“We’ll see.”
Fantasy football aftermath: The injuries of Week 3
Two of the Week 3 injuries might have ended seasons. We’ll take a look at those and the other injuries of note.
Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
It’s one of the most frustrating sets of words in the English language, as it means someone involved in the conversation doesn’t know enough, and maybe everyone in the conversation doesn’t know enough.
And that generally sucks. No one likes not knowing as much as they could, and even fewer than “no one” likes not knowing as much as the people they’re talking to.
Which is why fantasy football injuries are so frustrating. We don’t always know how hurt a player is even when teams are straightforward with us, but we do know that teams aren’t always straightforward with us.
So often, its guesswork as to a player’s health, especially within hours of the injury. Educated guesswork, to be sure, but still guesswork. But we still run through it, because we need to know. Are we right?
We’ll see.
Quarterback injuries in Week 3
- Matt Cassel fractured "several" bones in his foot during the Vikings' game Sunday at the New Orleans Saints. He's listed as out indefinitely. More important for fantasy, he was replaced by rookie Teddy Bridgewater. For Cassel, that means the only way he gets his job back when he's healthy is if Bridgewater tanks as the starter. The job is the rookie's to lose.
- Going back to Thursday, Tampa Bay quarterback Josh McCown suffered what was described as a significant sprain of his thumb against Atlanta. He'll be down several weeks, according to reports, with Mike Glennon taking his place. Neither quarterback is likely to be helpful in fantasy regardless of health, so this just makes the position easy to ignore.
- Carson Palmer missed his second straight game because of a malfunctioning shoulder nerve. At this point, it's silly to even predict when Palmer might make it back onto the field. There's no way to know.
Running back injuries in Week 3
- By all accounts, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was close to playing Sunday. It's possibly the team was overly optimistic about his health, but still, if Charles was that close Sunday, his owners have to think Charles will be fine in Week 4. The problem is, the Chiefs play Monday night, so if there's any question about Charles' status entering Sunday, and a Charles owner doesn't also own Knile Davis, figuring out a lineup will be difficult.
- We all shrugged our shoulders at Houston Texans running back Arian Foster's hamstring injury early in the week, but the news kept getting worse until he was ruled out Sunday. Foster had gotten a huge number of carries through two games, and knowing his injury history we had to worry about him. Odds are good, though, that Foster will be back for the team's game next Sunday against Buffalo. Still, Alfred Blue looks like a nice pickup.
- San Diego Chargers running back Danny Woodhead suffered an ankle injury early in the team's game against the Buffalo Bills Sunday. Reports are that it was a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula, which would likely end Woodhead's season. With Ryan Mathews already out for a few weeks, Donald Brown's stock is rising, but man, that sucks for Woodhead.
- We've made fun of the Carolina Panthers and their stash of running backs for years, but by the end of Sunday night's game, they were out of them. DeAngelo Williams missed Sunday's game, his second in a row, with a thigh injury. It was a late, surprise scratch, which I always take as a good sign for the player being active the next week. Meanwhile, Jonathan Stewart, starting in Williams' stead, left the game with a right knee contusion. It's too early to guess as to his status, but there didn't seem to be any chance he would come back into the game Sunday. Finally, Mike Tolbert left in the last few minutes of the game. His injury wasn't clear, and it's as likely as not there were just keeping him out for "what's the point?" reasons. Still, the entire situation is a mess.
Wide receiver injuries in Week 3
- Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was on his way to a good game Sunday -- five catches for 80 yards by the second quarter -- before an ankle injury forced him from the game. Reports from Indianapolis after the game indicate that his injury isn't too severe, so for now, look at Hilton as a likely play for Week 4, but be aware that could change.
Tight end injuries in Week 3
- This one sucked. Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta suffered a right hip dislocation Sunday. It's the same sort of injury that cost him most of last year, and this one came with a possible fracture as well. It's hard to imagine Pitta playing again this season, and (just speculation) there's a chance we've seen the last of him.
