It's time for Week 4 Injury Analysis. Once again, feel free to comment about the posts or to ask about other players you're interested in that were not listed below.
Santonio Holmes: The Jets have not been the most consistent team this year on offense and things don't look to be improving now that their star WR Holmes went down with a foot injury. Things aren't looking good for Holmes given the fact that his x-ray of his foot was apparently negative but his MRI appears to be concerning. While no official report has been given for his MRI, it does appear it is significant enough that the words of "shutting him down" have been out there and it appears they are having multiple doctors look at the x-rays to determine the best way to manage Holmes. I hate to say it but these doctors are not being consulted to determine if Holmes should sit 1 game or play this weekend, rather it usually is a sign of whether it's worthwhile to give him rest and see if he can return in a few weeks or whether he really needs surgery to correct the injury. I can't see it really being any better news than this which is why if you have Holmes, try to get anything for him until this news is released.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? Trade him for anything at this point as it's not looking very good for Holmes future this year. Plus, even if he does return to play for the Jets this year, I don't think Tebow is going to make him a fantasy stud (yes, I said Tebow because he will be leading this offense at some point this year and probably sooner than Holmes' chance of returning).
Greg Jennings: This injury that has recurred for Jennings should come as no surprise to my readers as I stated earlier in past weeks that I wouldn't feel comfortable with Jennings as my WR until he can practice during the week and play a full game without any setbacks prior to me buying in to the fact that he is all better. As I have pointed out the difference between the information I seek to provide and others who report on injuries, I tell you when the player will be effective again while others just tell you when the player will be active and in the lineup again. A groin strain is one of those injuries that can plague players for weeks on end and like we've seen with Jennings, you can take time off and still reaggravate the injury because ultimately that is still an area of weakness in the muscle/tendon.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? I personally would fear that this injury will leave you in doubt for most of the season regarding whether Jennings will be a worthwhile start for your team. If you can make a deal to get something for him now while people in your league still have good memories of Jennings and hope for the coming weeks, I'd get it done. Obviously I wouldn't drop him or just give him away but this is the time when you should try to sell higher than you will be able to in another week or so.
Hakeem Nicks: First it was his foot, now it's his knee? While we don't know the extent of his knee issue, we do know that he is dealing with swelling of his knee. I wasn't very excited to hear that he was having pain in his surgically repaired foot, but now it's even more concerning that he is having swelling in his knee and Coughlin has admitted that it's not getting better. There must be some significant structural damage in his knee that is not being disclosed….is it his meniscus? I'm not completely sure but like I said, I would be worrying if I was a Nicks owner.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? It depends on how you want to play this one, but you might want to try shopping Nicks around to see what you can get for him. You can of course wait to see how Nicks does and if they release more information about his knee but you are also taking the risk that if it's bad news that you'll be stuck with Nicks and get nothing in return. If it was me, I'd aggressively shop him out as I don't get a good feeling about this one.
Rashard Mendenhall: Mendenhall is the last of the major running backs returning from an ACL repair. What should we expect from Mendenhall? I am not very excited for him to have an impact in the first few weeks. The running backs in Pittsburgh so far have been ineffective and that's being kind. As I've mentioned, it takes these athletes some time to get that burst back and to "trust" their surgically repaired knee which usually causes them to return to a lesser form than prior to their injury. While Adrian Peterson has been freakish in his return so early from his ACL repair, he has not been the same as previous years so far although he seems to be getting better as the weeks pass by. I'd expect the same from Mendenhall but I wouldn't get too excited right now, let's see how he does over the next few weeks before we start talking about getting him into your lineup.
What does all this mean to your fantasy football team? I wouldn't rush to put him in your lineup in the next few weeks but of course if you have drafted him or gotten him onto your lineup, certainly hold onto him. Watch how he does over the next few weeks and look back for updates regarding his progression.
Follow me on Twitter @DoctorKenton for more updates/injury analysis in the upcoming games this week.
Wishing all your players quick recoveries,
DoctorKenton