Photo Credit: Don Wright/Associated Press
The 2015-16 NFL season kicks off in just three weeks but player suspensions and injuries are causing headaches for fantasy football owners. If the football gods have been good to you, your prospects are healthy, suspension free and ready to rock and roll. If the football universe hasn’t been, well it’s time to come up with a master plan.
Tom Brady – Brady is currently facing a four-game suspension. Recent reports suggest Brady may be finished fighting the suspension. Whether that means he’ll sit four games or less, he’s definitely going to sit. Despite the suspension Brady is still Brady. He’s still the defending champion deflated balls and all. You can’t bet against him. Brady shows out when he feels slighted or disrespected. Draft him as a number two QB if you have the roster room. Lock him up on your bench because if history is any indication whenever he returns he’s going to light everyone up.
Le’Veon Bell – Bell is sitting the first two games of the season as discipline for the Cheech and Chong moment he had with LaGarrette Blount last year on the way to a Pittsburgh Steelers game. Two games are not likely to hurt Bell’s stats too much. Blount is only out for the opening game. If you don’t have room to draft them and put them on your bench race to the waiver wire and claim them as soon as you can. Blount is sure to see a lot of action when he comes back while the Patriots wait out Brady’s suspension.
Antonio Gates, Ahmad Bradshaw, Josh Gordon and Greg Hardy just make you want to say bless their hearts. Gates is serving a four game suspension. Gates is 35 and is not the superstar TE he used to be. Still, he is one of Chargers QB Philip Rivers’s favorite targets and Rivers just signed that huge deal. I can’t make a case for him but if you’re feeling adventurous and need a tight end, why not? Bradshaw is only sitting one game but he’s coming off of an injury and he’s free agent looking for a place to land, so it doesn’t look good for him. Then we have everyone’s favorite, the knuckleheads. Josh Gordon is done for the season and maybe for good. As great as he is on the field, Gordon’s issues off the field have more than likely ended his career. Greg Hardy, there just isn’t words or enough space to explain his mess. He’s sitting for 4 games which was reduced on appeal. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones loves him. If you play in an IDP league his aggressiveness may be a great addition to your defense come October. Maybe he’ll turn it around like Ray Lewis did, but maybe not.
Adrian Peterson – AP seems to think he’s a no brainer but I’m not convinced. AP is injury prone and has been since college. Peterson played in one game last season before being suspended after allegations of child abuse. Last season AP was coming off of injury. He is older, injury prone, he has a lot of mileage on his legs, and he’s missed an entire season. Already, the running back is complaining of thigh soreness and pain. The Vikings may have faith in him but I’ll pass.
Now, for the walking wounded I know you thought you had a plan, but then your go to guy went down with injury. No problem every good fantasy coach/owner has a plan b. What do you do when the plan B’s start to fall off? The list of the injured is starting to look like a full-fledged NFL roster.
Kelvin Benjamin will probably miss the entire season after tearing his ACL in practice. Pick up Devin Funchess, another of Cam Newton’s favorite targets went down with a hamstring injury on 8/18/2015.
LeSean McCoy – Shady McCoy is expected to be ready week one after suffering a hamstring injury in practice on 8/18/2015. McCoy has a lot to prove after being dealt by the Eagles. He’d love nothing more than to prove Eagles head coach Chip Kelly wrong. Still, hamstring injuries tend to linger for running backs, and McCoy is learning a new offense. This one is a toss up. Maybe good for a third down back, ppr league, or a flex position.
Arian Foster –Â Foster had surgery just before preseason started and could be out 8 weeks. Foster is also injury prone and missed a lot of the 2014-15 season due to injury. Pass
DeSean Jackson –Â Jackson separated his shoulder early in August. Washington’s trainers are reporting he has full range of motion and looks probable to return to 100% by week 1 or 2. Jackson can’t throw to himself and with RGIII coming off another injury and being benched in 2014 things are up in the air for Washington’s offense. I don’t want any part of this fiasco in Washington even though RGIII is confident he is the best QB in the NFL.
Dennis Pita –Â out for the start of the season
Percy Harvin – hip soreness will be ready for the season but his productive days may be numbered.
Alshon Jefferey –Â Â should be ready to go week 1. Really who else is Cutler going to through to besides the other team’s defense?
Dez Bryant –Â Tweaked hamstring but should be ready to go barring any more preseason fights or suspensions surrounding his involvement in the fights.
Knile Davis –Â Knee sprain in 1st preseason game but should be ready week 1 along with Jamaal Charles.
Geno Smith –Â Jaw fractured by a teammate. You weren’t seriously thinking of drafting him were you? Sigh out 6 – 8 weeks.
Sam Bradford –Â Another fragile man of glass. Bradford is injury prone, learning a new system, and coming off a season ending injury from last season. Probably won’t play in preseason due to his sore knee.
You can find a full list of suspended NFL players at Sportstrac. They keep an updated list of all NFL suspensions. It might be worth a look just before your draft to make any last minute decisions. For a full listing of injured NFL players by team and position go to ESPN.
Hopefully, you can avoid the injury and suspension bugs. As they say in the Hunger Games, “may the odds ever be in you favor.” Happy drafting.
