Somebody call the school nurse
This is beginning to become a serious problem. Injury has always been a part of football. Not a week passes without somebody taking a trip to the hospital. The most susceptible to it are the guys who battle it out in the trenches. The offensive and defensive linemen. Losing a Left tackle to injury can have an adverse affect on the Fantasy production of a few Players, but it doesn’t create holes in your roster. Just like the loss of a starting Middle Linebacker can have a positive affect on opposing Running Backs or Slot Receivers. Of course it doesn’t affect your roster much, if at all. This Season has seen a serious increase in the number of Fantasy relevant skill Players going down to injury. It’s the worst I’ve seen as a Fantasy Football enthusiast.
Fallen Stars
Aaron Rodgers – Considered by many football analysts to be the best player in the NFL today. The Green Bay Packers looked like a team that could potentially win their division. Now with Aaron Rodgers lost to injury they could potentially finish last. The loss of Aaron Rodgers is huge in Fantasy. In order to have him on your roster. You would have had to spend a high draft pick on him, while your opponents were snatching up the top Running Backs. So you didn’t just lose your top QB, but missed on a high end RB as well. In both of my featured Fantasy Leagues the Manager with Aaron Rodgers on their roster is essentially out of the running.
Deshaun Watson – Watson wasn’t expected to have the kind of immediate fantasy impact he had once he took over the starting job. So in all likelihood he didn’t cost anyone a high draft pick. Well except me of course. I traded away a second round pick for next season to acquire him in my Keeper league. It’s a major loss for Houston. They looked like a team that finally had a chance to outscore opponents. Watson was a great late Round pick, or smart waiver wire acquisition for most. Unfortunately whatever you gave up to get him is probably worth a lot more now.
David Johnson – The consensus number one pick in Fantasy Football didn’t last long. There’s still a slim chance he returns from injury to potentially make a difference in your Playoffs. Really big emphasis on slim though. In his absence his replacement has actually gained some Fantasy relevance. If you took a flyer on Adrian Peterson, well lucky you. For the Manager that drafted David Johnson first overall, well better luck next year.
Odell Beckham Jr – Easily one of the most exciting Wide Receivers in the league. The loss of OBJ seriously hurts the New York Giants chances of making the playoffs, and whoever drafted him in your league as well. Predicted to finish the Season as a top 3 Wide Receiver, OBJ definitely left a glaring hole on somebody’s roster.
Julian Edelman – Predicted by most to have another great year. Especially after his great performance in last year’s Superbowl run. Edelman didn’t get the opportunity to even play a single game in the regular season. A huge blow to the defending Champion New England Patriots. His injury happened late enough in preseason for his injury to start some Fantasy teams on the back foot as well.
Dalvin Cook – Going into this season there were four Rookie Running Backs of particular interest to Fantasy Managers. Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Joe Mixon, and Dalvin Cook. The two with the most obvious opportunity we’re Fournette and Cook. Fournette was obvious because the Jaguars spent the fourth overall pick on him. Cook was obvious because the Vikings let Adrian Peterson go in the off season. Both of them got off to great starts. Unfortunately for Cook his season was cut short by injury. Unfortunately for his Fantasy owners RB depth is getting increasingly shallow in the NFL.
Pierre Garcon – When Garcon went to San Francisco I couldn’t help but see huge PPR potential. I don’t think I was alone in that. As a mid to late Round pick Garcon was producing way above his draft position. Of course all good things come to an end. So Managers will have to settle for only one WR1 on their rosters.
Backups of backups
I’m actually stunned by some of the Players I’ve had to start, or play against in Fantasy this year. Orleans Darkwa, Ju Ju Smith-Schuster, Marquise Lee, Cooper Kupp, and Jermaine Kearse have all been Fantasy relevant because of injuries to other players. The waiver wire has been like prospecting for gold this season. Every week there’s the potential for another breakout player because of an injury to a star player. I usually pick up only one or two key Skill Players off waivers each Season. This year I’m trying to land the next backup, soon to be starter every week.
It’s still Football
The last decade has seen a huge increase in the number of additional rules implemented to protect the safety of the Players. The reality is that no matter how hard you try. Football will always be a dangerous game. Very few injuries ever happened as the result of vicious tackles. The worst injuries happen by total accident. Simply planting your foot wrong when trying to make a quick cut can result in a torn Achilles, or ACL. Outside of being totally lucky, the only true path to victory is roster depth. That applies to actual NFL teams, or your Fantasy team.
