MMR, fantasy football, NFL, injuries, player updatesAnother NFL regular season weekend in the books and another slew of injuries plaguing fantasy rosters this morning.

After the first two weekends of the regular season, there had not been a major shake-up as in year’s past. Donovan McNabb went down early in week one but gave owners three touchdowns before the exit.

And his was not a season-ending injury, though it did leave his owners with at least a two-week void.

More of the nagging, non-season ending variety this week. Fantasy owners should get used to it now.

Several big names did not even suit up for fantasy owners yesterday. Including McNabb, Matt Hasselbeck, Brian Westbrook, Dwayne Bowe, Jamal Lewis and Wes Welker failed to see the field.

Next weekend is already shaping up to be more of the same, by the looks of some of this weekend’s injuries.

Frank Gore [RB, 49ers]

From RotoWorld:

Gore limped off the field following his first carry of the game and was in obvious pain walking on the sidelines before taking a seat on the bench. Gore often plays banged up, but for now rookie Glen Coffee is in and Gore has been carted into the locker room.

Gore is expected to miss at least two weeks according to sources close to the 49ers. His status will more clearly be known after undergoing tests on Monday.

In the meantime, rookie Glen Coffee should be owned in all leagues. He likely will get the bulk of the work in Gore’s absence and could be a nice flex against the Rams and/or Falcons in the next two weeks.

The 49ers have a bye after those two games, meaning Gore is expected to return by the week 7 match-up at Houston.

Laurent Robinson [WR, Rams]

From RotoWorld:

The injury was originally announced as an “ankle.” An MCL sprain would likely cost Robinson 2-3 games at least, and an extensive tear might require surgery.

It would be upsetting to see Robinson go down for the season after such a promising start to what was to this point an underwhelming career.

Check back later this afternoon after the Rams have had a chance to run Robinson’s knee through a few tests. Best case scenario is that he misses a few weeks with a sprained knee.

Brian Westbrook [RB, Eagles]

From FFToolBox:

Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will sit out Sunday’s game against Kansas City due to an ankle injury.

Westbrook did not play and LeSean McCoy starred in his absence. If nothing else, McCoy’s performance against the Chiefs is one more reason why Westy owners need to actively pursue the Eagles’ rookie running back.

His trade value will be inflated this week.

Chad Pennington [QB, Dolphins]

From RotoWorld:

Pennington landed on his arm after taking a hit and walked off the field holding and flexing his wrist, but the Dolphins are calling it a shoulder injury. The training staff had to cut off his jersey to begin treatment and emergency quarterback Chad Henne got the nod to replace him, so Pennington and Pat White are off limits now.

Chad Henne took over for Pennington sooner than he expected. It was an uninspiring performance by the Dolphins as a whole, who look more and more like the team from two years ago than last year’s 11-5 team.

Early word is that Pennington’s shoulder injury is not serious. Hopefully there are very few fantasy owners actually relying on Pennington’s services this early in the season. His loss could affect Ronnie Brown and Ted Ginn, however, so it is worth monitoring.

Wes Welker [WR, Patriots]

From FFToolBox:

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker’s knee is apparently not good enough for him to play today against the Falcons. He is inactive for that game.

Go figure: An injured Patriots’ player quickly becoming a nightmare for fantasy owners.

Welker should not be relied upon in fantasy lineups until he actually suits up and plays a complete game. Word out of Patriots’ camp always is going to be mysterious, so fantasy owners would be better served to stay away if possible.

Kevin Smith [RB, Lions]

From ProFootballTalk:

Our friends at Rotoworld point out that Lions running back Kevin Smith left Sunday’s game against the Redskins with a shoulder injury.

Smith suffered the injury while being tackled in the third quarter.

Good thing it does not sound too serious. There were glimmers of hope in Detroit on Sunday for the first time in forever. That includes the play of Matthew Stafford.

Stafford did not throw an interception for the first time this season in leading Detroit to its first win in two seasons. If he can continue mistake-free football, it bodes well for Smith and fellow fantasy star Calvin Johnson.

Dwayne Bowe [WR, Chiefs]

From FFToolBox:

As if things could get worse for the Kansas City Chiefs, they will be without the player who is probably their best offensive weapon Sunday, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. He was hampered during the week due to a leg injury and is officially inactive for the team’s game today at Philadelphia.

Bowe injured his hamstring late in the practice week, seriously putting his status in jeopardy for yesterday’s game. And he obviously was not well enough to play by showing up on the inactive list.

Follow his practice status this week to see if his chances of playing in week 4 improve. He does, however, have an unfavorable match-up against the Giants next weekend.

Marc Bulger [QB, Rams]

From FFToolBox:

Quarterback Marc Bulger left Sunday’s game against Green Bay with a shoulder injury. League sources told the Post-Dispatch that Bulger has a rotator cuff injury in his throwing shoulder. He will have additional testing Monday, and if it’s a torn rotator cuff, the injury could end his season.

Few fantasy owners own Bulger in standard leagues. Those in deeper leagues should consider picking up Kyle Boller, who three two touchdown passes in Bulger’s absence yesterday.

Donovan McNabb [QB, Eagles]

From RotoWorld:

Eagles coach Andy Reid said in his post-game press conference Sunday that he expects Donovan McNabb (rib) to return after the team’s Week 4 bye.

McNabb is on schedule to play in the Eagles’ week 5 home tilt against the Buccaneers. That should be a tasty match-up for fantasy owners to exploit, even if it will be McNabb’s first live action since week 1.

The MMR will continue to run every Monday morning as scheduled during the regular season. 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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