News and Notes 9-11-12


Quarterbacks

*-Jake Locker is expected to play week 2 despite suffering a separated shoulder injury. Luckily for Locker it was to his non-throwing shoulder and the Titans say he will continue to start.

*-John Skelton is expected to miss at least two weeks with an ankle sprain. Originally it was feared to be a high ankle sprain, but that turned out to not be the case. Kevin Kolb will start the next couple of games for the Cardinals and if he looks good, don't be surprised if Kolb keeps the job even when Skelton gets healthy. Skelton's hold on the job was tenuous to begin with and this is the chance Kolb needed to take the job back from him.


Running Backs

*-Fred Jackson will miss about 4 weeks with a sprained LCL in his knee. C.J. Spiller takes over as the feature RB and could really make it tough for the Bills to remove him from that spot if he plays like he did last season when Jackson was lost for the year after breaking a leg. If somehow Spiller was undrafted in your league he is a priority free agent acquisition. Tashard Choice is now behind Spiller and the Bills re-signed Johnny White for depth.

*-Arian Foster and Adrian Peterson played thru their injuries in week 1 and neither looked hindered at all. Consider them both to be back to elite status going forward.

*-Washington appears to have chosen Alfred Morris to be their starting RB for the time being. He dominated carries in week 1 and should do so again week 2. Roy Helu has been pushed into a 3rd down RB role and Evan Royster is just clearly the backup to Morris. But as we all know, Mike Shanahan is infamous for playing games with his RB's and I say now it's not a question of "if", it's a question of "when" both Royster and Helu get their turns as the RB to own from the Redskins.

*-Rashad Jennings suffered an as of yet undisclosed knee injury week 1. Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 19 times and didn't look any worse for wear. Jennings is sure to miss time, but regardless of health, he was going to lose this job back to MJD. MJD can be considered as a RB1 going forward.

*-Miami's Daniel Thomas suffered a concussion and his status for week 2 is in doubt. Reggie Bush looks to monopolize most of the Dolphins RB duties and looked pretty good week 1 as the only consistent offensive weapon the Dolphins have.

*-Jonathan Dwyer out-played Isaac Redman in week 1 for Pittsburgh and it's hard to imagine the Steelers don't turn to Dwyer as their primary RB going forward. Dwyer will likely start until Rashard Mendenhall returns and like I said last week; if Dwyer can continue to look good, it will be interesting how much time they give Mendenhall. You have to figure when Mendenhall comes back he is going to be a bit rusty. Dwyer is a smart free agent add this week, too.

*-It's tentatively expected that Ryan Mathews will be back for the Chargers this week. Their running game was anemic last night and they have to be hoping he can be cleared for contact this week in practice so he can play week 2. We'll know more later in the week.

*-Chris Johnson has started off this season with his worst rushing game of his career. It simply HAS to get better. Backup Javon Ringer would normally be considered as a viable alternative for the Titans if Johnson continues to struggle, but Ringer has been hospitalized for an elbow infection.

*-No word yet if Jonathan Stewart will be able to play week 2 or not. Stewart missed week 1 with a foot injury. DeAngelo Williams was unexpectedly pathetic week 1 in what should have been a solid game for him not having to share carries.


Wide Receivers

*-Greg Jennings may not be able to play Thursday night for the Packers. Jennings suffered a groin injury week 1 and with the short week it seems more likely Green Bay will hold him out. Likely, he'll be called a game time decision. James Jones would start if Jennings can't go, and even if Jennings is active, you'd expect him to be not nearly his usual self. Jones is a smart free agent to acquire as he has a proven track record of being able to produce solid fantasy numbers when he's heavily involved in the Packers high potent aerial attack.

*-Jeremy Maclin's status for week is very uncertain. Maclin suffered a hip flexor injury week 1 and the Eagles went out and signed Mardy Gilyard as a free agent today. It's usually not a good sign when the team goes out and signs someone early in the week as it means they're not sure the player will even be able to practice, let alone play.

*-Pierre Garcon's status for week 2 is uncertain. Garcon suffered a foot injury week 1. He claims he'll be fine. We'll know more later in the week about whether you'll be able to have Garcon in starting lineups this weekend.

*-Buffalo's David Nelson tore an ACL and his season is done. It's expected that rookie T.J. Graham will take over as the slot WR for the Bills. But really, outside of Steve Johnson, there's no Bills WR that wows.

*-There's been no update on Devery Henderson and whether he'll play week 2. Henderson took a shot to the head week 1 and likely sustained a concussion. Just be sure to keep Henderson on the bench this week. It's not a good sign for his availability that the Saints signed Greg Camarillo today.

*-Kenny Britt is expected to play week 2, albeit in a limited capacity. Britt was suspended for week 1 by the league, but he also is recovering from multiple knee surgeries this off-season. I'd rather see him play before trusting him in any fantasy starting lineups.

*-No word yet on whether Austin Collie will be able to play week 2. Collie was held out of week 1 because of his lingering concussion issues. Donnie Avery will start again if Collie can't play.

*-Oakland's Jacoby Ford is expected to have surgery to repair a bothersome foot injury. This will cause him to miss several weeks. You can drop Ford and find a high upside replacement.

*-Speaking of high upside replacements at WR, here's a few: James Jones, Green Bay; Randall Cobb, Green Bay; Alshon Jeffery, Chicago; Stephen Hill, NY Jets; Kevin Ogletree, Dallas.


Tight Ends

*-Antonio Gates suffered a ribs injury last night, but it's believed to not be serious and currently he is fully expected to be fine for week 2.

*-The Cowboys are expected to ease Jason Witten along slowly in practices this week. It was a surprise he played last week despite his spleen injury. The extra time off should have allowed him to recover more, but whether that means he has a bigger offensive role week 2 than he did last Wednesday is up for debate.