We scour the news around the NFL to bring you what matters most for you and your dynasty team: the most current news on players, both superstars and the relative unknowns, and analysis to decipher the respective situations. These are many of the major stories and not meant to be an exhaustive look at all of the recent happenings around the league.
The big news of the week was the knee injury to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He suffered a MCL sprain and a bone bruise. The star passer is expected to miss four-to-six games. While the outcome is far from ideal, the news could have been much worse. Many will point to the stiff schedule down the stretch and avoid Roethlisberger, we see him as a great “buy” for dynasty owners.
After the dueling Drew Brees reports last week, we were interested to see if the veteran quarterback would suit up and play in Sunday's game in Carolina. When he was ruled out on Friday after trying to throw in practice, we wonder if the rotator cuff injury could linger. Yes, most expected the bruised rotator cuff to be ok after a few days. The good news is that the MRI revealed no tear in the rotator cuff. The missed game against the Panthers was his first as a member of the Saints. This is definitely a situation to monitor. During a radio interview on Monday, the Saints star said he is very optimistic in regard to his chances of playing this week, according to ESPN.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith has been cleared to play after suffering the broken jaw in the well-publicized incident. After announcing Smith's status, coach Todd Bowles was quick to say that Ryan Fitzpatrick would remain the starting quarterback. The poor outing of Fitzpatrick might help Bowles realize that he needs Smith under center if New York has aspirations for a Super Bowl.
One prospect who has been forgotten by fantasy owners is Jaguars tailback Denard Robinson. The former Michigan quarterback is very athletic and was groomed to have a receiving back role before spraining his MCL in Week 1. Robinson started to look much better as a running back toward the end of the 2014 season and made a solid complement to rookie T.J. Yeldon.
It was great to see rookie receiver Breshad Perriman return to practice last Thursday after missing over three months of action with a sprained PCL. In the pregame workout before Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, Perriman re-injured his right knee. This could push his return back a few weeks. The good news is that the rookie did not leave the field after the aggravation of the PCL injury. Even when he finally heals, Perriman still needs to get into playing shape and learn the playbook after missing all of training camp. While Baltimore desperately needs another receiving threat, expectations should be tempered for several weeks. A somewhat raw prospect coming into the NFL, Perriman will need time to develop as a player. But, make no mistake, he is a very good dynasty prospect. It just will take some time.
Many dynasty owners had rookie Rashad Greene Sr stashed, but the Jacksonville slot receiver had surgery to repair his right thumb and was subsequently placed on injured reserve/designated to return. Greene was a productive college player at Florida State, catching passes from Jameis Winston. We like Greene's chances of having a long, productive career with Santana Moss the ceiling of any comparison for fantasy owners.
It has been puzzling to watch Rams wide receiver Brian Quick show up on the inactives list on game day the first three games. Coach Jeff Fisher stated the reasoning as Quick was behind on his conditioning after missing most of training camp after undergoing shoulder surgery. The puzzling part is that Quick actually played in two preseason games, but was not in good enough shape to participate in the regular season contests. Many consider him the most talented of the St. Louis receiving corps. Keep an eye on the situation. Coach Fisher said Monday that there is a chance Quick plays this week versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The New York Jets are struggling with injuries at the receiver position. Eric Decker injured his PCL in the big win over the Colts on Monday night a couple of weeks ago. Next, it was Chris Owusu who had his knee scoped last Thursday. While Decker will try to play through his injury this week, Owusu will need a couple of weeks to get healthy. Good thing for the Jets that rookie Devin Smith is now healthy after battling a rib injury since the beginning of training camp. It might take the rookie a month or more to get into shape and learn the playbook. Transitioning to the NFL is difficult for many rookie pass catchers to make splash, and losing so much time will not help. Expect Smith to be a situational deep threat as he gets accustomed to the offense. A quarterback change would help Smith as well. Fitzpatrick underthrew him twice against the Eagles.
Many fantasy owners were shocked when Adam Schefter reported last week that Tampa Bay tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins would be out of action for four-to-six weeks with a strained shoulder. The Buccaneer have a bye Week 6 so the second-year player could be back as early as Week 7. This is a blow for quarterback Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay offense who is just getting Mike Evans back healthy and producing. The Buccaneers have a great group of weapons for the rookie passer. We like investing into their long-term outlook.
We are officially worried about Chargers tight end Ladarius Green. On Friday, Green told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he is still experiencing headaches, and concussion-like symptoms. Let's put this into context. The athletic tight end suffered two concussions in eleven days. It was a farce for the Chargers to list Green as questionable. With Antonio Gates back Week 5, Green's window of opportunity is quickly closing.
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