Madden Curse Still Alive for Fantasy Football 2013


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Madden Curse Impacts Fantasy Football

peterson
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Is this the end for the widely known Madden curse? Can you now feel safe drafting any player knowing that a current player does not grace the cover the front of a the Madden video game?

Nearly 100 percent of the time, it doesn’t matter who is on the cover when it comes time to the fantasy draft. There is a reason the player is spread across the face of Madden and sent out to millions of gamers around the world, they are one of the best current players.

No way are you going into your draft thinking, “I’m not drafting Adrian Peterson, even if he’s available, since he’s on the cover of Madden.”

Yet, there is a reason the term “Madden Curse” was coined. Time after time, the featured All-Pro player rides high into the upcoming season only to suffer an injury setback at some point.

There’s always one guy during your fantasy draft that is waiting for someone to pick the NFL player on the Madden cover just so they can yell, “Madden Curse!” Everyone laughs, but if you’re the fantasy player who drafts the individual NFL star, you’re praying for the curse to skip this year, holding your rabbit’s foot in your pocket every Sunday.

Last season, Detroit Lions’ Calvin Johnson graced the cover and what did he do for fantasy owners? Well for one, Johnson never got injured and two, he only had 1,964 yards, only. The Madden curse seemed to disappear into thin air in the 2012 season.

With Barry Sanders on the cover of Madden in 2013, it’s guaranteed the retired running back will not suffer an injury playing in the NFL, but what about the players who were in the running?

Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson was runner-up for the 2013 cover and multiple current players had a shot to win in the voting of the player for the title. Is there any reason that the curse won’t simply skip to a current player who was in the running? It’s possible.

Whether you believe in it or not, here’s the top players to keep in the back of your mind who may not be spared of the Madden curse this season.

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Ray Rice

Rice
Devin McCourty-USA TODAY Sports

The running back position is one of the most injury prone positions in the NFL. Running backs take hits from linebackers who are twice their size all game long. There’s only so much a body can take before it breaks. Rice is another player in jeopardy of showing up on the injury report at some point this season. Last season, Rice had 257 carries and could potentially see even more this season, improving his chances to get injured. Rice is a very quick and shifty running back but remember, it only takes one good hit to send him to the bench.

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Arian Foster

Foster
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans running back is one of the best in the league and is not shy to contact. Week in and week out, the running back has some sort of injury status going into game time. Last season, he was listed as probable six games and questionable once. The 2013 season will be no different and those statuses can easily go from probable to doubtful in a heartbeat.

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Rob Gronkowski

Gronk
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Gronkowski is slowing making his way back to the field after multiple surgeries. In the second half of the 2012 season, Gronkowski was knocked out of the game with a forearm injury. He was able to get back to the field, but only to aggravate it again. That forearm (and back) may pose a problem again this year and he could see more time on the operating table than the field.

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Russell Wilson

Wilson
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Recall the hit on Tom Brady that prompted the new rule against players hitting the quarterback below the knees? Not the kind of hit you want to see your fantasy quarterback take. While it now is illegal, it can still happen. At any point, this type of injury could happen to Wilson. The biggest risk with drafting Wilson as far as the possibility of an injury is his running ability. Wilson is a scramble passer that runs out of the pocket and downfield often, adding a bigger chance for injury than many other quarterbacks.

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Adrian Peterson

Peterson
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Peterson was the runner up to Sanders in the finals vote. Sanders won by a close margin in a 58 percent to 42 percent victory. The Minnesota Vikings rely heavily on Peterson to get the team to victory, giving him the ball as much as possible, which puts him at high risk for injury. After a tough knee injury two years ago, Peterson could re-injure that knee and miss a significant amount of game time.


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