MMRAnybody watch the Pro Bowl yesterday?

I caught a few plays here and there in between my wife watching coverage of The Grammy’s and the Lakers - Cavs game. I was mostly glad to see my boy Drew Brees play well — despite the two fumbles — and, more importantly, avoid an injury.

Brees threw a late first-half touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald who, in typical fashion, snatched the ball out of the air amidst a flurry of defenders. On his way to becoming Pro Bowl MVP a week after almost becoming Super Bowl MVP, Fitz also had one of his signature circus-quality catches on a fade route for a touchdown in the second half.

If there is any player hotter right now than Larry Fitzgerald, I would like to know who it is. Dude is seriously improving his fantasy stock heading into 2009.

Brian Westbrook [RB, Eagles]

From RotoWorld:

Westbrook will undergo tests to determine the cause of his recent irritation. A source tells the Philly Inquirer that the surgery would be minor, but we’re not sure there is such a thing for a running back turning 30.

Westy going under the knife after another season with chronic injury concerns would be a huge deal this offseason, especially considering his age.

Despite being labeled as injury-prone, Westbrook gets the job done on a weekly basis for his fantasy owners. But if he goes under the knife it will damage his value heading into next season — a value which is on shaky ground as it is due to his ripe age of 30 years old.

Tom Brady [QB, Patriots]

From ESPN:

The Patriots might keep him if they have doubts that Tom Brady will be ready for the start of next season after sustaining a serious knee injury in the 2008 opener. If they’re confident Brady will be ready, they could trade Cassel rather than pay him the $14.65 million offer for 2009 in the franchise designation.

Well, the Patriots opted to keep Matt Cassel in the fold — for now at least — which signifies at least some concern over Brady’s recovery.

This all could change, however, if the Pats ship Cassel out of town at some point this offseason. But current indications suggest that New England may opt to keep Cassel on the roster next season, even if he is just playing backup to the Golden Boy.

JaMarcus Russell [QB, Raiders]

From The Sacramento Bee:

Russell might need ankle surgery. Davis said there are “chips” in his ankle that might need to be removed. Russell is already back in California.

Russell played surprisingly well down the stretch, but his fantasy value is at an all-time low. Unless something significant happens this offseason to improve his value, Russell will be a very late — if at all — draft pick in standard redraft leagues.

Dynasty league owners need to keep a close on whether or not Russell has surgery this offseason. If he does, expect to see his weight become an issue again post-op.

Hines Ward [WR, Steelers]

From the Tribune-Review:

Hines Ward said he may need surgery after playing in Super Bowl XLIII with a sprained right knee.

“We’ll have to see and re-evaluate it,” Ward said, “because I don’t know if I hurt it (more).”

Ward will take some time to let the knee rest after playing in his second Super Bowl. If he does have surgery, it will only hurt his injury a little depending on the type of operation. Arthoscopic surgery seems the most likely option, which should allow Ward a quick recovery.

Meanwhile, Santonio Holmes appeared to do more damage to Ward’s 2009 fantasy value than this little injury. Holmes’ performance in the Super Bowl will sit with owners through the offseason and he will be considered the Steelers’ No. 1 wide receiver heading into 2009 drafts.

Chad Johnson [WR, Bengals]

From Bengals.com:

Ocho Cinco said he feels so good that he has no plans to have surgery on the shoulder he separated in an August preseason game and that he’s looking forward to getting down the timing that was so badly lacking last year with Palmer.

I hope more than anything else that Johnson does it right this offseason. No more demanding this and that and the other — CJ simply did not play well enough in 2008 to make any demands of any kind.

Just shut up and play!

The MMR will continue to run every Monday morning as scheduled during the offseason. If you have an injury update or want an update on a certain player, please leave a note in the comments.

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