We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most for you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations.
Washington head coach Mike Shanahan announced last week that he is shutting quarterback Robert Griffin III III down for the season due to his knee injury. However, sources told Mike Silver that it was really a "football decision based on poor performance." Shanahan was afraid to state “poor performance” as the reason for the benching, but the poor quarterback play was obvious, especially in the locker room. The solid play of Cousins against the Falcons will add more fodder to the fire. Shanahan said owner Daniel Snyder and General Manager Bruce Allen were "100 percent" on board with the decision. In a related story, Ian Rapoport reported last week that the coaching staff thinks they are getting fired.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker has shown flashes of brilliance, balanced with plenty of poor reads and throws over his career. Locker suffered a Lisfranc injury and is out for the season. When coach Mike Munchak was asked about Locker (according to beat writer Jim Wyatt of the Nashville Tennessean) being the 2014 starter, Munchak would not give his quarterback a vote of confidence. We fully expect the Titans to bring in competition for Locker, at the very least, and possibly select a quarterback early in April's NFL Draft. Locker is not – and should not – be guaranteed the starting gig for next year. A winning team needs more consistency from the quarterback position.
Carolina Panthers tailback Jonathan Stewart has endured more than his share of injuries throughout his short career. After finally getting back to the field after injuries to both ankles, Stewart now has a torn MCL. Carolina is holding out hope that the team can last long enough in the playoffs to get Stewart back. This is not a likely scenario to get Stewart back after the knee injury. At least he should be healthy for next season.
Sadly, we have had too many updates on Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin, and not enough playing time for the ex-Viking. In a Profootballtalk blurb, Seattle coach Pete Carroll explained the situation, "He has gone back and forth, where he’s gotten close and then it got aggravated a little bit … Just hasn’t quite got over the hump where he’s really clear. He has a whole lot of new movement in that hip that he hasn’t had before and he’s trying to become accustomed to that." At this point, we expect Harvin to be held out of action until the playoffs. The Seahawks have the top seed locked up for the playoffs and do not need to rush Harvin back to the lineup.
Great news for Packers pass catcher Randall Cobb last week as he was finally cleared to begin running after the broken leg. At this point, Green Bay is hoping to make it into the playoffs with Cobb and quarterback Aaron Rodgers back in the lineup, but it is a longshot. Cobb will be undervalued in dynasty circles after the injury, even though a broken leg is much preferable to a knee injury.
After a very disappointing season, the New York Jets placed wide receiver Stephen Hill on injured reserve last Friday. Hill had been dealing with a knee injury for most of the season and is now being shut down. Hill's injury will open doors to buy low for dynasty owners who still believe in the talent. Any improvement in the quarterback play could vault a healthy Hill into Top 15 status.
Andrew Luck - and the entire Indianapolis Colts offense - miss receiver Reggie Wayne. Wayne tore his ACL almost eight weeks ago, but told beat writer Mike Chappell that he hopes to begin running next month. This is an ambitious goal, but we are not ones to doubt Wayne. The good news is the injury occurred early enough in the season that Wayne should be in good shape to participate in Colts training camp next season.
We admire the grit and positive attitude of Detroit Lions wide receiver Ryan Broyles regarding his return from an Achilles injury. Broyles vows to be back next season. He suffered the injury only weeks after getting fully up to speed after the last year's knee injuries. Broyles is an apt slot receiver, and a player who could be making an impact for the Lions … if not for the injuries.
After not being healthy enough to be activated from the PUP list this season, Minnesota receiver Greg Childs is out for the remainder of the year. Many will remember Childs injuring his patellar tendon last year after an injury-plagued college career at Arkansas. We are pulling for Childs to make it back to the practice field this coming offseason.
In a yet-to-be-confirmed report, FOX Sports suggests the rookie tight end Jordan Reed will be shut down for the the season with a concussion suffered a few weeks ago. It was interesting to see Washington list Reed as “Questionable” for Sunday's game even after this report. Reed is a star in the making and has the look of a future All Pro. The severity of the concussion, and the setback suffered in Week 13, are a concern, though.
In an expected move, the New England Patriots placed tight end Rob Gronkowski on injured reserve last week. Gronkowski injured both his ACL and MCL in last week's game against the Cleveland Browns. There was also a report that he suffered a concussion in the game. It is hard to believe that Gronkowski will only turn 25 years of age next May. He has endured more than his share of injuries over the short career. This type of injury will be difficult for Gronkowski to return to action in time for week one of the 2015 season.
Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph injured his foot in week nine and has not played since. There was hope the young tight end would be back on the field by now, but foot injuries are tricky. Recovering from a fractured foot does not happen quickly. Late last week, the Vikings tight end was placed on injured reserve. He should be fully recovered for the offseason camps and will benefit (like the other pass catchers) with a quarterback upgrade.
Injuries to monitor this week:
Michael Vick: Hamstring
Aaron Rodgers: Collarbone
Darren McFadden: Hamstring
Michael Crabtree: Achilles
Randall Cobb: Leg
Percy Harvin: Hip
Wes Welker: Concussion
Jordan Reed: Concussion
Kyle Rudolph: Foot
Feel free to email me (Tefertiller@Footballguys.com) with feedback. Also, I am on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JeffTefertiller), LinkedIn, and Google+, so you can ask me questions on one of these as well.