We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most to you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations. These are many of the major stories and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all of the recent happenings around the league.
Albert Breer reported that the Seahawks believe Russell Wilson has a sprained MCL in his left knee. On Monday, coach Carroll said his star quarterback was doing “remarkably well.” The coach went on to say that he thinks Wilson will be fine and play Sunday against the Jets. Even though he may suit up at far less than 100%, the Seahawks have few options with just undrafted rookie Trevon Boykin as the backup.
In an update from last week, Tampa Bay tailback Doug Martin's hamstring injury is expected to cost him three games. He had an MRI last Monday which yielded the firmer timetable. With soft tissue injuries, though, timetables are merely a guess and Martin’s absence could get extended. With the way backup Charles Sims played Sunday, Martin will want to return to action sooner versus later.
In another follow-up from last week, Adrian Peterson had surgery to repair his knee and was placed on injured reserve. There is a very slim chance the veteran can make it back for the end of the season. Additionally, we expect him to not be in a Vikings uniform next season unless he reduces his salary. Age plus a high contract salary are not a great combination for a player coming off a knee injury. Former Denver back, Ronnie Hillman, was signed to add depth. Even though Hillman led the Broncos in rushing yards last season, he is not a threat to Jerick McKinnon.
While he has yet to play well, it was disappointing to see Bear tailback Jeremy Langford limp off the field Sunday night. Early indications were an Achilles injury. Thankfully, the diagnosis was confirmed as a sprained ankle, likely of the “high ankle sprain” variety. So, the good news is that the Chicago runner will miss a few games, and not the rest of the season. Rookie Jordan Howard replaced him in the lineup and was more effective. The transition to Howard had begun and the injury just accelerated the emergence of Howard.
After Chargers versatile back Danny Woodhead went down to with ACL injury, San Diego signed Dexter McCluster. While many think he will fill Woodhead’s role, it will not be at the same fantasy production level. McCluster has rarely been fantasy viable and we do not expect that to change. He landed in San Diego because of a history playing for coach Ken Whisenhunt in Tennessee. Fantasy owners should look back and see how few fantasy points McCluster scored during their tenure together.
Seattle beat reporter John Boyle shed light on the Thomas Rawls injury on Monday. Boyle tweeted, “Thomas Rawls has a fibula injury that is more serious than originally thought, Pete Carroll said on @710ESPNSeattle. Out a few weeks.” This means that Christine Michael will get a long look and plenty of carries.
We should rename the Cleveland NFL franchise the “Bad Luck Browns.” As if losing two quarterbacks in two weeks were not enough, studly rookie receiver Corey Coleman will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken hand. The injury happened in Wednesday’s practice when a teammate landed on the hand. Even with the injury, Coleman is a strong buy in all leagues. He dominated in Week 2 and looks to be a fantasy star for a long time. Imagine a combination of Coleman and Josh Gordon for the Browns. This could be a very potent duo.
At this point, we would not be surprised if Buffalo receiver Sammy Watkins missed significant time with the re-injured foot. He missed every practice last week and was not close to playing against the Cardinals. Making matters worse, Watkins had his surgically-repaired foot stepped on by a teammate. The Bills offense needs big plays from the receivers and the loss of Watkins was huge in Sunday’s game.
Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano announced last week that receiver Donte Moncrief will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured scapula. That just sounds painful. While not a season-ending injury, we are hesitant to believe the timetable for return. A two-month absence seems more likely. His replacement will be Phillip Dorsett while undrafted free agent Chester Rogers steps into the WR3 role. The end effect is likely more two tight end sets, at least until Dwayne Allen is injured again.
Dynasty owners of Josh Gordon were distressed last week when the star receiver had a warrant for arrest. Not again, they thought. The issue stemmed from Gordon’s lack of taking a court-ordered paternity test. He has since taken the test and is on track to start Week 5. But, the immaturity is concerning. Gordon could easily be an elite NFL receiver, but needs to remain focused on staying out of the papers. The good news is that he has taken and passed all of his drug tests this year.
It was surprising to rookie receiver Laquon Treadwell as a healthy scratch Sunday against the Panthers. Beat writer Matt Vensal tweeted about the situation on Monday. Vensal tweeted, “Why isn't Laquon Treadwell playing? Zimmer thinks he is still thinking too much as he tries to get completely comfortable in the offense.” This was follow up with, “Zimmer said that Treadwell has had a good attitude when it comes to not playing, which is new for the rookie.” While the coach is looking to mold the youngster into an NFL receiver, the Vikings pass offense will continue to rely heavily on Stefon Diggs.
A player to watch is Ladarius Green, who can return to the field Week 7. His ankle/concussion issues were well-chronicled a month ago. In an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Green said, "I don’t want to jinx it, but the rehab is going good … My ankle feels good running." We expect savvy dynasty owners to start putting out cheap offers ahead of Week 7. Expect Green to need a few weeks to get into a groove with the offense (and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger), his upside is immense if healthy. With the injury, the free agent signee was unable to practice much with the offense in training camp. Additionally, this could be a great time to sell Jesse James before Green gets 100% healthy.
Packers tight end Jared Cook has disappointed so far in a Green Bay uniform. Not helping matters, he hurt his ankle in the Week 3 game against Detroit. The team is calling it an ankle injury which will keep Cook out multiple weeks. We cannot recommend Richard Rodgers after his multiple let-downs over the past few years.
The behavior of tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has left us speechless. After showing little effort and playing poorly in training camp, the big tight end was backing up Cameron Brate to start the season. He was beginning to challenge Brate for the starting gig when pulled over and given a DUI Friday morning. TMZ has footage of the traffic stop, showing Seferian-Jenkins practically asking to be given a DUI. Stupidity always loses … and this was shockingly so stupid. It was no surprise, however, to see that the Buccaneers waived the former second-round pick a few hours later. Brate will be the starting tight end going forward. He put up big numbers against the Rams Sunday. By the way, Seferian-Jenkins was arrested for a DUI while in college and will now be placed in the NFL Substance Abuse Program. He was claimed by the New York Jets, but it is difficult to think the stupid behavior will cease to continue.
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