2012 Fantasy Football Injury Report: Week 14

Posted by Michael A. Stein on 12/06/2012 | 0 Comments

Tags: LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Percy Harvin, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Brandon Lloyd, Danny Amendola, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ryan Broyles, Titus Young, Matthew Stafford, fantasy football

It is fantasy football playoff time for most leagues now that we are entering Week 14 of the NFL season.  As per usual, there are several injuries that will affect your chances this week.  Hopefully you have prepared yourself for this and obtained quality depth at the critical positions.  This week’s list is heavy on wide receivers, so PPR leagues could be in flux.  So without further adieu, here is the Week 14 edition of the walking wounded for fantasy football.

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1. LeSean McCoy (RB-PHI).  In what has already been a hugely disappointing season for one of the top three overall fantasy picks, LeSean McCoy still hasn’t passed his concussion tests which means his availability for this week’s game against Tampa Bay is unlikely.  With the Eagles amidst a long losing streak and in turmoil, don’t expect them to rush McCoy back.  This is especially true since backup Bryce Brown has exploded on the scene and filled in exceptionally for fantasy owners who grabbed him a couple weeks ago.

2. Ben Roethlisberger (QB-PIT).  Reports out of Pittsburgh indicate that the Steelers are pleased with the progress Ben Roethlisberger is making.  It is likely that Charlie Batch will get one more start against San Diego, but it is possible that Big Ben could make his return.  The Steelers are such a different team without him, so if you have any of their receivers plug them in if Roethlisberger is back.  He is worth starting if you have the patience to wait until the last second.

3. Percy Harvin (WR-MIN).  In a bit of surprising news, the Vikings placed star wide receiver Percy Harvin on injured reserve with an ankle injury that he sustained during Week 9.  With Minnesota in the NFL Wild Card hunt, one would have thought they would wait a little longer to see if he could heal up.  But the fact they placed him on IR now makes it seem likely that Harvin needs surgery to repair the damage.  He can be dropped in redraft formats.

4. Jordy Nelson (WR-GB).  Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson is listed as doubtful for this week’s game against Detroit with an aggravation of his prior hamstring injury.  Nelson had to come out of last week’s game and hasn’t made enough progress yet to give fantasy owners confidence to put him in their lineups.  With Greg Jennings back in the mix, I would expect Green Bay to rest Nelson and not risk making the injury worse as the playoffs get closer.

5. Ryan Broyles (WR-DET).  This is one of the more disappointing losses for savvy fantasy owners who added Lions wide receiver Ryan Broyles several weeks ago.  Broyles emerged as Matthew Stafford’s second best wide receiver target and made some big plays in his rookie season.  With Titus Young out for the year, it looked like Broyles was going to be a solid WR3 or Flex option, but now he can be dropped from all non-keeper leagues due to his upcoming knee surgery.

6. Julian Edelman (WR-NE).  The Patriots lost yet another offensive weapon when they placed wide receiver Julian Edelman on injured reserve with a broken foot.  Edelman had been a solid contributor and was likely going to maintain a bigger role in New England’s offense with Rob Gronkowski out.  But now fantasy owners can drop Edelman in all formats as his season is over.  If trades are still allowed in your league, try and grab Brandon Lloyd on the cheap.

7. Danny Amendola (WR-STL).  Fantasy enigma Danny Amendola is up in the air whether he will play this weekend against Buffalo.  Amendola is a solid option when he is healthy, but that has been a problem all year.  He is in and out of the lineup and cannot be counted on for any consistency.  The Bills would be a good matchup for Amendola, but he is a risky play this week.  Look for better alternatives because you don’t want to take a chance on getting 0 from him.

8. Maurice Jones-Drew (RB-JAX).  Fantasy owners who were hoping to get Maurice Jones-Drew back this week may have their hopes shattered.  Reports from Jacksonville indicate that it is highly unlikely that MJD will play against the Jets.  The only bit of good news this brings if for owners of the Jets defense and special teams.  The Jaguars cannot run the ball at all without MJD, so don’t bother picking up any of the backups.

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