis due to excessive throwing during the first week of training camp - although he didn't sit out of practices, he did look off during the sessions. "It felt a lot better today," Cutler said on 8/07/07. "We've been icing it and rehabbing it quite a bit. Everything's fine now."

Detroit's Jon Kitna was forced out of practice on 8/21/07 due to back spasms, but reports indicate that the injury is minor and nothing to worry about at this time. However, on Thursday 8/23/07, OC Mike Martz said the Lions will wait until Saturday afternoon to decide whether the starter will play that night at Indianapolis. Kitna left Tuesday's practice with back spasms and has not taken part in drills since.
Detroit placed rookie QB Drew Stanton on IR Friday 8/3/07. He underwent surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee last week.

Jacksonville's Byron Leftwich began the 2007 minicamps practicing with his teammates for the first time in 7 months - he reports that the left ankle injury that cost him parts of the last 2 seasons is finally healed. "I am totally recovered, no pain or anything with the ankle."

Kansas City's Damon Huard is losing ground to Brodie Croyle due to his sore right calf. Huard didn't practice Monday 8/20/07. He stood close by with an ice pack on his chronically sore right calf - with Larry Johnson back in the fold, it may be Croyle is poised to take over the starting spot at QB.

Miami/Oakland's Daunte Culpepper revealed in April that his November 2006 surgery to re-repair his injured right knee was more extensive and involved than previously indicated by the Dolphins. Culpepper is now one of the guys in the mix for starting at QB in Oakland as they continue to negotiate with first round pick JaMarcus Russell. Said coach Kiffin on 8/7/07 of the situation: "We don't need to have a starter right now. We're going to let them play and do the best that we can." Culpepper is expected to start during week 3 and may have the inside track to headline for the Raiders - time will tell.

Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb continues to rehab his torn right ACL, suffered November 19th, 2006. In late July, McNabb revealed his knee is about 75% recovered. On 8/6/07, he commented "It's not about wearing a brace or not wearing a brace. I'm wearing a knee brace." McNabb now has 3 different braces to choose from when he hits the field. He looked strong in his first preseason appearance, tossing 6/9 for 138 yards, 0 TDs and 0 interceptions - one thing to note about his first game back regarding the knee/his mobility was that McNabb didn't scramble around much, according to published accounts of the game (but so far so good).

Pittsburgh's Brian St. Pierre injured his thumb on his throwing hand during the Hall of Fame game, and sat out of practice on Tuesday as a result.

Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck is recovering from offseason surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder. In early May, Hasselbeck was working on throwing drills (his rehab is ahead of schedule) and participating in 7 on 7 drills. As of June 4th, Hasselbeck was participating without limitation during the early June voluntary minicamp. Hasselbeck stated at that time that the shoulder was a "non-issue on the field", although his timing still needs work. Hasselbeck has been working as usual with his teammates during training camp this year. Coach Holmgren is limiting Hasselbeck's time in the preseason games to preserve his shoulder in order to make sure that Hasselbeck is ready for regular season action. Reports out of Seattle prior to the week 3 contest vs. Minnesota indicated that Hasselbeck will probably see some work to keep him from getting rusty.

Tampa Bay's Chris Simms, recovering from an emergency splenectomy after week 3 of 2006, was signed to a 2-year contract extension this spring. In early April at a workout, Simms commented about the splenectomy"No ill effects. And I took a few hits today, too. I took a few good ones. I'm not supposed to get hit, but I guess they wanted to test the spleen ... or they wanted to test the space where the spleen was." Jeff Garcia was named that #1 QB in early June, so Simms is sliding down the depth chart - he was listed as #3 on the teams' first depth chart issued on Monday, August 6th. Simms has been battling a sore left elbow during the first part of training camp - though he is reportedly overcoming the soreness and throwing with more zip of late. As of August 16th, coach Gruden indicated that Simms is not a candidate for IR: "He's healthy. Why the h___ would he go on IR? - If he was injured, he wouldn't be practicing and throwing 125 balls a day. It's the performance that needs to improve," Gruden said.

Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia was nursing a hamstring injury at the start of training camp, but is listed as the team's #1 QB as of 8/8/07 - the tweaked hamstring seems to be a non-issue at this point. He started for Tampa on 8/18/07 and tossed 6/6 for 43 yards and 1 TD vs. the Jaguars before taking a seat on the bench.

Washington's Jason Campbell suffered a bruised knee vs. Pittsburgh, but subsequent evaluations (including an MRI) have shown that there isn't structural damage in the joint. However, he probably won't play during preseason week 3 vs. Baltimore. "Today was my first time trying to jog and run on it, and it wasn't where I thought it would be," Campbell said on August 23rd. Todd Collins is set to start vs. Baltimore.

Running Backs

Arizona FB A.J. Schable has a broken right foot and is out for at least 8 weeks, and perhaps the entire season. Surgery was performed to correct the break.

Atlanta's Warrick Dunn had an arthroscopic shoulder surgery in January. He was expected to make a full recovery from the shoulder surgery in time for training camp, but then a herniated disk in his back forced another surgery on Dunn on July 25th. Jerious Norwood will have to carry the load during preseason (at the least) for the Falcons - but as you see below, Norwood is sidelined as of week 3 of the preseason as well. Dunn did return to practice recently, but it remains to be seen if he's in anything near "football" shape.

Atlanta's Jerious Norwood suffered a stomach injury of some kind during the middle of training camp and missed the second preseason contest. He may miss the third game as well, leaving the Falcons very thin at RB - Jason Snelling has been subbing for Norwood while Norwood recovers.

Cincinnati's Chris Perry suffered a severely broken leg in November that required surgery to install plates - he will miss part of regular season. Perry was placed on the PUP/reserve list in late July, meaning he'll miss the first 6 games of the season for sure.

Cincinnati's Kenny Irons has been lost for the season due to a knee injury/ACL surgery.

Cleveland's Jamal Lewis had a January surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle, a condition which he blamed for slowing him during 2006. Cleveland signed him despite the surgery, which indicates he passed a medical exam by the Browns. "Never vacation," Lewis commented in late July. "Maybe you can slip one or two days in every now and then, but work comes first. You do the work in the spring and summer so you come to camp and be the best you can be. You have to do that extra. I have a great trainer down in Atlanta that's proven, and the guys that go there are proven veterans who know what it takes. I told Jerome to come down here and work with us." Lewis looks like he's recovered from the ankle problems as of preseason week 3.

Chicago's Cedric Benson: August 6th, it was reported that Benson was held out of any contact drills in practice due to a sore left shoulder, but the injury is said to be "not serious" at this time. Benson started for the Bears vs. Indy on Monday 8/20 and compiled 10/24/0 rushing and 2/11/0 receiving.

Chicago's Garrett Wolfe suffered a hamstring injury on the second day of training camp, and was sidelined for a week due to the problem. He did do some individual drills in early August, but was still limited as of 8/8/07. Wolfe played vs. Indy on 8/20/07 and posted 8/28/0 rushing and 1/11/0 receiving during his time on the field.

Denver's Travis Henry suffered a hip pointer on Saturday, August 4th: "I had a little hip pointer yesterday," Henry said of the injury on Sunday, 8/5. "I kind of re-aggravated it today but I'm cool. I nicked it up again and didn't feel like I could go the way I wanted today." The injury was not considered serious at the time. On 8/18/07 Henry carried 10/25/0 and hauled in 1/6/0 vs. Dallas - he was worked fairly hard for week 2 of preseason. Unfortunately, Henry sprained his MCL during the game - he'll probably sit out the remaining preseason contests while he heals up the mild sprain. An MRI showed no structural damage in the joint. Denver expects Henry back for week 1 of regular season.

Denver's Mike Bell injured his hip on Sunday 8/19/07 and may be out 2 weeks, opening the door for Cecil Sapp to challenge for the #2 job behind Travis Henry.

Detroit's Kevin Jones is working to rehabilitate a severe injury in his left foot (fractured bones) suffered last season - On Tuesday August 7th Jones was running routes for the first time since his injury, and commented on the situation at RB after practice: "If I wasn't hurt, (Bell) wouldn't even be an issue - he wouldn't even be here," Jones said. "Right now, my goal is to get back, and then it won't be an issue again."

Green Bay's Vernand Morency suffered a twisted knee early in training camp and will miss up to 4 weeks (up from an initial estimate of 2 weeks), according to head coach Mike McCarthy. He said on Friday, 8/3/07. "The soreness is in his patella tendon. A knee strain is what it's classified as. It's a couple weeks. It could be two. It could be four."

Houston's Chris Taylor is out for the season after tearing his meniscus cartilage in his left knee early in training camp.

Minnesota's Adrian Peterson did not need immediate surgery to repair the right collarbone he injured in the Fiesta Bowl, the Vikings' medical staff decided prior to the draft. During training camp, the collarbone has not been an issue. Peterson hit the practice field for the Vikings Wednesday 8/8/07 after nursing a hip-pointer injury. Peterson played vs. the Jets (Taylor got the start), and flashed his talent with 8/70/1 rushing during his chances on the field.

Minnesota's Chester Taylor returned to practice on Monday 8/6/07 after sitting out most of the prior week with a bruised forearm. Taylor started vs. the New York Jets on 8/17/07 and posted 4/16/0 rushing and 1/18/0 receiving during his stint.

New England's Laurence Maroney's offseason right shoulder surgery revealed fairly significant damage - the long-term impact isn't known. Maroney had an exploratory surgery that revealed more damage than expected, so corrective surgery was performed. On Tuesday, July 31st Maroney got almost all of the reps with first team in practice after being limited early in camp due to concerns about the shoulder. He looks good to go as of the first week in August. He has been accepting contact in practice as of late August and appears ready to headline for the Patriots, although the Sporting News reported on August 21st that the team may utilize Sammy Morris as a goalline back to spare Maroney's surgically repaired shoulder pounding around the goalline Maroney is expected to play vs. Carolina on Friday 8/24/07.

New Orleans' Deuce McAllister is rehabbing his right knee after an early February arthroscopic surgery to clean out scar tissue and repair a partially torn meniscus. On August 18th he played in the preseason game vs. Cincinnati and scored a TD on an 8-yard run (McAllister had 3/15/1 rushing and 1/10/0 receiving during a short appearance). So far, so good, it appears.

New York Jets' Thomas Jones is fighting through a right calf injury that is reportedly related to an Achilles problem in his ankle. He is expected to miss the rest of preseason while he rehabs this injury - this injury is very worrisome as calf injuries are easily aggravated. Stay tuned to hear how he progresses as the preseason winds down. Jones is expected to be ready for the Sept. 9 opener, but medical experts say there's no guarantee it will be healed. A Grade I strain has a recovery time of two to three weeks; it takes one to two months for a Grade II strain to heal. The extent of Jones' injury is not currently known. Jones did start riding a stationary bike August 21st - which is considered a positive step.

Oakland's LaMont Jordan suffered a torn MCL in his left knee during week 11 of 2006, and landed on IR. Jordan took a cut on his roster bonus in March (from $4.75 to $3 million) to stay with the Raiders. He is expected to be ready for regular season - keep an eye on his rehabbing knee during training camp. As of mid-June, Jordan looks like the #1 RB on the roster but will probably share some PT with free agent acquisition Dominic Rhodes during 2007 after Rhodes returns from a 4-game suspension. Jordan has struggled with lower-back pain during the opening week of training camp, missing some practices. Despite his early-camp woes, Jordan didn't show any rust on Saturday 8/18 as his Oakland Raiders took on the San Francisco 49ers. Jordan carried the ball 8 times for 67 yards and scored a touchdown. He also had a 19-yard reception.

Oakland RB Michael Bush may not be ready for the start of regular season, according to reports in Early July. He's recovering from a badly broken leg and started training camp on the PUP. As of August 4th, coach Kiffin indicated that Bush isn't ready to come off the PUP list to begin training camp. Reports on August 14th indicated that Bush may spend his first season in the NFL on IR as he continues to rehab his leg.

Philadelphia's Correll Buckhalter tweaked a knee in practice on Monday 8/6 and sat out on Tuesday 8/7 and Wednesday 8/8 - he has a history of knee problems so this is a situation to keep an eye on. Buckhalter played in the game vs. Carolina on 8/17 and posted 5/12/0 rushing and 1/8/0 receiving.

Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook sat out of practice on Tuesday 8/7 due to inflammation in one of his knees - rookie RB Tony Hunt did the bulk of the work at RB with both Buckhalter and Westbrook sidelined. Westbrook also took Sunday 8/5 off to rest his tired legs. Westbrook played vs. Carolina on 8/17 with 6/16/0 rushing and 1/6/0 receiving to his credit during that contest.

Pittsburgh's Willie Parker missed the Hall of Fame game and has been sitting out of practices after tweaking his left knee and suffering soreness/swelling in the joint. As of early August the injury isn't considered serious - fantasy owners will want to keep an eye on Parker's recovery, though. Parker tested his knee vs. Washington on 8/18 posting 4/4/0 rushing.

San Francisco's Frank Gore broke his right hand early on during training camp and is likely to miss at least the first 3 preseason games as a result. He is practicing with a cast on his hand. Coach Nolan doesn't seem concerned about Gore's presence during regular season, though - he stated on August 15th, "If he has to carry 500 times for us to win a lot of games, he'll carry 500 times."

Seattle's Shaun Alexander suffered a fractured left foot during the 2006 season, and reports have surfaced during May minicamps that the bone may still be cracked. The team denies the injury is still a problem - fantasy owners considering Alexander will want to check the latest news on this situation before their draft. On June 7th, Alexander commented about the injury briefly: "My foot's doing great," he said. He has been practicing as usual with the team. Alexander started for the Seahawks vs. Green Bay on 8/17/07 but only managed 3/3/0 rushing before exiting the contest (the team is being very careful with their starters early in preseason, though, so don't read too much into his brief appearance).

Tampa's Cadillac Williams battled a badly bruised foot that nagged him at the end of 2006. On June 11th, it was reported that Williams has been doing some running in simple tennis shoes, and even barefoot, in an attempt to strengthen his feet and give him a better "feel" for moving the ball. "It's a little different, but it's helping me to get a good feel in my feet," Williams said of the footwear change. "The bottom line is I think it's helping me a lot." The back is looking forward to catching more passes this year with Jeff Garcia under center - he seems to be in good shape at the start of training camp. He appeared briefly during the game against Jacksonville on 8/18, with 3/-1/0 rushing and 1/6/0 receiving to his credit.

Tennessee's LenDale White is struggling with a hamstring injury suffered during the team's first minicamp. As of May 23rd, head coach Jeff Fisher was "hopeful" that White would participate in practices at the end of May. White participated in exactly one practice, on May 31st (the day the team broke minicamp. for a 3-week layoff) and the team has signed Chris Brown to the roster again in the wake of White's hamstring problem. Since then, White has battled weight and injury issues: White's injury from the first preseason game turned out to include a swollen knee along with a sprained ankle, and he did not practice Sunday 8/19. "It happened right along with the ankle," he said. "The ankle was so sprained, I couldn't even feel it. Once I started running around on my knee and stuff and trying to get ready to go it just swelled up a little bit. The doctor said it's nothing to be too alarmed about. I should probably be back this week sometime." At this point, it looks like the Tennessee RB job is Chris Brown's to lose. On 8/21, RB coach Sherman Smith stated "I think it's Chris Brown. This guy is showing that he's been consistent." said Smith. Commenting on White, Smith stated "We've had two preseason games, and LenDale hasn't played in one of them. That kind of puts him in a position where you can't say you're competing for a starting job if you're not practicing and not playing."

Washington's Clinton Portis enters 2007 coming off shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum, and has battled knee tendonitis throughout training camp. On August 3rd, Portis commented "I keep on having setbacks, so right now I'm just trying to get strength back in it. If we had a game today, I could play. I'm not injured [bad] or anything. My knee is not even swelling up. When I make a subtle movement on it or a cut or I stop on a dime, it flares up again." As of August 10th, Portis had this to say about when he'd be back on the field: "I'm going to take my time. When I feel comfortable and the training team feels good about me being out there, I'll be out there," Portis said. Portis didn't play 8/18 vs. Pittsburgh. As of 8/22/07, Portis was still only running in a straight line during limited practice time.

Washington's Ladell Betts missed some practice time during the first week of training camp due to a minor neck injury - as of August 8th the injury is not considered serious, and Betts is back in practices. Betts logged 6/12/0 against the Steelers 8/18 during an abbreviated appearance.

Wide Receivers

Atlanta's Brian Finneran has reinjured his left knee (he suffered a torn ACL in the knee last year), it was revealed on May 14th. He's out for the entire 2007 season.

Baltimore's Mark Clayton is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason as he recovers from a sprained ankle. He said on Tuesday 8/22/07 that he expects to play in the team's regular season opener on September 10. Right now, it looks like the team is just erring on the side of caution with Clayton.

Cincinnati's Antonio Chatman, who only caught 3 passes last year before landing on IR due to a nagging groin injury, is aiming to step into Chris Henry's vacated #3 WR spot with the Bengals this year. "When I got hurt, I couldn't do anything," Chatman said in Mid-April. "I won't say it can't happen again, but I'm anticipating playing. I want to play bad. I'm anxious to be back because I want to play this season so bad after missing all of last year." In June, Chatman commented on his completed rehab: "The injury made me go back and do more core work, doing a lot of crunches and things like that because that's the main source of all of your strength," said Chatman. "I had to rebuild everything over. I used to do it a lot but I was so weak after the surgery that I really had to concentrate on doing it. It was like I was starting over from scratch, like a little kid becoming a man again." Chatman has battled a sore hamstring during the first week of training camp.

Cincinnati's Chad Johnson missed some practice time on Monday 8/6/07 due to a sprained left ankle. The injury isn't considered serious at this time. He grabbed 1/15/0 in a short appearance vs. New Orleans on 8/18.

Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandzadeh revealed in February that he played the final month of the 2006 season with 4 cracked vertebrae in his back: "I got an X-ray and it showed I had four cracked bones in my back. There's nothing you can do. You can't have surgery, you can't take a pain pill. Nothing. I was able to play, but it was killing me though." The injury is expected to heal with rest and Houshmandzadeh should be 100% by September. He grabbed 3/23/0 during a brief preseason appearance vs. New Orleans on 8/18.

Cincinnati's Tab Perry missed a week of practice due to a sore hip, but returned 8/7/07. He's not expected to play in the preseason opener as a result of the missed practices: "The hip feels good. But it feels like I haven't practiced in a week," Perry said on Tuesday. "So they'll keep me out and I'll be back to practice Saturday." Perry played on 8/18 vs. New Orleans and snagged 2/19/0 during the game.

Chicago's Muhsin Muhammad has nursed a sore leg since the start of training camp, and had yet to practice as of 8/6/07. Coach Lovie Smith called the injury "general soreness". The team doesn't view the injury as serious at this time. Muhammad started vs. Indianapolis on Monday, August 20th.

Chicago's Devin Hester suffered a leg injury (more of coach Smith's "general soreness") early during training camp, but the team doesn't seem to think the injury is serious. He played in the game vs. Indy on Monday, August 20th.

Dallas' Terry Glenn missed the team's preseason opener on Thursday August 9th due to an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. He had the operation on August 1st and was originally expected to miss approximately 2 weeks as a result of the surgery. Owner Jerry Jones commented on the surgery July 31st: "There's a little positiveness here because if there's a little something loose there, we can get it out. There was something loose, some little cartilage or something in the joint. They thought they'd get it out now. We don't think it's serious." On August 21st, HC Wade Phillips said that Glenn "probably will practice the day after we play Minnesota." Dallas plays the Vikings in its last preseason game Aug. 30, 10 days before the Sept. 9 season opener against the Giants. As the recovery time frame has lengthened, we're starting to get concerned about Glenn's rehab - stay tuned during the final weeks of preseason on this one.

Dallas' Terrell Owens had two offseason surgeries on his injured right ring finger (torn tendon), and is not expected to start catching full-speed passes until training camp. Owens also had a plate surgically inserted into the same finger during September 2006 after breaking it during a game. In late April, Owens started catching footballs in light throwing sessions with the Cowboy's quarterbacks - it looks like he is on pace to be ready for training camp. After a mid-May practice session that saw Owens running routes and catching footballs, coach Wade Phillips stated: "His doctors said it was OK to start. I talked to Terrell about it. He said he thought he could do some things. But we are playing it by ear, so to speak. He did fine. He caught everything, really." On June 6th, the team announced they were paying Owens' $3M roster bonus in addition to his $5M salary for 2007, assuring that Owens is the #1 WR in Dallas this year. Early in training camp Owens missed practice due to back spasms, but an MRI revealed no damage and he returned to action on Tuesday, August 7th. Owens grabbed 1 pass for 12 yards during an abbreviated appearance vs. Denver on 8/18/07.

Denver's Domenik Hixon sat out of practice Tuesday July 31st due to a first-degree shoulder separation, but returned to practices on Wednesday August 1st. Coach Shanahan commented at the time "For a guy like Domenik to come in after a first-degree shoulder separation is pretty impressive. He worked through it, and that is what you are hoping a guy is going to do." Hixon is listed as second team WR behind Javon Walker and Brandon Stokley as of August 6th. He played vs. Dallas on 8/18/07 and had 1/5/0 receiving to his credit during the game.

Denver's Rod Smith had an arthroscopic surgery on his left hip on February 26th. The injury had been an issue since 2004, according to mid-May reports. "Last year I couldn't even sleep ... because my leg was throbbing all night," Smith said. "So, basically, I stayed up the whole year last year and that's not good. That's what makes you old, when you're not getting any rest and you've got to go out here and fight with these young dudes." Smith is struggling to get back on the field due to this surgery. Originally scheduled to be a routine arthroscopic procedure, there was so much damage in the joint that the surgery became much more extensive (torn labrum, frayed cartilage, bone spurs, floating fragments all had to be repaired/removed). Smith is now 37 and entering his 14th year in the NFL. Speaking on the progress of his rehabilitation on July 11th, Smith said: "Everybody's body is different. When you get a little older, it takes a little longer. My body said, 'No, you're not (ready).' I have to listen. The thing is getting ready for football season. I know camp is a part of the season, but football season starts in September. That's what I'm looking forward to." Coach Shanahan commented on August 2nd: "We're going to wait for him to get well. ...It may take all through preseason, it might take to the middle of the season. I told him: "We don't have a target date. You're going to be on this football team. You just work to get well. It may be the 10th game of the season, it may not be at all." Smith is expected to be on the PUP list to start regular season. On August 22nd, reports out of Denver indicated that Smith is likely to return to action in regular season week 7 or 8.

Denver's Brandon Marshall has struggled to heal his sore left thigh - he missed most of Tuesday, July 10th's practice due to tweaking his sore quad just one day after returning to practice sessions (the quad was originally injured during a practice session earlier in the offseason, which cost Marshall all of the June practices/OTAs). He started training camp on the PUP due to the quad injury - the first depth chart of training camp had Brandon Stokley penciled in as the second starter while Marshall spends time on the PUP. On August 2nd, coach Shanahan commented on Marshall (and TE Tony Scheffler) "We've got to have guys who can stay healthy," HC Mike Shanahan said. Marshall snagged 3 catches for 25 yards on 8/18/07 vs. Dallas, but he was not in the starting lineup.

Denver's Brandon Stokley returned to practices on July 9th after completing his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last season while with Indianapolis. He was listed as the teams' #2 WR across from Javon Walker on the team's initial depth chart, released August 6th. He didn't make a grab during the game vs. Dallas on 8/18 (Stokley didn't play).

Detroit's Mike Furrey left practice on Wednesday 8/22/07 after he aggravated his sore knee and his status for Saturday's game and beyond is unknown.

Green Bay's Donald Driver had trouble with a nagging right shoulder injury at the start of training camp, and was placed on the PUP list. He passed a second examination however, and on Sunday August 5th was signed to a contract extension (adding 1 year and $11 million in compensation to his deal). He played vs. Seattle on 8/18 and hauled in 2/26/0 during an abbreviated appearance.

Green Bay's Greg Jennings sat out of practice on Monday 8/6/07 due to a sore hip flexor that had been nagging him for the past week. As of 8/19 he has been limited by the injury throughout camp and basically a non-factor. Rookie James Jones may supplant Jennings in the starting lineup (Jones grabbed 4/58/2 during the 8/18 game vs. Seattle). "You can't be bitter," Jennings said on 8/19. "You try to make the best out of it. At the same time, I'm a perfectionist. I'm one of those guys, I want the ball. I don't want to make it a big ordeal because it's not just about that. But it sits in the back of your mind because that's how players fall through those cracks."

Houston's Keenan McCardell, a recent free agent acquisition, suffered a strained quadriceps on August 4th. HC Gary Kubiak commented on McCardell after the injury "We really need to get him back out there. He knows his body better than anybody, and we've got to get him healthy."

Jacksonville's Reggie Williams missed mid-May passing drills due to a nagging hamstring injury. As of May 23rd, he was still hampered by the injury and hadn't had a chance to work integrating the new passing offense. Fantasy owners considering Williams for this year will want to monitor how the hamstring responds to treatment - this is the sort of injury that can potentially nag a player for several months. He's also reported to be on thin ice with coach Del Rio. Williams was listed as a 3rd team WR on the first depth chart of the season (released August 6th). As of 8/20/07, the WR rotation in Jacksonville is still up in the air. "I think you can see by the way we're playing guys that we're attempting to give everybody a fair shake, a real thorough evaluation," Coach Del Rio said. "Not only have we done that in practice throughout the OTAs [organized team activities], throughout the camp but also during the games. In time, we'll make the decisions we need to make and go forward, but that's a work in progress."

Jacksonville's Matt Jones has struggled with a nagging quad injury this year and coach Del Rio called him out on May 25th as an injury concern: "When he's been asked to do that [running], his body hasn't held up, so there's a question he has to answer." Dennis Northcutt and Ernest Wilford were the first-team WRs on the first depth chart of the season, released Monday August 6th. Jones missed the second half of practice on Tuesday August 7th due to a tweaked hamstring.

Jacksonville's Charles Sharon suffered a "slight concussion" August 3rd and missed the team's annual training-camp scrimmage on Friday night - he is currently listed with the second team behind Dennis Northcutt on the depth chart, ahead of Reggie Williams. He led the team in receptions on 8/18/07 with 3/54/0 vs. Tampa Bay.

Jacksonville's Ernest Wilford, listed at first team WR on the team's initial depth chart, suffered a left knee injury on Tuesday, 8/7/07, during practice. The initial diagnosis is that the injury isn't serious, although no timetable for Wilford's return to the field was announced. On 8/17/07 there was speculation that Charles Sharon was supplanting Wilford due to the injury, but Wilford played vs. Tampa Bay on 8/18/07 and hauled in 3/28/0 during his time on the field. The Jacksonville WR mix is very murky as of 8/23/07.

Kansas City's Dwayne Bowe will start out on the PUP list for precautionary reasons, according to coach Herm Edwards. "Right now, he'll be participating in that all-star [PUP] group over there on that other field. He's going to be there and that's for a lot of reasons: the first thing is to protect the player. You don't want to put him a situation where something should happen because all good football players if they're not here on time when they do get here and they get on the field they automatically start competing at a high level. That's not fair since the guy has missed 16 practices and 200 reps," Edwards said. We're still waiting to see him play in a game situation.

Miami's Ted Ginn was drafted despite a lingering left foot injury suffered during the BCS title game. Whether he'll be able to practice when training camp rolls around is anyone's guess - only time will tell how quickly the injury heals. As of late April, he was still wearing a protective boot on the foot, and it isn't expected to come off until late May, when Ginn will begin actively rehabbing the injury. On June 7th - as soon as possible within the rules regulating graduating college students who participate in subsequent pro practices allowed for graduates from Ohio State - Ginn worked out with the Dolphins, although to what extent he was involved is not clear. On July 28th Ginn reported to the Dolphins at 100% health, according to reports out of Miami: "We both had the same goal - to come in and be on time and be ready to start rolling. It all worked out fine." Ginn is in the mix to be a punt returner as well as WR this season.

Minnesota's Billy McMullen has been activated off the non-football injury list (calf) and practiced for the first time with the team on August 7th.

Minnesota's Robert Ferguson missed the last 10 games of 2006 due to a Lisfranc injury in his right foot, but he expects to be back to 100% for the start of training camp. In mid June, Ferguson was fully involved in practices with the Packers and reported "I've been playing every position we have in the book, which is new," Ferguson said. "Since I have been here I have been primarily the 'X.'" He was cut loose by the Packers and subsequently signed by the Vikings on 8/21/07.

New England's Chad Jackson looks like he'll land on the PUP to start 2007 due to an offseason knee surgery. The Patriots added several veterans to their WR stable during the off season, including Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, and Wes Welker, so Jackson was not in line for a lot of playing time anyway. Hopefully, he can get fully healed and then be eased back into action when he's 100%. Jackson did participate in a walkthrough on Sunday, August 5th - he was not very "active" during the practice session, however. On 8/20 it was reported that Jackson was walking without a limp or brace in the locker room after practice - good news, but not exactly taking reps during a live game.

New England's Donte Stallworth started training camp on the PUP list - he participated in a walk-through on August 5th and was asked if he was off the PUP list - Stallworth replied "I suppose so". Stallworth was officially activated by the team on Monday, August 6th, and joined in practice. Stallworth played vs. Tennessee on 8/17/07 and managed 1/15/0.

New England's Randy Moss suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of practices on August 2nd - the injury wasn't considered serious at that time, but he hasn't practiced since the hamstring injury and may not play in a game until the regular season opener. Reports out of New England are that Moss is healing up fine, but not seeing him in any preseason action to date is a red flag for us.

New Orleans' David Patten missed practice on Tuesday, 8/7/07 due to a turf toe injury.

New Orleans' Marques Colston underwent an MRI on his sore right knee this week and the news was good as it revealed no structural damage. Colston hurt his knee in the preseason opener against Pittsburgh. "If this was the regular season, I'd be able to play, but I think the coaches just want to take precautionary (measures) and keep me out," he said on 8/21/07.

New Orleans' Robert Meachem has been struggling with a torn medial meniscus in his knee, and had surgery on Tuesday, June 5th to repair the cartilage and to remove chunks of torn cartilage. As of June 6th, reports out of New Orleans indicated that it could take up to 6 weeks for Meachem to be fully recovered from the surgery, setting back the rookie's learning curve in the Saints' offense substantially. He did play in the Hall of Fame game on August 5th, dropping both passes that came his way (he took a hard hit and had the wind knocked out on his first opportunity to catch a ball). "I have a lot of work to do," Meachem commented after the game. On 8/10/07 he tweaked his right knee during practice - he did manage 1/6/0 vs. Cincy on 8/18/07.

New York Giants' Plaxico Burress has missed the team's minicamps due to a left ankle surgery performed in mid March. "I'm probably feeling about 90 percent. I could probably go out and do it. But there's no reason for me to go back there and set myself back now," Burress commented on June 15th. Burress was cleared to practice at the beginning of training camp, but suffered a sprained right ankle (not the one surgically repaired- the other one) on August 2nd and has missed a lot of practices since then. He rejoined practice on August 21st, and made some nice catches/moves according to reports out of New York. However on August 23rd, Burress pulled out of practice midway through with soreness in his ankle - he is expected to play this weekend - we'll see.

New York Giants' Amani Toomer missed the second half of the 2006 season due to a partially torn left ACL. He had surgery to repair the ligament in early November - the team is hopeful that he'll be able to play this year, and reports are that his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule as of May. As of June 4th, Toomer reported his knee was 70-80% healed, and stated "I am trying to get back and cut. Hopefully I'll be able to do something in this little minicamp [next week], I'll be able to get out there. I am shooting for camp to be back." Toomer was ready for the start of camp - the team is limiting him to one practice a day, but reports are that he is running well and shows no ill effects from the ACL injury. He returned to the playing field vs. Baltimore on 8/19/07 and reeled in 1/15/0 during a short appearance. So far, so good.

New York Giants' Michael Jennings ruptured an Achilles tendon vs. Baltimore in week 2 of preseason and has been lost for the season.

New York Giants' Steve Smith suffered a concussion during the game vs. the Ravens (on a TD catch), but returned to practice on Tuesday 8/21/07. "I remember going to the sidelines and talking to the guys," said Smith. "I remember the catch, but nothing after that. I don't remember how I got to the sidelines."

Oakland's Jerry Porter ended his disastrous 2006 campaign on IR due to a hip injury. However, he appears to be healthy and excited to play for new coach Lane Kiffin, stating "I've had multiple meetings with coach Kiffin and I am very excited about the direction of our team and especially our offense. I can't wait to get started." On May 31st coach Kiffin said "We couldn't ask more of what he's doing right now. He's here every day. He's here early, he's staying late, he's working hard and He looks like he's out here like he's trying to win a spot, and he is."

Oakland's Mike Williams suffered a hamstring injury early in May, after Detroit traded him to the Raiders. He reported to camp over his target weight, but appears to be making strides in his attempt to resurrect his career. Coach Kiffin commented on August 4th: "That is a value, obviously -- his size and being able to keep people away from him. That goes back to when he's right, he's a dangerous redzone player. He played for us two years, he caught 30 touchdowns in two years for us (at USC). There is good ways to use him down there. But he's got to get better."

San Diego's Eric Parker suffered a toe injury early in May and then missed a few weeks of practice - on Friday, August 3rd the team announced that Parker will be out for up to 10 weeks after undergoing an operation on his toe that morning. Parker had a cracked sesamoid bone near his right big toe repaired in the operation.

San Diego's Craig Davis is recovering from a partial groin tear he suffered at his pro day on March 14, which was aggravated during a May minicamp. Davis claims he's healthy enough to play, but is taking his recovery slowly. When Eric Parker exited the lineup, Davis started getting first team reps - he is reportedly doing well in his chance, pulling down a leaping TD in practice on Sunday. Davis may be in the mix to start at WR for the Chargers. He started vs. the Rams on 8/18/07 and hauled in 2/9/0.

San Diego's WR Vincent Jackson (lower leg injury) participated in the Monday 8/6/07 second practice, his first work since the previous Wednesday. "He was running good," coach Norv Turner said. "He had a good day." Jackson started vs. the Rams on 8/18/07 and scored a TD (3/23/1).

San Francisco's Darrell Jackson enters his first year with the team struggling with the turf toe injury that cost him the final 3 games of 2006. Coach Nolan commented May 5th "I expect him to be ready for training camp. We will see if he is ready by the OTAs" As of June 5th, Jackson was still sitting out of practices. On July 30th, Jackson attended his first full practice with the team. He started for the 49ers vs. the Raiders on 8/18/07 and managed 1/16/07.

San Francisco's Arnaz Battle missed two days of practice with a sore knee but returned to action on August 4th. He started across from Darrell Jackson vs. the Raiders on 8/18/07.

San Francisco's Ashley Lelie injured his right quadriceps during the team's first minicamp (on May 4th). Lelie was expected to participate in the team's June practices - but as of June 5th Lelie was still sidelined with his sore thigh. On June 12th, head coach Mike Nolan said of Lelie: "I really haven't thought about (Lelie) that much. The guys that have been practicing, even the guys that are new and may be a long shot, at least you think about them a little bit. But when the guy hasn't set foot on the field, it's out of sight, out of mind, from my standpoint." On July 30th, Lelie attended his first full practice with the team. Arnaz Battle started for the team on 8/18/07, but Lelie posted 4/57/1 during the game to lead the team in receiving.

San Francisco's C.J. Brewer has torn a ligament in his right knee as of 8/23/07, and is expected to miss the entire 2007 season as a result.

St. Louis' WR/KR Dante Hall is nursing a sore hamstring and is a game-time decision for the team's first preseason game Friday night in Minnesota. He did get in the game vs. San Diego in week 2 of the preseason.

St. Louis' Torry Holt underwent a February surgery to clean out his right knee and repair damage to the meniscus cartilage. Coach Linehan stated "They cleaned up some meniscus cartilage, and feel like he's going to be a lot better off. He's not going to have the pain he was getting the last two years. He was starting to feel it at the end of the season." The team expected Holt to be 100% by the start of minicamps, but his rehab has extended into training camp. In late May, Holt jogged through some pass routes and ran sprints at OTAs. In mid-June, Holt participated extensively in the Ram's full-squad minicamp. He commented about the condition of his knee on June 15th; "For the most part, things are on schedule," Holt said. "I've got one more month to heal up and really strengthen it before we start training camp. So I'm going to try to take full advantage of it. I still have some soreness on the inside where I had the meniscus cleaned up, but that's going to be there." On August 2nd, Holt indicated that the knee was about 70% healed. "I don't mind the work of rehabilitation and getting stronger and allowing me to be able to perform at the level I would like to perform at. I am excited about getting it over with and getting it done and just continuing to keep it strong and play well." Holt started vs. San Diego on 8/18/07 and grabbed 4/26/0 during an abbreviated appearance.

Seattle's Courtney Taylor injured his left knee during practice on Sunday 8/5/07, and is expected to miss approximately four weeks.

Tampa Bay's Michael Clayton landed on IR to end 2006 due to a partially torn left MCL. On April 12th, Clayton was practicing with the team and commented afterwards "There's absolutely no pain in either one of my knees. I just feel healthy, overall body-wise. I'm more toned and I'm just ready to go." Clayton appears to be losing ground to Maurice Stovall, who was listed as the first team WR across from Joey Galloway on the team's initial depth chart.

Tennessee's David Givens suffered a torn ACL and meniscus damage in his left knee, along with a broken bone in the knee, during week 10 of 2006. There was a surgery to repair the knee and broken bone performed at the time. On May 10th, Givens revealed that he had a second surgery performed approximately 6 weeks prior, and stated "My expectations are to be back at some time this season, I don't know exactly when. It is kind of a week-to-week thing right now. When I can start doing some pounding on it, I'll have a better idea at that time." He also stated that he had been using a cane to walk up until the end of April. Givens' availability for part or all of regular season is in question. On May 25th, Adam Schefter of NFL Network reported that Givens may end up on the PUP list and miss at least half of the 2007 regular season.

Washington's Santana Moss has been missing late-May workouts due to a sore right hip flexor. However, an MRI exam has revealed no significant damage - however, it has become on ongoing issue for Moss. Moss also tweaked his groin early in May (May 10th) and missed some practice time due to the strain. As of June 8th, Moss was doing light workouts on the sidelines during OTAs. On August 1st, Bubba Tyer the team's director of sports medicine, commented on Moss' situation: "He feels like he's compensating a little bit on his leg, so he's got a soreness in his groin instead of the hip flexor/abdominal area (which he hurt this offseason)," Tyer added that Moss was compensating for "his leg in general." It appears that Moss is far from 100% as of the start of training camp. On 8/18/07 Moss hauled in 2/14/0 vs. Pittsburgh as one of the Redskins' starting wide receivers.

Washington's Brandon Lloyd sat out of practices on Thursday August 2nd due to shin splints - the complaint was not considered serious at that time. He grabbed 2/9/1 vs. Pittsburgh on 8/18/07.

Tight Ends

Arizona's Ben Patrick, Leonard Pope's probable backup, has not been able to practice during May due to a hamstring injury. "We're not going to push it because we don't want any further incidents down the road," said coach Ken Whisenhunt. "He must have done this just before the draft because I was unaware of it when he came in."

Atlanta's Alge Crumpler had arthroscopic surgery on April 6 on his left knee. He missed parts of the team's OTAs and minicamps, and was advised on Friday, August 3rd to sit out of training camp practices for at least one week, perhaps longer. Crumpler has only participated in a small part of training camp practices to date, and hasn't played in a preseason contest heading into week 3.

Baltimore's Daniel Wilcox came back to practice on 8/23/07 after sitting out two weeks with a sprained left ankle.

Cleveland's Kellen Winslow Jr. had January arthroscopic surgery to repair scar tissue and cartilage damage in his right knee. As of late April, Winslow was not running, but had joined in weight lifting/conditioning during the offseason Coach Crennel indicated that "It might not be until training camp until he's at full speed. But he's around, and he's doing pretty good." Winslow was medically cleared to resume practices as of July 27th. We'll see how the knee holds up to the strain of training camp and preseason games. Coach Crennel commented on July 29th: "It's good to see him out there, but we still have to be careful. We'll play it by ear. Depends on how he feels. If it's sore or it swells up any, we'll cut back." Winslow did start on 8/18/07 vs. Detroit, but did not catch a pass.

Denver's Tony Scheffler broke his left foot during practice on May 18th, and was expected to be out of commission for two months. The injury was surgically repaired with a plate on Monday May 21st, and the team hoped he'd be able to start practicing again about 1 week before training camp. "Hopefully, he'll be ready to go a short time thereafter," HC Mike Shanahan said on May 22nd. "If not, he might miss a week of camp getting back in shape." Scheffler started training camp on the PUP list, but did take part in a portion of practice on August 7th. "We tried to work him through about a 30-minute period, trying to get him used to running some routes," coach Shanahan said afterward. "He's still a ways away." Scheffler did get into the game on 8/18/07 but didn't catch a pass.

Green Bay's Bubba Franks scratched the cornea of his right eye on Tuesday July 31st and missed practices as a result. "I still can't see real good out of it," Franks said on August 4th. "In my line of work you need both eyes, especially with Brett (Favre) throwing the ball." Donald Lee is listed as the team's #1 TE on the first depth chart of training camp. Franks is on the bubble as of 8/23/07, but he has returned to practices/action.

Green Bay's Tory Humphrey suffered a broken ankle early in training camp and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Indianapolis' Mike Seidman has landed on IR due to a knee injury - his season is over.

Indianapolis' Bryan Fletcher is not expected to play during the team's preseason game on Saturday 8/25/07, as he continues to recover from a sprained right ankle.

Jacksonville's George Wrighster had shoulder surgery in late January, and did not participate in the early- or mid-May team workouts. His long-term prospects are "very good", according to coach Del Rio - fantasy owners will want to keep an eye on his rehab progress before investing a pick in Wrighster this season. On August 7th he was activated from the PUP list - we'll see how his repaired shoulder holds up to the strain of practices. Marcedes Lewis started for Jacksonville on 8/18/07 vs. Tampa Bay, but Wrightster did manage 1/15/0 receiving during the game.

New England's David Thomas suffered a broken foot during the team's offseason program on or about April 28. No timetable has been announced for his recovery -Thomas is expected to completely heal from the injury without complications.

New York Giants' Jeremy Shockey battled left ankle problems at the end of last season, and has not played a full 16 game slate the last 3 years - he's been getting dinged up quite a bit in recent years. On Thursday August 2nd Shockey missed 2 practices due to sore upper legs - the complaint wasn't considered serious at that time, however, Shockey is expected to miss the week 3 preseason game vs. the Jets due to a hamstring complaint that sidelined him on Thursday 8/23/07.

Oakland's Fred Wakefield suffered a knee injury on Monday, 8/6/07. The injury appeared serious, and the team added veteran TE O.J. Santiago to the roster the next day - Wakefield went on IR 8/9/07.

Philadelphia's L.J. Smith underwent a surgery to repair a sports hernia on May 30th and he missed time to start practice sessions. Smith talked about joining training camp in early June, saying "When we get to that point, we'll see if it's a good decision to go on to camp, or, if I need more time, we'll take more time." Smith suffered an unrelated groin injury during training camp (once he got back in the action), and has been relegated back to the training room. As of 8/21/07, Smith had just begun participating in individual drills after running on a treadmill last week as he rehabs after his most recent groin problem. On Thursday 8/23/07 HC Andy Reid said that TE L.J. Smith "most likely" would not play Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

St. Louis' Joe Klopfenstein returned to practice on Monday 8/6/07 after missing a week of practice due to a hamstring injury.

San Francisco's TE Delanie Walker, shelved for most of 2006 due to a shoulder separation suffered in the final preseason game, is recovering from offseason surgery to correct the issue. He may see some PT across from Vernon Davis this year, depending on how the shoulder responds to contact. He looks good so far during preseason, with 4/34/1 vs. Oakland on 8/18/07.

Seattle's Ben Joppru suffered what is being classified as a serious hip pointer on Sunday, August 5th, and another injury to an unspecified muscle. He played vs. Green Bay on 8/18/07 (Marcus Pollard started) and hauled in 2/26/0 in his appearance.

Tennessee's Ben Troupe ended last season on IR due to a fractured right ankle - the injury did not require surgery. Troupe appears to be losing ground to Bo Scaife, who is very simpatico with QB Vince Young (Young and Scaife played together at Texas). On 8/17/07 Scaife led the Titans with 3/69/0 receiving (Troupe didn't catch a pass, he didn't get in the game at all as Ben Hartsock started across from Scaife in a 2-TE set).

Place Kickers

Tennessee's Rob Bironas is struggling to shake off 2 offseason surgeries (one on his knee, the other surgery was not divulged). "He's not full speed by any means, you can tell with his kickoffs he's not where he hopefully will be when we start the regular season. The hardest part for him has been his injury situation, because he's had two surgeries this offseason," Special teams coach Alan Lowry said on July 31st. "He's had to overcome that and he's really still working his way back into kicking." John Vaughn is challenging Bironas as of week 3 of preseason. We'll see who handles the kicking duties during this week's critical preseason game.