Two weeks, two season-ending injuries (potentially).
The flood gates have been opened.
Fantasy owners might have lost one of this season’s best players at his position yesterday in Houston tight end Owen Daniels. Daniels went down in the first quarter with a knee injury that could be a season-ender. More on that below.
First, a little fantasy lagniappe from this weekend:
*Miles Austin is no fantasy mirage. He is, what you would call, the real deal. Austin continued his other-worldly fantasy ascension yesterday with five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. He also pitched in 11 rushing yards. While it was not a triple-digit yardage day for Austin, this normal performance likely sits well with his fantasy owners.
*Steve Slaton might be a buy low candidate again, but the risk factor just shot way up. After an early fumble, he was replaced by Ryan Moats who went on to secure a bigger role in the offense going forward by way of three touchdowns.
*Turnovers killed a couple of other fantasy players this weekend. Kurt Warner had six (6!) of them, negating his two touchdown passes. Shonn Greene was a popular waiver wire add after two scores last weekend but fumbled early and watched Thomas Jones get the bulk of the work in a close game.
Owen Daniels [TE, Texans]
From ProFootballTalk:
Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels said after suffering a knee injury today that he’s holding out hope that MRI results will pleasantly surprise him, but that he fears he has torn his ACL.
Today’s MRI will tell the story for Daniels.
His loss for the rest of the season would be a major blow to the owners who drafted him earlier this summer. Daniels was having a special season in Houston.
Matt Schaub also may take a hit with the loss of Daniels. He had become one of his favorite targets, especially near the goal line. Keep a close eye on the dynamic of the Houston offense the next few weeks — if Daniels is, indeed, out — to see if there are any ill effects.
Aaron Rodgers [QB, Packers]
From RotoWorld:
According to Packers beat writer Greg Bedard, Aaron Rodgers was “limping severely” after Sunday’s loss to Minnesota.
There should be an update on Rodgers status sometime today.
While I thought the Packers did a better job of protecting Rodgers yesterday against Minnesota, he still had to run for his life on more than one occasion. It led to some nice rushing totals for his fantasy owners but also subjected him to more abuse.
Hopefully this does not turn out to be too serious.
Calvin Johnson [WR, Lions]
From RotoWorld:
Calvin Johnson (knee) is officially out for the Lions on Sunday against the Rams.
It was reported early yesterday morning that Johnson would, in fact, play against the Rams. However, he was declared inactive by the Lions about an hour before game-time.
Hopefully fantasy owners paid attention and yanked him from the starting lineup in time.
Brian Westbrook [RB, Eagles]
From Bruno Boys:
Westbrook has been suffering from a concussion and he has been ruled OUT of action for today’s divisional game against the New York Giants. Westbrook injured his head during the first quarter of the Eagles Monday Night Football victory last week and the training staff ruled him not healthy enough to give it a go against the Giants.
As I expected, Westbrook did not play despite the Eagles efforts to make the Giants think he would this week. Not that Philadelphia needed him in what turned out to be a rout.
Westbrook is on track to play next weekend according to head coach Andy Reid. Traditionally, Westbrook has not needed much practice during game week to suit up for a game. However, I would wait-and-see if he does practice before inserting him back into fantasy lineups.
Kevin Smith [RB, Lions]
From RotoWorld:
It’s unclear if Smith suffered a shoulder or ankle injury. Schwartz said Smith could’ve gone back if he was needed, but Maurice Morris was playing well.
No word on whether or not Smith reinjured his shoulder yesterday, but seeing Maurice Morris get a lot of work late in yesterday’s game is a little inauspicious for Smith’s fantasy owners.
Keep an eye out for Smith updates later today.
Jake Delhomme [QB, Panthers]
From ProFootballTalk:
Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme had to leave the Panthers’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals early today when he suffered a chest injury. But after going to the hospital for a CT Scan, he said he’s fine and will play next week against the Saints.
Not that any fantasy owner is relying on Delhomme right now — the Panthers barely are — but he did leave a few times yesterday with a chest injury. Matt Moore took over in his stead and did little more than hand off to DeAngelo Williams.
No major loss here for fantasy owners, though Delhomme did feature Steve Smith yesterday in the passing game. His absence could negatively affect Smith’s value going forward.
Mario Manningham [WR, Giants]
From RotoWorld:
Giants coach Tom Coughlin indicated in his post-game press conference that Mario Manningham may have a separated shoulder.
Manningham did not suit up for yesterday’s game but I doubt his presence would have had much of an effect on the outcome.
The Giants have now lost three straight games (New Orleans, Arizona, Philadelphia) and the passing game is bearing the brunt of the criticism. Manningham had issues of his own coming into this weekend with drops. Now he also has to deal with a shoulder injury and a faltering passing attack.
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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