Injuries with a Fantasy impact before the first game of Preseason.
If there’s one thing I truly hate. It’s injuries to key Players before they’ve even played a snap. It’s the beginning of August, and the first Preseason game is yet to be played. I have already spent some time adjusting my draft board more than once. Thankfully my Keeper league team has yet to be affected. Can’t say the same for a couple of my Competitors though. 😁 These are the injuries that could seriously effect your Fantasy team.
Andrew Luck
There has been a lot of speculation about Andrew Luck as he prepares to return from off season shoulder surgery. The one thing that is for sure is that the original time line was incorrectly optimistic. As of right now, Andrew Luck’s return is totally unknown. It could be before the final game of the Preseason, or it could be against Jacksonville in Week 7. Not knowing when he will return is worse than knowing he won’t be available until Week 7. As a Fantasy Manager you can make the necessary adjustments to your draft grades if you know. What makes matters worse is that Luck is the key to the Colts offence. If he misses any significant time then you will need to adjust your values for a number of Players. Is T.Y. Hilton a Top 10 Wide Receiver if Andrew Luck isn’t throwing him the ball? He isn’t to me. Donte Moncrief, whom I consider a potential breakout Player. He becomes a Player I wouldn’t even consider drafting unless he fell into the final Rounds of a draft. Do you think Scott Tolzien can keep Defences honest enough to avoid having the box stacked against the run? I sure as hell don’t. Frank Gore is a great workhorse Back. Asking him to produce against a stacked box is too much though. Every one of these Players goes from being a Fantasy staple to a complete gamble.
Kenneth Dixon
So in this case we know what the final diagnosis is. Kenneth Dixon is done for the Season. Hopefully you aren’t in one of those ridiculous leagues that drafts in July, and picked Dixon. If you are, well sorry about your luck. If you are like the majority of us, and have yet to draft. Then Dixon going down has opened up some interesting possibilities on the Fantasy front. The Ravens weren’t going to have a bell cow Running Back. With Dixon out for the Season two Running Backs are likely to see a greater number of touches. Who benefits most will depend on the play calling. I believe that Terrance West will gain the majority of touches in Dixon’s absence. This year will be his opportunity to prove to the Ravens, and the rest of the league that he can be a lead Back. Danny Woodhead’s value doesn’t change much. He will still serve as a change of pace, or third down pass catching Running Back. He will gain a few additional snaps, but not enough to really affect his draft position. As always Woodhead comes with a lot of injury risk, and that will always push him deeper into drafts.
Will Fuller
A couple Seasons ago DeAndre Hopkins was a Top 5 Wide Receiver. Last Season he was supposed to back it up with another great Season. That never happened. There was a couple of reasons for his decline. The first was incredibly terrible Quarterback play. The second reason was the immediate impact of the Houston Texans first Round pick out of Notre Dame Will Fuller. It’s not like Fuller is challenging Hopkins for the number 1 Wide Receiver position. He isn’t nearly as talented as DeAndre Hopkins. What he is though is incredibly fast. His ability to burn opposing Defences deep can come in handy in close games. With one of the Top Defences in the league it only took one big play to win games. Well Will Fuller busted his Collar Bone today. Which means to Fantasy Managers that he won’t see the field until some time in October at the earliest. What does this mean for the rest of the Fantasy roster in Houston? One thing is for sure, DeAndre Hopkins goes back to being the only real threat at Wide Receiver. C.J. Fiedorowicz will be counted on to handle an increased work load. The real benefactor here though is Lamar Miller. Houston’s best chance of winning close games is to control the clock, and run the ball.
These are just a few of the early injuries. Pay close attention during Preseason, and adjust your draft boards accordingly. Trust me the injury bug is far from done.
