2012 Fantasy Football, Week Two Injury Report: Fred Jackson Out With Torn LCL
Fred Jackson
Fred Jackson (RB | Buffalo| 96 percent owned in Y!) Those who invested a second round pick in Fred Jackson have to be extremely disappointed in the news that the Buffalo ball carrier will miss at least three weeks – and as many as eight weeks – with a sprain of his lateral collateral ligament. The results of an MRI conducted on his right knee on Monday came back “inconclusive” leaving us without an exact time frame for Jackson’s return.
Fantasy Spin: The clear beneficiary of Jackson’s unfortunate injury is C.J. Spiller, who carried the ball 14 times for 169 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Jets. Somehow, Spiller is still available in 29 percent of Yahoo! Leagues, so if by chance he lies on your wire, put the claim in. Spiller will be a top twelve running back option for the next few weeks. Next three opponents: vs. Kansas City, @ Cleveland, vs. New England,
Rashad Jennings (RB | Jacksonville| 63 percent owned in Y!) Like the aforementioned Jackson, Rashad Jennings went down with a knee injury after eight carries for 31 yards on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Jaguars’ coach Mike Mularkey noted he was awaiting the results of an MRI on Jennings’ knee, but didn’t believe the injury was serious.
Fantasy Spin: Many took a flier on Jennings hoping that Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout would continue into the regular season. That obviously didn’t happen, so you may want to shop Jennings to the MJD owner as an insurance policy. If you can’t get anything for Jennings in return and need a roster spot in leagues with shallow benches, fell free to send him packing.
John Skelton (QB | Arizona | five percent owned in Y!) The injury to the Cardinals’ quarterback appeared to be severe, after Skelton was carted off the field on Sunday in Arizona. However, test results confirmed that there were no fractures, broken bones or even a high-ankle sprain that the Cardinals’ staff initially feared. Skelton suffered a low ankle sprain – and at the time of this writing, wasn’t yet ruled out for Sunday’s tilt with the Patriots.
Fantasy Spin: Skelton is rostered in just the deepest of head-to-head and two quarterback leagues. With the likelihood that Skelton doesn’t play on Sunday, and you need a quarterback for week two in one of those formats, you could take a (long) look at Kevin Kolb, who was beat out by Skelton in camp. Kolb came in for the injured Skelton on Sunday and drove the Cardinals into the end zone for the winning the score against the Seahawks. Kolb finished the day 6-of-8 for 66 yards and the one touchdown.
Jake Locker (QB | Tennessee| 47 percent owned in Y!) Jake Locker suffered a separated left shoulder while attempting to tackle Patriots’ defensive back Patrick Chung who was “returning an apparent fumble.” The shoulder in question is the play caller’s non-throwing shoulder, so the team expects Locker to be available for Sunday’s showdown with the Chargers.
Fantasy Spin: Mobile quarterbacks like Locker are usually more susceptible to injuries. Although he likely isn’t your QB1, owners may want to snag veteran Matt Hasselbeck in very deep standard and two quarterback leagues as insurance.
David Nelson (WR | Buffalo| seven percent owned in Y!) The Bills’ second leading receiver from a year ago will miss the rest of 2012 with a torn ligament in his right knee, suffered in the loss to the Jets on Sunday. Nelson caught 61 passes for 658 yards and five scores in 2011.
Fantasy Spin: While Nelson may not have been considered in shallow leagues, his performance from last year – if repeated – could have been serviceable in deeper PPR leagues. With Nelson out for the season, Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely target Donald Jones to make up for the loss. Additionally, opposing teams may ask their defensive backs to converge on the Bills’ number one pass catcher, Stevie Johnson, which potentially lowers his value as well.
Pierre Garcon (WR | Washington| 93 percent owned in Y!) After starting Sunday’s game with four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown, Garcon removed himself from action late in the first quarter with an apparent injury to his right foot. X-rays conducted on the receiver’s foot came back negative, but Garcon indicated his right foot remains sore from what Mike Shanahan called a “strain, …similar to turf toe.”
Fantasy Spin: The Redskins’ pass catcher will have to take the wait-and-see approach with regards to his status for Sunday’s game. He initially mentioned that the injury wouldn’t impact his ability to play against Saint Louis in week two, but he would wait to see how the foot feels after practice on Wednesday. If Garcon isn’t able to go this weekend, Aldrick Robinson’s fantasy value gets a nice boost. In Garcon’s absence, Robinson was on the field for the most snaps (66) and drew the most targets (6) of any Washington receiver.
As always, please be sure to check each team’s official websites and injury reports for the most up-to-date information.
Fantasy Spin: The clear beneficiary of Jackson’s unfortunate injury is C.J. Spiller, who carried the ball 14 times for 169 yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Jets. Somehow, Spiller is still available in 29 percent of Yahoo! Leagues, so if by chance he lies on your wire, put the claim in. Spiller will be a top twelve running back option for the next few weeks. Next three opponents: vs. Kansas City, @ Cleveland, vs. New England,
Rashad Jennings (RB | Jacksonville| 63 percent owned in Y!) Like the aforementioned Jackson, Rashad Jennings went down with a knee injury after eight carries for 31 yards on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Jaguars’ coach Mike Mularkey noted he was awaiting the results of an MRI on Jennings’ knee, but didn’t believe the injury was serious.
Fantasy Spin: Many took a flier on Jennings hoping that Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout would continue into the regular season. That obviously didn’t happen, so you may want to shop Jennings to the MJD owner as an insurance policy. If you can’t get anything for Jennings in return and need a roster spot in leagues with shallow benches, fell free to send him packing.
John Skelton (QB | Arizona | five percent owned in Y!) The injury to the Cardinals’ quarterback appeared to be severe, after Skelton was carted off the field on Sunday in Arizona. However, test results confirmed that there were no fractures, broken bones or even a high-ankle sprain that the Cardinals’ staff initially feared. Skelton suffered a low ankle sprain – and at the time of this writing, wasn’t yet ruled out for Sunday’s tilt with the Patriots.
Fantasy Spin: Skelton is rostered in just the deepest of head-to-head and two quarterback leagues. With the likelihood that Skelton doesn’t play on Sunday, and you need a quarterback for week two in one of those formats, you could take a (long) look at Kevin Kolb, who was beat out by Skelton in camp. Kolb came in for the injured Skelton on Sunday and drove the Cardinals into the end zone for the winning the score against the Seahawks. Kolb finished the day 6-of-8 for 66 yards and the one touchdown.
Jake Locker (QB | Tennessee| 47 percent owned in Y!) Jake Locker suffered a separated left shoulder while attempting to tackle Patriots’ defensive back Patrick Chung who was “returning an apparent fumble.” The shoulder in question is the play caller’s non-throwing shoulder, so the team expects Locker to be available for Sunday’s showdown with the Chargers.
Fantasy Spin: Mobile quarterbacks like Locker are usually more susceptible to injuries. Although he likely isn’t your QB1, owners may want to snag veteran Matt Hasselbeck in very deep standard and two quarterback leagues as insurance.
David Nelson (WR | Buffalo| seven percent owned in Y!) The Bills’ second leading receiver from a year ago will miss the rest of 2012 with a torn ligament in his right knee, suffered in the loss to the Jets on Sunday. Nelson caught 61 passes for 658 yards and five scores in 2011.
Fantasy Spin: While Nelson may not have been considered in shallow leagues, his performance from last year – if repeated – could have been serviceable in deeper PPR leagues. With Nelson out for the season, Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely target Donald Jones to make up for the loss. Additionally, opposing teams may ask their defensive backs to converge on the Bills’ number one pass catcher, Stevie Johnson, which potentially lowers his value as well.
Pierre Garcon (WR | Washington| 93 percent owned in Y!) After starting Sunday’s game with four receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown, Garcon removed himself from action late in the first quarter with an apparent injury to his right foot. X-rays conducted on the receiver’s foot came back negative, but Garcon indicated his right foot remains sore from what Mike Shanahan called a “strain, …similar to turf toe.”
Fantasy Spin: The Redskins’ pass catcher will have to take the wait-and-see approach with regards to his status for Sunday’s game. He initially mentioned that the injury wouldn’t impact his ability to play against Saint Louis in week two, but he would wait to see how the foot feels after practice on Wednesday. If Garcon isn’t able to go this weekend, Aldrick Robinson’s fantasy value gets a nice boost. In Garcon’s absence, Robinson was on the field for the most snaps (66) and drew the most targets (6) of any Washington receiver.
As always, please be sure to check each team’s official websites and injury reports for the most up-to-date information.
Written by Alan Harrison for TheFantasyFix.com. Follow Alan’s rants on Twitter @TheFantasyFix .
The Author
