Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
C’mon. I mean, can we just get one break?
Of course not. Injuries occur every single week in the NFL. It’s just the nature of the game. Having said that, fantasy owners have to deal with banged up players each and every week of the season. Man, there is nothing worse than seeing one of your star fantasy players go down. We try to shed some light on the situation.
Alfred Morris
Morris left Sunday’s game against the Raiders with an apparent rib injury. His initial diagnosis was a questionable return to the contest, but he late returned to the sideline with no shoulder pads and a hat on his head. Not exactly a great sign. He finished the day with 16 carries for 71 yards. Meanwhile, Roy Helu took over in his absence, and ran the ball pretty well. He had 41 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and if Morris is forced to miss an extended period of time, Helu will be one of the most added players in all of fantasy land. However, the Redskins do have a bye next week, so hopefully that allows Morris the time to heal up and get back out on the field.
C.J. Spiller/Fred Jackson
This is a very tricky situation. After running the ball well against a tough Baltimore defense, Spiller came up limping after a short run late in the game. He was sidelined for a few plays, while seen jogging with his helmet off, but he did come back into the contest sporadically. However, after each run, Spiller would come back up limping a bit. Spiller said after the game that he isn’t sure if he will be able to play next week. Sure, if Spiller is out, I’ll just pick up Jackson and be fine, right? Not so fast. The veteran back suffered a sprained MCL in the contest, but stayed in the game and expects to suit up for the next contest. Of course, that next game is on Thursday night against the Browns. A quick turnaround for these Buffalo backs, so monitor this situation carefully.
Darren McFadden
It was only a matter of time, right? You wanted to use McFadden as much as you could until he went down with an injury, but it appears that time has come. In a dream matchup against the atrocious Washington defense, McFadden exited the game with a hamstring injury, and while his initial status was a questionable return, he later joined his teammates on the sideline in street clothes. McFadden has never played more than 13 games in a season, and it looks like he may be headed down that dark road once again.
Stephen Hill/Santonio Holmes
I liked Hill as a sneaky start this week, but a head injury forced him to leave the game. Whenever you see a head injury, you automatically assume it’s a concussion. Meanwhile, Holmes suffered a hamstring injury, and while he stayed in the game, he caught just one pass for 25 yards on five targets. You more than likely aren’t starting these two unless you are in the deepest of formats.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
