There are really no statistics out there that indicate injuries are more prevelant in the National Football League this season than in the past, but it sure does seem that way. From lisfranc injuries and torn ACL's to broken bones in the legs and hamstring issues, there seem to be a ton of skill-position players currently either heading off for rehab (no not the type Aldon Smith is in) or preparing to return to the field after extended time off.
Today's article is going to look at these injuries through not only a skill-position and team-wide perspective, but from a fantasy football aspect as well.
Let's start these series of articles with the all-important quarterback position...
E.J. Manuel, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills
This rookie quarterback is set to miss at least six weeks with a sprained LCL in his knee. Manuel suffered the injury in Buffalo's Week 5 loss to the Cleveland Browns and will be replaced in its starting lineup by journeyman Thaddeus Lewis, who was acquired in a preseason trade from the Detroit Lions. Lewis, a Duke product, has one NFL start on his resume. Jeff Tuel finished off last week's game, but it's pretty obvious he brings nothing to the table in terms of immediate upside. Needless to say, the Bills are in major trouble here.
Fantasy Impact
From a fantasy perspective, Manuel wasn't much more than a bye week or injury replacement. He had put up nearly 1,100 yards and five scores in four-plus games and was the 24th-ranked fantasy quarterback prior to suffering the knee injury. Neither Tuel or Lewis represent and sort of fantasy value moving forward. In all likelihood, this injury only provides Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller owners a lift until Manuel returns.
Brian Hoyer, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
Hoyer's two-week performance following the Trent Richardson trade may have saved the Browns' season and with it lifted up the hope of a downtrodden fan base. He completed 55-of-92 passes for 590 yards and five scores in those two games, both wins. The minute that Hoyer went down with a torn ACL last Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills, you could just hear FirstEnergy Stadium deflate. While the Browns did win with Brandon Weeden under center for the remainder of the game, it's hard to believe that he'll be able to perform anywhere near the level that we saw from Hoyer in his two-plus games at quarterback. At 3-2, the Browns are in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC North, but Weeden will have to up his game if they are going to have a fighting chance moving forward.
Fantasy Impact
Hoyer finished as a QB1 in both of his starts this season. His 321-yard three-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings caught a lot of people off guard, but he followed that up with a No. 8 overall ranking the following week against the Cincinnati Bengals. While Hoyer wouldn't have been relied on as a QB1 throughout the remainder of the season, he was more of a legit bye week or injury replacement for Weeden, who provide nearly zero fantasy value for the remainder of the season. If anything, Weeden being under center ups the value of vetern running back Willis McGahee.
Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
Now that Gabbert just can't stay healthy, there are even larger concerns than his ability to perform up to task on the field. The former first-round pick has started three games thus far this season and has been downright atrocious. Jacksonville is averaging just over eight points per outing and Gabbert has thrown one touchdown compared to seven interceptions in those three starts. He's completing less than 50 percent of his passes and is averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt. Yeah, that's just not going to get it done.
Gabbert exited Jacksonville's Week 5 loss to the St. Louis Rams with a popped hamstring and will miss Sunday's game against the undefeated Denver Broncos. Not that it matters too much, Chad Henne will get the start in Henne's stead. Jaguars' head coach Gus Bradley isn't even sold on Gabbert returning as the starter once he does come back from the hammy injury. At 0-5, Jacksonville's just looking to play the season out and find a "franchise" guy in the draft next May. Do you blame them?
Fantasy Impact
Look away, nothing to see here. If you were planning on relying on either Henne or Gabbert moving forward, you might just want to go ahead and quit fantasy football this season. You simply cannot rely on a quarterback on an offense that is averaging just over 10 points per game. Water gun to the head, Henne offers a bit more upside. At the very least, he'll be able to come close to getting the ball to the likes of Cecil Shorts and Justin Blackmon on the outside.
Christian Ponder, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
Ponder's career with Minnesota might be over. Reports indicate that the struggling and injured quarterback may not even play another snap in 2013. Out with a fractured rib, Ponder was replaced by Matt Cassel, who in turn led the Vikings to their first win of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4. Fresh off their bye and with Ponder still sidelined due to injury, the Vikings plan to start Cassel again this week. That might be a short-term fix after Minnesota went out there and signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Josh Freeman over the weekend. Freeman will need a week or two to learn the playbook, but should be under center by Week 8, at the latest. That will be a huge boost for a Vikings' offense that has missed and type of down-field threat in the passing game. For all of his issues, Freeman has an absolute cannon for an arm. At 1-3, the Vikings need to run off a string of three or four consecutive wins to have a shot at the postseason. It's obvious that even a healthy Ponder doesn't give them that capability.
Fantasy Impact
This could be somewhat huge moving forward. A re-focused Freeman could actually be a solid QB1 option as he enter the mid-point of the season. With Adrian Peterson running the ball, a couple solid tight ends, a down-field threat in Cordarrelle Patterson and a veteran possession guy in Greg Jennings, Freeman might be looking at a solid stretch run in Minnesota. Until then, play matchups if you plan on going with Cassel as a bye-week replacement. For example, going up against a Carolina Panthers defense that ranks in the top-11 of the NFL against fantasy quarterbacks isn't necessarily a solid matchup for Cassel and the Vikings passing game. Look elsewhere.
Michael Vick, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
It was originally reported that Vick would miss two weeks due to a hamstring injury he suffered against the New York Giants last week. Fortunrely for the Eagles, Vick was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, which could indicate he'll be ready to go against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. With that said, I fully expect Chip Kelly to hold him out at least one game. These types of injuries don't heal themselves on the field and Vick has been prone to being banged up over the course of his NFL career. With Vick likely out against a winless Bucs' team, Nick Foles will get the start. The second-year quarterback completed 16-of-25 passes for 197 yards and two scores in relief of Vick against the Giants last week. He's more than capable of holding up against a good Bucs' pass defense. A win here and the Eagles will be playing for first place against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7. That could be Vick's target date.
Fantasy Impact
Vick is the fifth-ranked fantasy quarterback through five weeks. He's done a really good job limiting mistakes this season with just two interceptions in 132 pass attempts. He's also averaging nearly 300 total yards per game. Some of you relied on Vick as a QB1 to start the season, and you have been rewarded. That decision, however, came with known risks. You simply cannot expect Vick to be on the field for all 16 games throughout the course of the season. Hopefully, this means that you planned accordingly with your QB2 option. If you want to stream Eagles, Foles doesn't necessarily matchup well against a solid Buccaneers pass defense. With that in mind, he will likely be given a few solid red-zone opportunities and short fields with his counterpart Mike Glennon under center in Tampa Bay.
Jake Locker, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
More so than in fantasy football, Locker's injury hurt the Titans in a big way. He was off to a near-perfect start prior to a horrible hip injury against the New York Jets in Week 4. The third-year quarterback tallied over 800 yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in three-plus games. Reports indicate that the former first-round pick will miss at least three more weeks. With Locker out, Tennessee had to turn to former Buffalo Bills starter Ryan Fitzpatrick last week. He committed untimely turnovers at home against the Kansas City Chiefs and now must travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on an angry Seattle Seahawks team that lost its first game of the season last week. Despite this, I am pretty sure Titans' fans would have been happy with a 3-3 start through six weeks. They remain very much in the AFC Playoff race.
Fantasy Impact
I highly doubt that any of you were counting on Locker to perform the way he did in the first four games of the season. That really did come out of left field. He was, however, relied on as a QB2 and bye-week replacement for those who utilized the late-round quarterback strategy. This could play a role in the coming weeks if your QB1 is set to hit a bye week. If so, don't really look at Fitzpatrick to pick you up. He takes on Seattle this week before hosting the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7. Not exactly solid matchups.