Injuries continue to hamper significant fantasy contributors. Let’s get right into the updates from Week 3.
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- Vernon Davis (SF TE) left Sunday’s contest with a knee injury though it does not appear as if the injury is serious. Monitor his progress throughout the week but it appears, because of the blowout loss on Sunday, that San Francisco was being cautious. I expect Davis to be active next week against the Packers.
- Eric Decker (NYJ WR) was inactive in Week 3 because of a posterior cruciate ligament sprain. Monitor his progress throughout the week but remember that the Jets travel to London, England next week to face the Dolphins, so rosters will lock earlier as the game starts at 9:30 AM EST.
- Marqise Lee (JAX WR) has been dealing with hamstring issues prior to this week and he was forced out of Sunday’s game against New England because of hamstring tightness, though it was not clear if it was a new injury or if he aggravated his current injury. It appears as if he will be ready to go next week. “They took me out for precautionary [reasons],” Lee explained. “They didn’t want me to continue. If it was my choice I would have still been out there.”
- Marshawn Lynch (SEA RB) was questionable heading into this week’s game against the Bears because of a calf injury. It appeared as if he would not play, as he didn’t appear on Seattle’s sideline until midway through the first quarter. Lynch had five carries, tallying just fourteen yards, before he left with a hamstring injury. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lynch misses next week’s game, a Monday night tilt, against the Lions. If he is out look for Russell Wilson to be more active in the rushing game, as neither of Seattle’s backup running backs are solid fantasy plays. Obviously this is a situation that needs to be monitored throughout the week.
- LeSean McCoy (BUF RB) had increased trouble with his hamstring injury with head coach Rex Ryan indicating that Buffalo’s No. 1 running back is playing on “one and a half legs.” Expect McCoy to sit out for a week to rest the injury, especially with the productivity coming from Karlos Williams.
- DeMarco Murray (PHI RB) was inactive on Sunday because of a hamstring injury. If he misses time Philadelphia’s running game should not take too much of hit, as both Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles were effective in Sunday’s game against the Jets.
- Ben Roethlisberger (PIT QB) injured his left knee on a hit by St. Louis safety Mark Barron. Barron dove into the lateral side of Roethlisberger’s knee and the video appeared to show a clear valgus force mechanism of injury. For knee injuries, a valgus force occurs when pressure is applied to the lateral side of the knee, which is the side farthest away from the midline of the body. That pressure then places a tension force on the structures on the medial side of the knee, which is the side closest to the midline of the body. In just looking at the video, it appears that Roethlisberger injured his medial collateral ligament. He underwent an MRI which showed he suffered a sprained MCL and no damage to his ACL, per reports. His current timeframe for return is four-to-six weeks. While the team has said they are preparing for six weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Big Ben back under center in four.
- Sammy Watkins (BUF WR) left Sunday’s blowout win against the Dolphins because of a calf injury. I would expect Buffalo to send Watkins for an MRI and I am expecting him to miss at least one game, though the outlook will become more clear when Rex Ryan has his press conference early in the week. If Watkins misses any time I expect Tyrod Taylor to target Charles Clay more frequently. Chris Hogan also makes an intriguing option for the Flex position in deeper leagues, especially considering that next week’s opponents, the New York Giants, rank 31st in the league in passing yards against.
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Jeremy Tiermini is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jeremy follow him @JeremyTiermini.