The Injury Report
Don’t be the donkey. Be informed.
Sammy Watkins (foot)
BuffaloBills.com writer Chris Brown reported Tuesday that while Watkins did not participate in the Bills’ practice, he did dress for the walk through portion. This seems to indicate that he will be ready to go for Thursday, but the Bills are resting him in the meantime. Still, the foot injury has reportedly caused Watkins a lot of pain and he will definitely not be 100 percent if he is able to suit up. He’ll likely draw Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis, but PFF graded Revis as their fifth-worst cornerback in Week 1 after A.J. Green torched him for 152 receiving yards and a touchdown. Watkins is one of the more explosive receivers in the league, as evidenced by his 2.28 fantasy points per target — the second-highest average among all receivers in 2015, per playerprofiler.com The Jets seven big plays allowed (rushes over 10 yards and passes over 25 yards) in Week 1 were tied for the second-most in the league.
Russell Wilson (ankle)
The sprain Wilson sustained against the Dolphins is nothing overly serious. “He’s all fine there. … a little bit of swelling but he’ll make it through,” coach Pete Carroll said Monday following some testing. Even if Russ misses practice this week, he’ll be fine to play at the Rams Sunday.
Jamaal Charles (ACL)
ESPN’s Ed Werder reports the Chiefs could play it safe as Charles is the least healthy of their four running backs. Coach Andy Reid has hinted the Chiefs could use a running back by committee and it appears that Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West may once again lead the Chiefs’ backfield against the Texans. Ware only had four more snaps than West in Week 1, but he doubled West’s touches and was the Chiefs’ leading rusher and receiver on his way to earning PFF’s sixth-highest grade among all running backs. Even if Charles does play, the uncertainty surrounding his touches would make for a very risky play against a Texans’ defense that finished 2015 in the top-10 in average fantasy points allowed to running backs. Ware’s price on DraftKings has jumped from $4400 to $6100 for Week 2, but he could still thrive with a reduced workload as evidenced by his first-place finish in PFF’s fantasy points per opportunity in 2015.
Chris Ivory (calf/general medical issue)
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Ivory is still in the hospital with a “general medical issue.” The Jaguars expect to know more within the next 48 hours, but the news is certainly not encouraging for his chances of playing this Sunday. If Ivory is unable to go, T.J. Yeldon will once again take over as the undisputed lead back. He led all running backs with 63 snaps played in Week 1 and received 25 touches despite averaging just 2.76 yards per opportunity. Yeldon has averaged 15.78 PPR points in his five career games with 15 or more carries. He’ll face a Chargers’ front seven which was ranked as the third-worst unit in the league by PFF.
Demaryius Thomas (hip)
The Broncos were worried Thomas suffered a potentially serious labrum injury early in last Thursday’s win over the Panthers. But it sounds like all the tests came back negative and he’s fine. The Broncos’ pass game has a dream matchup with the Colts this week, but they’re still going to employ an extremely conservative gameplan that revolves around C.J. Anderson and the defense. Thomas had just 4-48-0 on six targets against the Panthers’ rookie corners.
Zach Ertz (ribs)
It sounds like the rib displacement Ertz sustained early in Sunday’s win over the Browns will keep him out a while. It means the Eagles will be forced to roll with Brent Celek as their primary tight end and possibly athletic Trey Burton (day to day, calf) as a pass-catching specialist. Celek costs just $2600 and Burton is at $2500 for the Week 2 matchup at Chicago.
Robert Griffin III (shoulder)
Griffin sustained the injury while running against the Eagles. He’ll miss at least eight weeks, meaning Josh McCown will step in as the Browns starter. That’s not a bad thing for the likes of Gary Barnidge and Corey Coleman, as McCown is a far more stable quarterback. He quietly averaged 294.2 yards and 1.71 pass TDs per game in his seven starts last year. McCown is minimum $5000 on DraftKings at home against the Ravens Sunday.
Kendall Wright (hamstring)
The Titans are hopeful Wright can get back in practice soon, but it doesn’t sound like he’s particularly close to playing in a game. Their WR snap count in Week 1 was Tajae Sharpe 64-of-69, Harry Douglas 37, Rishard Matthews 35, Andre Johnson 24.
Keenan Allen (ACL)
Allen was on his way to a monster game at Kansas City Sunday when he popped his ACL with two minutes left in the first half. After that, the Chargers offense predictably went in the tank. Allen’s injury is a massive blow to Phillip Rivers, who has averaged 4.2 more fantasy points per game with Allen vs. without over the last two years. Look for Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams and Dontrelle Inman to handle the wideout load going forward.
Delvin Breaux (fibula)
Breaux is the best corner in a secondary that remains horrific one year after ranking dead-last against quarterbacks and wide receivers in Opponent Plus/Minus — by a wide margin. They’ll have to move forward with UDFA types like P.J. Williams, De’Vante Harris and Ken Crawley. Odell Beckham will almost certainly be the highest-owned WR in Week 2 as the Saints travel to Giants Stadium.
