This pre-season series will provide
you with in-depth analysis of key injuries and their resultant
implications on fantasy football. This information comes straight
from my perspective as a Physical Therapist and collegiate Athletic
Trainer of ten years. Over that time, I have seen and treated
almost every injury that can occur in this violent sport. Hopefully
this piece gives you a little more insight into the anatomy of
an injury.
Now it’s time to review the running back position. As always
happens in the preseason, so many changes, injuries, and additions
to a team’s backfield create a muddled situation. In this
article, I’ll analyze the injury aspects of these running
back scenarios.
Player: Steven Jackson
Injury: Disc surgery/discectomy
Healing Time: 12-16 weeks
Impact on the Field: Steven Jackson
has supposedly had back pain for a few years now. He exacerbated
the injury last year and it caused him to miss a few games with
some lingering pain. He decided to address the problem in the
off-season and underwent a discectomy. With this injury, a piece
of disc ends up “bulging” on a nerve root, which causes
pain and potential issues in the leg, including numbness or tingling.
Back surgeries are never simple and almost always come with some
level of deterioration, particularly in NFL players that engage
in constant contact. This injury should heal enough in three to
four months to allow Jackson to resume his workouts in preparation
for the upcoming season. It will also allow Jackson to play with
considerably less pain. I have never been a big Jackson fan because
he is constantly “dinged up” due to his running style.
He is a big guy who plays to contact, which can lead to an increased
frequency of injury. He always is overvalued and I believe he
will be again this year. The Rams are still the Rams even with
a new young quarterback. They lack skill position players and
an offensive line, which should limit Jackson’s scoring
chances.
Many fantasy owners are expecting a bounce-back
season from "The Burner."
Player: Michael Turner
Injury: High ankle sprain
Healing Time: 6-8 weeks
Impact on the Field: The dreaded
high ankle sprain took a good chunk of Turner’s 2009 season.
Throw in the mismanagement of the injury by the Falcon training
staff and you end up with a lost year. A high ankle sprain occurs
where the lower leg meets the foot. The two shinbones are splayed
apart ripping the ligament that attaches them. Because the foot’s
force against the ground is transmitted through that joint, this
injury takes a while to heal. Turner has reportedly been working
out and is supposedly in much better shape than he was at the
beginning of last year. I absolutely love Turner this year and
expect a big bounce-back season. The Falcons offense is very good,
and Turner gets the majority of carries in addition to all the
goal-line chances. Turner will be a top 3 running back this year.
Player: DeAngelo Williams
Injury: Ankle sprain
Healing Time: 2-4 weeks
Impact on the Field: This is a minor
ankle injury. It can be painful enough to cause a player to miss
some time though, which is what happened with Williams. He is
completely healthy now and will again share the load with Jonathan
Stewart (see below). His injury is not the problem; Stewart’s
talent is the concern. If one of these two guys ever got hurt
for an extended time, the other one would be a top 5 back. As
is, they split the carries and both put up stats good enough for
a RB2/RB3.
Player: Jonathan Stewart
Injury: Achilles surgery
Healing Time: 6-8 weeks
Impact on the Field: Stewart had
surgery to clean up scar tissue around his Achilles tendon. When
one has Achilles tendonitis, a great deal of scar tissue and inflammation
can build up. Surgery removes the irritation and allows the tendon
to heal. Stewart has had numerous injuries to his feet and is
a bit more injury-prone than Williams, though equally as talented.
As I stated above, if one were to ever get hurt, the other would
become a star.
Player: Kevin Smith
Injury: ACL reconstruction
Healing Time: 6 months
Impact on the Field: Smith tore
his ACL and had surgery to repair the torn ligament. ACL surgeries
these days are very routine, as is the rehab. But Smith will likely
start the 2010 season on the PUP list. He was not the fastest
guy to begin with, and I doubt this will affect his speed. His
biggest problem is the drafting of Jahvid Best. He is fast and
was drafted to add a speed component to the Lions running game.
With Smith likely to start the season on the injury list, Best
will have every opportunity to steal the show. I really like the
Lions offense and believe that they all will be very undervalued
this year.
Player: Matt Forte
Injury: Arthroscopic knee surgery
Healing Time: 2-6 weeks
Impact on the Field: Forte had his
knee scoped in the off-season to remove loose cartilage and probably
to clean up a torn meniscus, which is the shock absorber in the
knee. All reports confirm that this was a pretty simple procedure.
The surgery has had little impact on his ability to prepare for
the upcoming season, and I bet he’ll be healthier than he was
at the start of last season. The bigger problem for Forte is that
the Bears added Chester
Taylor to share carries and Mike Martz to run the offense.
Martz is not a big fan of running the ball and, with Jay Cutler
as a quarterback, I can’t see him reversing that trend.
Player: Ronnie Brown
Injury: Lisfranc injury
Healing Time: 6 months
Impact on the Field: Ronnie Brown
injured his midfoot in Week 8 last season. He had surgery shortly
thereafter, which turned out to be a very good decision. This
injury takes a long time to heal. Brown is going to be 29 this
season and has already endured a number of major surgical procedures.
Brown has stated that he is 80% healed, but, as I’ve stated
before, a big issue with lower leg injuries is that a player can’t
train for the upcoming season because he is busy rehabbing the
injury.
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