Are last-minute injury decisions ruining your fantasy lineup every week? The Jocs and Docs Show is here to help. Not only are we going to break down the biggest injury question marks every week, but we are also going to provide insight on who is likely to sit and who you can pick up to bolster your lineup.
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Julio Jones (WR – ATL)
A weekly visitor of this list, Jones is now dealing with a calf strain and was questionable in practice this week. Despite battling ankle injuries, Jones has put up solid numbers his first two weeks. Jones is expected to play this week but his participation in practice is worth watching as calf injuries tend to linger. Having the Monday night game will give Jones an extra day to rehab as well and that should really help. Jones is a no brainer start against a hapless Saints defense. We expect Jones to be healthy enough to post a 100+ yards and a TD.
Sammy Watkins (WR – BUF)
Watkins continues to deal with his foot issue and was held out of practice Wednesday. At this point it is hard to not think that his pain is coming from his Jones fracture. While he may play through this week, I would not be surprised to see more studies and possibly a second surgery in his near future. At this point owners have to seriously consider benching Watkins till he shows some sort of viability. This week the Bills are going against a great Cardinals defense and we feel that Watkins should be benched for a better option if available.
Jonathan Stewart (RB – CAR)
Now dealing with a hamstring strain, it looks very likely that Stewart will miss this week. Hamstring injuries can take many weeks to recover from and Head Coach Ron Rivera has not put a definite timeline on his return. Stewart will remain week-to-week for the foreseeable future and will likely miss multiple games. For fantasy owners, the replacement options are either Cameron Artis-Payne or Fozzy Whittaker. While Whittaker just had a 100-yard performance, all indications are that Artis-Payne will get a bulk of the workload. Going up against a stout Minnesota defense makes both options look less appetizing. However, if we had to choose between the two we would go with Artis-Payne in what looks to be a grind-it-out game.
Corey Coleman (WR – CLE)
The late breaking news today involved the Browns’ top WR Corey Coleman, who fractured a bone in his hand in practice. We do not know much about where and how bad the fracture is, but generally speaking, bone can take at least four weeks to heal. Unfortunately, Coleman can’t catch balls with a cast on, and while he’s going to avoid surgery, the Browns are expecting a 4-to-6 week absence. Unfortunately, no other browns WR merits fantasy consideration at this point.
Arian Foster (RB – MIA)
Hampered by a groin injury, Foster seems doubtful to suit up this week for the Dolphins. Remember, Foster was sidelined in the past after undergoing sports hernia repair which also involved the groin. Hopefully this is just a minor tweak and not a major setback for Foster, but with his name and history, any injury is potentially devastating. All indications suggest that this isn’t as serious, but I would be surprised to see him play this week. The Dolphins intend on using a committee of Kenyan Drake, Jay Ajayi, and Isaiah Pead this week against the Browns. Sadly, none of them seem fantasy viable at this point.
Adrian Peterson (RB – MIN)
Peterson suffered a meniscus tear after having his leg twisted last Sunday night. Peterson was in excruciating pain and was helped off the field. Looking closely, it was obvious that Peterson could not fully extend his knee. Peterson is reported to have suffered a bucket handle meniscus tear. The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of tissue. Imagine a tear through the meniscus from one end of the C, around the curve to the other end. This would create a second C-shaped flap that could flip up 90 degrees from the original. This is a bucket handle tear. When that flap flips up, it can lock the joint from fully extending, which is what I am guessing Peterson was experiencing. The confusing thing about this injury were reports that he would try to play through it. Could he? Yes. Should he? Most surgeons would say absolutely not. There is a risk of serious injury to the articular cartilage if that flap continues to flip into the articular cartilage, not to mention the significant pain associated with playing with a meniscus tear. As expected, Peterson is going to undergo surgery. What wasn’t expected was that he will have his meniscus repaired instead of trimmed. This means a rehab of 3-4 months instead of 3-4 weeks. What is the benefit of repairing the meniscus? Well, preserving the meniscus decreases his rate of arthritis progression. The downside is the longer rehab. Either way, Peterson is unlikely to return this season, but being the physical freak that he is, keep a close eye on his progression around Week 12-14. The question becomes who will pick up a majority of his workload. Experts are torn as to whether Matt Asiata or Jerick McKinnon is going to be more productive. However, with a tough game against the Panthers coming up we recommend Asiata who should get a lion’s share of the goal-line carries.
Brandon Marshall (WR – NYJ)
Marshall’s actual injury is a mystery. By video, he suffered an MCL sprain of his knee while having his leg trapped under him in Week 2. According to coach Todd Bowles, it is not the MCL. Now reports are that he is dealing with a foot injury. Marshall finished the game Sunday and was very effective. Hopefully his practice limitations are more precautionary than anything but his return to practice is worth watching. If for any reason Marshall does not play that means more targets for Quincy Enuwa, who has shown a lot of promise so far this year. However, Marshall is a beast and we expect him to be fully ready for the Chiefs on Sunday.
Antonio Gates (TE – SD)
Gates missed practice Wednesday with a hamstring injury. While this usually would suggest a veteran’s day off, the Chargers signed TE Austin Traylor to their practice squad, suggesting that Gates will be a serious question mark for Week 3. Fantasy owners need to pay very close attention to his practice status, and he will probably be a true game-time decision.
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The views of this show are strictly our own personal opinions and are in no way affiliated with any institution or any of our employers. All medical knowledge expressed is solely based off our own knowledge and no private patient information was obtained or used to formulate these opinions.
Asad Khalid is an orthopedic surgeon and sports maniac at heart. Aman Khalid is a law student and fantasy savant. Follow the show @jocsanddocs and listen to them on iTunes.