We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most for you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations.
Mike Garafolo reported (via Twitter) that Aaron Rodgers' timetable to return to game action from his collarbone injury is roughly four-six weeks, according to a source. This is the normal recovery time needed for bones to heal. The one thing to watch is the Thanksgiving Day game will fall just shy of this timetable. Will he push it in order to return early or hold to the prescribed recovery time?
Ian Rapoport reported last week that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder has what is thought to be a minor shoulder injury. There is even hope he is able to play this coming week. Let's remember that Ponder dislocated his left, non-throwing shoulder in the Thursday night game. The quarterback position is one in which we expect the team to go a different direction in the offseason. The Vikings gave us an indication of the move with the signing of Josh Freeman, even though he is far from the answer.
John McClain, of the Houston Chronicle, reported last week that Texans star tailback Arian Foster's back injury could require surgery. On a team reeling from bad fortune this season, Foster's injury is another knell to the season. McClain is on of the better beat writers covering the NFL so we knew the story has legs. Then, Adam Schefter reported that Foster has a bulging disc and will need surgery. Schefter went on to say that the back will head to injured reserve. Dynasty owners will face tough a decision in the near future regarding Foster. Do you sell him for help this season or try to buy low looking ahead toward the future? Both approaches are reasonable.
In an expected move, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed running back Doug Martin on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his shoulder. It is a sad ending to a miserable season for the talented second-year professional. Martin has a bright future in front of him. Mike James' injury on Monday night was another blow to the Tampa Bay running game.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has been increasingly positive in his comments about Percy Harvin, and his return from the hip injury. The former Viking receiver was activated Monday from the PUP list and hopes to play this coming week against his former team. Per Carroll last week, "Percy's the best he's been ... He'll return to practice, hopefully, this week, and we'll just go one day at a time then. All of the signs are really encouraging, he feels good, he's not having any issues after he works out. ... I don't know what that means in terms of playing ... but we're hoping he'll be able to get some extra work and really jump back into it." Carroll is hopeful Harvin can get up to full speed in the next few weeks. It may be too little, too late for fantasy owners by then, though. With a two game lead in the division, the Seahawks can afford to be cautious.
The New York Giants placed running back David Wilson on injured reserve last Thursday. However, it was good to see head coach Tom Coughlin state that Wilson is not expected to need surgery on his neck injury. According to Coughlin (in a New York Daily News article), "I doubt that (on whether Wilson will need surgery) … I don’t know what to think because it’s obvious that medically there’s no green light. So we’re still in a holding pattern, believing that he’s going to get better." The speedy ball carrier has a herniated disc in his neck. On November 4, the team's official website, Giants.com, had a quote on Wilson's status, "The determination was made that while there has been significant improvement with the herniation, Wilson is still not clear to resume football activities. Wilson will undergo another evaluation in several weeks.”
In case dynasty owners were still holding onto running back Mike Goodson, it is time to drop him … even in the deepest of leagues. He tore his ACL a few weeks ago. But, putting his career in jeopardy is the fact that Goodson was indicted last Thursday by a grand jury on second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. He is expected to be arraigned soon. If convicted, Goodson will be imprisoned for up to ten years. What a sad ending to the career of a once-talented back.
Last Wednesday, San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree returned to practice on, but "was noticeably cautious", according to a Sacramento bee article. He is still a few weeks from being activated from the PUP list, but it is great to see Crabtree on the field. His Achilles injury was a major one so any production this season is a bonus.
The San Francisco 49ers finally activated wide receiver Mario Manningham from the PUP list last week and Manningham led the team in receiving against the Panthers Sunday. He is roughly a year removed from a major knee injury and will take time to get to full speed, which includes trusting the knee and conditioning.
One rookie who looked very good early on, but has missed time to injury, is wide receiver Quinton Patton, in San Francisco. Patton, broke his foot in week four, but is out of his walking boot. With Manningham and Crabtree expected back soon, Patton may not be rushed back. However, he is a talented player. One who should be on the “buy low” list of dynasty owners this coming offseason.
The New york Jets have suffered through several injuries at the wide receiver position this season. Slot receiver Jeremy Kerley was diagnosed with a dislocated left elbow after his week-nine injury, and is expected to miss a few games. This is a brutal injury. Thankfully for New York, this past week was a bye week, giving him one extra week to recover without missing a game.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta is getting close to returning, according to head coach John Harbaugh. Pitta had a serious hip injury just a few months ago and could provide the Ravens offense with a spark. Harbaugh has this to say about his tight end's recovery, "Everything I've been told is that he's on schedule … We're getting close to that date." If healthy, Pitta may provide fantasy owners with a great option, especially considering all of the injuries to the tight end position this season.
Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph broke his foot in week nine. Last Tuesday, head coach Leslie Frazier stated that Rudolph will be sidelined four-to-six weeks. With the play of John Carlson last Thursday night against Washington, Rudolph may not be hurried back to the lineup. His dynasty value is sinking fast, and the offseason offers no hope for a team which will undergo much turnover in the offseason.
Injuries to monitor this week:
Michael Vick: Hamstring
EJ Manuel: Knee
Arian Foster: Back
Darren McFadden: Hamstring
Michael Crabtree: Achilles
Percy Harvin: Hip
Marques Colston: Knee
Miles Austin: Hamstring
Jimmy Graham: Foot
Dennis Pitta: Hip
Kyle Rudolph: Foot
Feel free to email me (Tefertiller@Footballguys.com) with feedback. Also, I am on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/JeffTefertiller), LinkedIn, and Google+, so you can ask me questions on one of these as well.