Sports Injury Predictor has partnered with Rotoworld in 2015 to give you an even greater chance winning your league this season. We’ll be giving you a quick snapshot of all the injuries as they occurred on Sunday/early Monday morning so that you can use whatever information you need to approach the waiver wire in the coming week. For more injury related information and advice check us out on Twitter @injurypredictor and visit our injury search engine here.
Yesterday was a blood bath and with the amount of top talent that went down to injury there is a very good chance your season took a hit. If you were in the playoff hunt before this weekend don’t despair. Injuries are a wrinkle that needs to be a part of how you plan. Be aggressive on the waiver wire and actively look for trades. And with that said let’s take a look at what happened yesterday.
Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers - All signs are pointing to a high grade MCL sprain which means that Bell will be lost for the season. He is going for an MRI today to confirm and it’s likely that this is a multi-ligament injury that may include his ACL as the mechanism of the injury (knee being torqued inwards) is the same kind of mechanism you see with most ACL injuries.
We had Bell as a very high injury risk entering the season. He injured the same knee last year in what was referred to as a hyperextension, however there was a lot of anecdotal evidence that pointed to him suffering a PCL injury instead. Unfortunately the injury combined with the heavy workload (more opportunities to get injured) always had him really likely to get injured this season.
Barring anything unseen Bell should be rehabbed and ready to go by the start of next season.
Matt Forte, RB, Bears - Jay Glazer from Fox Sports is reporting that Forte has an MCL sprain. The bad part about this if you’re a Forte owner is that John Fox is a tricksy little Hobbit when it comes to updating a player’s injury status. We were left scratching our heads about Alshon Jeffery for the first 6 weeks of the season as his injury status remained unknown, expect nothing less with the other center piece of the Chicago attack. If it does turn out to be a mid-grade multi-week injury he should be able to return and play within a few weeks (check out the article we did about Big Ben and his MCL here for information about return to play scenarios: http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/articles/nfl/57510/81/roethlisberger--and--bryant-return).
Steve Smith, WR, Ravens - Smith went down on Sunday with a non-contact injury and immediately clutched the back of his ankle. Harbaugh told the media after the game that he had torn his Achilles and was done for the season. It’s a sad way for one of the best players to have played the game to go out in what he reported was his final season before retiring. Achilles injuries are renowned for sapping the burst of players and taking a few seasons to recover from completely. It’s a sad turn of events as it appears that this is the end of the road for Smith.
Reggie Bush, RB, 49ers - Bush returned a punt and ran out of bounds and slipped on some concrete behind the team bench. Reports are that he tore his left ACL. Bush has battled calf injuries this season which kept him out of 3 games and clearly lacked the juice that made him one of the game’s premier passing down backs. For a player clearly in the final phase of his career this is most likely the last we will see of him in the NFL.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Jets - Todd Bowles told reporters that Ryan Fitzpatrick tore ligaments in his non throwing hand on Sunday against the Raiders. This is a huge concern not only for his potential outlook but also the outlook for all the Jets skill players who have been off to a fine start this season. With Geno Smith making some really questionable decisions yesterday (finally getting himself knocked out the game after taking a huge unnecessary hit while running down the sideline instead of taking it out of bounds), any long term absence of Fitzmagic is a massive downgrade to Marshall, Ivory and Decker.
Mike Davis, RB, 49ers - Mike Davis was the lone healthy back on the 49ers by midway through the game. However he too left with an injury and was done for the day before the final whistle. There have been no updates but it’s being reported as a hand injury. Stay tuned during the week to see how bad and what moves the Niners make to address their running back situation.
Khiry Robinson, RB, Saints - It looked like Robinson broke his leg while being buried underneath a pile of players. He was fitted with an air cast while on the field and then taken to hospital during half time. Making a name for himself as a touchdown vulture Mark Ingram and most notably CJ Spiller will most likely get a bump in red zone work.
Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions - Megatron exited the game in London with what looked like an ankle injury. He tried to walk it off on the side but was unable to return and had it strapped up by the end of the game. The extent of the injury is unclear but the Lions have a bye this coming week that should allow Johnson to heal up assuming this injury is not too severe. If you’re a Johnson owner keep tabs on how he progresses as his previous injuries to his ankles over the last few seasons could mean a sustained absence if this injury is more serious than it seemed.
Kendall Wright, WR, Titans - Wright had to leave the game against the Texans on Sunday with what is being reported as an MCL injury. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but did not return to the game. Hopefully this is a low grade sprain but keep tabs on how this plays out over the course of the week. With Mariota set to return this coming we may finally see the emergence of Dorial Green-Beckham.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers - Allen went down with a back injury after a touchdown catch against Baltimore in the second quarter and did not return. It’s being referred to as “back spasms” for now and if that is the case he should be fine for the MNF game against the Bears in week 9.
Brandon Marshall, WR, Jets - Marshall seemed really uncomfortable requiring treatment on the sidelines twice during the game. He hurt his toe on his right foot coming down for catch and then hurt his left ankle contesting a catch that he was unable to make. He told reporters that he would require further X-Rays on his ankle and toe but this is going to be a tough situation to monitor. As quiet as some coaches and players are about injuries (see Forte injury above) Marshall sits on the opposite end of the spectrum. Following an injury with Marshall is usually a matter of playing catchup with the stream of conscience as to what is ailing him on any given day. It should be taken with a heavy grain of salt and the fact that he was able to complete Sunday’s loss to the Raiders is probably the best sign you have as to his week 9’s availability.
