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In the wake of Aldon Smith and Ray Rice’s legal troubles comes news of another NFL player facing potential arrest and suspension. There are reports that an arrest warrant has been issued for Denver Broncos safety T.J. Ward. Sources say that the warrant is for alleged assault and disturbing the peace in regards to an incident at a Denver nightclub from May 9 of this year. So what does this mean for the fantasy football world?
First and foremost, this is a big hit for Ward’s IDP value. The Broncos signed Ward this offseason to improve their horrendous pass defense, one that gave up the sixth-most passing yards per game last year. In four seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Ward recorded 248 tackles, five forced fumbles and five interceptions.
He was a top DB in fantasy last year, and any jail time or game suspensions would definitely drive his draft value down for 2014. If you play in an IDP league, then you should definitely keep an eye on Ward’s situation as the season draws closer.
As for the rest of you who play in more conventional fantasy leagues, Ward’s potential legal and NFL troubles are still something to note. Denver signed Ward and Aqib Talib among others to help its secondary and hold opponents to fewer points. A much-improved defense is part of the reason why I downgraded Peyton Manning and other key offensive players ever so slightly in my rankings.
If Ward does miss time during the 2014 season, then Duke Ihenacho will resume his mediocre coverage as the Broncos’ starting strong safety. If that happens, I may bump Manning back up a slot to QB2 over Drew Brees in my rankings.
Here’s the short version. If the allegations turn out to be true, Ward may face jail time or suspension. In that situation, his IDP value plummets while Ihenacho’s goes up, and Denver’s offensive players all get a slight boost in value and projected production.
Meng Song is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ms0ng, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your Google+ network.
