Week1 Fantasy Injury Report - Thursday Edition

The Counselor is IN:

Here are the Week 1 fantasy injuries and my commentary. This is the Thursday Edition. I will put out an edition updating further the status for this weekend's games later in the week.

Thursday Game:

Giants:
No significant fantasy injuries.

Redskins:
WR Antwaan Randle El is probable with a broken hand. He is expected to play on Thursday. There is a concern about how he can catch with a broken hand.

Weekend Games (At this moment)

Cardinals:
TE Ben Patrick has an ankle sprain and is probable for this weekend. He is trying to take some of the playing time away from Pope.


Saints:
TE Martrez Milner is probable with a foot/ankle/toe injury. He is the backup and should not have much fantasy value.

Ravens:
QB Troy Smith is questionable with tonsil issues. He has lost a bunch of weight since he started battling these issues. He has lost the starting job which he was about to win in training camp.

TE Todd Heap has a calf injury and is probable. He should start this weekend.


Bills:
QB Trent Edwards is probable with a thigh bruise. He has been practicing and will play this weekend. Edwards should not be fantasy starter at this point.

TE Derek Schouman has a knee injury and is probable. This is another case of a backup TE on the injury list.


Panthers:
WR DJ Hackett is probable with a toe injury. He is the Panther's Third Receiver but has not spent much time in practice with Delhomme. I expect him to start slowly but to work himself into a lot of games.

QB Jake Delhomme has an elbow injury and is probable. There are no concerns about him missing the game. It will be interesting to see which Delhomme shows up.

WR Dwayne Jarrett is probable. Everything is a go for this weekend. The sophomore Jarrett is vying for playing time.


Bears:
TE Desmond Clark has knee injury and is questionable. If he does not play this, he might lose the starting role to Olson.


Bengals:
WR TJ Houshmandzadeh is probable with a hamstring injury. He practiced on Monday with no issues. He will start this weekend.

WR Chad Johnson has a shoulder injury and is questionable for this weekend. Ocho Cinco has spoken and declared himself 100%. This is coming from the guy who declared he would never play another game in a Bengals uniform this spring.


Browns:
WR Braylon Edwards is probable with a foot injury. It has been reported that he looks good in practice this week.

WR Josh Cribbs has an ankle injury and is questionable. The Browns are being cautious with Cribbs. I would bet against him playing. No one should be starting Cribbs at this time.

RB Jamal Lewis is probable with a hamstring injury. He has not practiced yet this week and the coaching staff is getting anxious. Watch this injury closely.

QB Derek Anderson has a concussion and is probable. All signs point to him starting on Sunday. It could be a jarring blow to fantasy owners if he is not able to play.

WR Syndric Steptoe is probable with a shoulder injury. It appears he will play this weekend. He could steal some of the 3rd Wide and return duties if Cribbs is not able to play.


Cowboys:
WR Isaiah Stanback has a dislocated left shoulder and is questionable. The Cowboys believe he will play and be the third Wide Receiver. He has practiced this week. I would not expect him to run back kicks until he is fully healthy.

WR Sam Hurd is out with a high ankle sprain. He is expected to be out 2 to 4 weeks. Hurd is missing a huge opportunity to prove himself as the third wide in Dallas and high ankle sprains have a tendency to linger on.

WR Miles Austin has spraining his right MCL and will be out 2 to 4 more weeks. Austin was getting noticed before his injury. He is also missing a chance to prove himself.


Broncos:
WR Darrell Jackson is listed as probable. He is expected to start this week with Marshall's suspension. I would expect his value to be at its highest this weekend.


Lions:
RB Brian Calhoun has been placed on the Injured Reserve and is done for the year.

RB Aveion Cason also has been placed on the Injured Reserve and is done for the year.


Packers:
WR James Jones has a knee injury and is questionable. He is expected to miss several more weeks. Jones should not be on the field this weekend.


Texans:
RB Ahman Green is probable with a groin injury. He is expected to start. He is a risky start and both Slaton and Taylor will play this weekend. The tires are balding on the Green-mobile.

RB Chris Brown has been placed on the Injured Reserve.


Colts:
QB Jim Sorgi has a knee injury and is probable. He is the only backup for Peyton and is expected to be ready this weekend.

QB Peyton Manning is probable with a knee injury. He fully practiced on Wednesday. He will start for the Colts. Peyton should be ready to go but he may be rusty for a couple of games.


Jaguars:
WR Reggie Williams has a hamstring injury and is questionable. He did not practice on Wednesday. He would be a risky start this week.

WR Jerry Porter is probable with a hamstring injury. He did practice on Wednesday. He should be a safe start for this weekend and give a boost the Jags receiving corp.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew has an ankle injury and is probable. Drew has been fully practicing and appears to have overcome the ankle injury that has plagued him.


Dolphins:
RB Ronnie Bown is probable with a knee injury.


Vikings:
WR Robert Ferguson has an ankle injury and is questionable. It is unlikely that he will play this weekend. He only participated in individual drills on Wednesday. He should not be a starter for anyone at this time anyway.

RB Maurice Hicks is questionable with a foot injury. He is way down on the depth chart and his status should not really matter.

QB Tarvaris Jackson has a knee injury and is probable. He has practiced the last couple of days. He should be ready to play this weekend.


Saints:
No significant fantasy injuries.


Patriots:
TE Benjamin Watson is questionable with a knee injury. He sat out of Practice on Wednesday. This appears to be a new injury. Keep watch on this injury if you had planned on starting Watson this weekend.

QB Tom Brady has a foot injury and is probable. Brady was listed as probable during most of last season. I would ignore the probable status next to Brady.

WR Wes Welker is probable with a rib injury. He is fully practicing. He is safe to start this weekend.


Jets:
WR Laveranues Cole has a thigh injury and is probable. He was limited in practice on Wednesday. I would watch him and see if he practices later in the week before starting him.

WR David Clowney has been placed on the Injured Reserve. He should not be on anyone's roster.



Raiders:
WR Javon Walker is questionable with a hamstring pull. I would not be comfortable with starting him at this time. Check on his status later if you plan on starting him.


Eagles:
WR Reggie Brown has a hamstring injury and is questionable. He is also an iffy start at this time.


Steelers:
QB Charlie Batch was placed on Injured Reserve. He was only the backup anyway.


Chargers:
QB Philip Rivers is probable with a knee injury. He has played during the pre-season and he should be fine to start this weekend.

TE Antonio Gates has a toe injury and is probable. He is still suffering with this toe injury but he should play this weekend. We will see how much the toe injury will slow him down.


Seahawks:
WR Deion Branch has a knee injury and is questionable. Continue to keep an eye on Branch and how much he practices this week.


49ers:
WR Arnaz Battle is probable with a hamstring injury. He looks ready to play this weekend. I would not start a 49er receiver unless you have no other choice.

WR Bryant Johnson has a hamstring injury. He should be on the field this weekend. See above post.


Rams:
WR Drew Bennett is probable with a groin injury. He should be starting this weekend.


Buccaneers:
WR Michael Clayton is probable with a chest injury. He was limited in practice this week.

WR Antonio Bryant has a knee injury and is probable. He should be starting this weekend opposite of Galloway.


Titans:
WR Justin McCareins is probable with an illness. He was limited in practice in on Wednesday.

QB Vince Young has an injured right hand and is probable. He was limited in practice on Wednesday. He should be fine to start this weekend.

RB Chris Henry is listed as probable. He should be available as the third running back.


The Counselor is OUT:

Upcoming Football Posts

The Counselor is IN:

It has been a while since the counselor has been around to update the fantasy information. It is now Football Season. I will be continuing my weekly "Fantasy Injury Report", "The Weekly Thermometer", and "What I Learned..." I will start with the Thursday Edition of the Fantasy Injury Report. I am committing to at least these three updates weekly.

The Counselor is OUT:

Fantasy Celebities

The Counselor is IN:

There are all sorts of different fantasy games out there now days. Fantasy sports like baseball and football are huge. There are leagues for fantasy golf, NASCAR, and even fantasy Olympics. There is even fantasy movies and fantasy Congress. Let me introduce Fantasy Celebrities. Celebrifantasy.com is a new site that has all the celeb gossip and a fantasy game that the "Fantasy Widow" wives might enjoy. Thanks to Molly for pointing me to this game of Fantasy Celebrities.

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Guess Who is on the Air?

The Counselor is IN:

The Fantasy Sports Counselor is a reoccurring guest on Cowboys Pride Radio. This internet radio show discusses not only the Cowboys but also football in general. They are moving the show to Thursday nights. Below is last week's episode. Join me on Thursday for another great show. It will worth your time.





The Counselor is OUT:

2008 Quarterback Rankings

The Counselor is IN:

The players have been ordered by ranking and put in tiers. I gave some commentary on each of the top 24 QBs.

Tier 1-Studs

1) Peyton Manning- Colts: Peyton is most consistent fantasy stud QB out there. You can expect 32 to 35 touchdowns from Peyton.

2) Tom Brady- Patriots: Some will argue that Brady should be number 1 and if Brady has another season like last year, then they will be correct. For the past 3 years, Brady had 26, 24, and 50 touchdowns. He has been a good fantasy QB for along time but never a fantasy stud until last year.

Tier2-Great

3) Tony Romo- Cowboys: Tony had a better fantasy season last year than Peyton. Tony is leading the high octane Cowboys and should have another great fantasy season.

Tier 3- Good

4) Drew Brees- Saints: Brees started slow last year but finished very strong. He threw at least 2 TDs per game in 10 of the last 12 games. Look for Brees to have a good season all season long.

5) Carson Palmer- Bengals: Palmer’s TD’s have declined over the last three years (32, 28, 26) but he threw for a personal best yards of 4131. I expect Palmer to be a good fantasy starting QB.

6) Ben Roethlisberger- Steelers: Big Ben almost doubled his TD from 18 to 32. It appears that they will continue to pass the ball more. Expect him to have a good year. He should be a great starting fantasy QB.

7) Derek Anderson- Browns: Anderson was not even the starter at the beginning of last season. He was supposed to only be a place holder until Brady Quinn was ready to start. Then he led the team to 10 wins. I was happy when I led one of my fantasy teams.

8) Matt Hasselbeck- Seahawks: Matt leads the Seahawks to the playoffs. He had 28 TDs and almost 4000 yards passing. Your team will be in good shape with Hasselbeck leading them.

Tier 4- Solid

9) Brett Favre- Packers???: As of August 3, 2008, Brett is now competing for his job instead of being retired. If Brett wins the job (no reason to think he will not), you will need to move him up this list. Brett showed that he has plenty of gas still in the tank. He led the Packers to the NFC Championship game. He could be a steal of an early draft.

10) Philip Rivers- Chargers: Rivers has been fairly consistent with over 20 TDs and over 3000 yards for his first two years of starting. This may be a breakout year for Rivers. He should either improve on his third year or at a minimum remain consistent.

11) Eli Manning- Giants: Everyone remembers how hot Eli was down the stretch and in the playoffs. But last year he only had 23 TDs with 20 interceptions and 3336 yards. Those are not the stellar numbers that we all remember.

12) Jay Cutler- Broncos: Jay was supposed to be the breakout QB of last season. That did not occur but he a decent first season as a starter. He had 20 TDs and almost 3500 yards.

13) David Garrard- Jaguars: Garrard was a surprise to most fantasy owners and experts last year. He was given the starting job the day before the season began. In 12 games, he had 18 TDs, only 3 Interceptions, and 2509 yards.

14) Marc Bulger- Rams: Bulger had a terrible season last year. His offensive line was in shambles without Pace. His running game wasn’t working with Jackson injured for the beginning of the season. I would guess that he will rebound some this year but I do not expect him to perform at his 2006 level.

15) Donovan McNabb- Eagles: McNabb has not been his old self in three years. There is no reason to think he will rebound to his previous level now. Last year he did play the most games in three years with 14.

Tier 5- Good Backups

16) Jon Kitna- Lions: Kitna was supposed to be a great sleeper last year. He did not live up to that potential after a hot start. Jon is a much better backup fantasy player than a starter at this point.

17) Jake Delhomme- Panthers: Jake has been up and down as a QB and a fantasy QB. He started last season on fire with 8 TDs, 1 Interception, and 624 yards for his 3 games he played. He is throwing the ball and moving around in the pocket well in practice. He could be a great backup that might work into your starting lineup or you may end up dropping him to pick up someone else for your off week. It just depends on Jake. His top receiver, Steve Smith is suspended for the first 2 games so that will not help him.

18) Jason Campbell- Redskins: Campbell was making good progress before he was injured last year. He might be a good keeper pickup because he has a ton of talent. But he will have Colt Brennan breathing down his neck if Brennan continues to throw TDs in the Preseason like he just did.

Tier 6- Lower Backups

19) Vince Young- Titans: I loved Vince’s potential last year and drafted him early in one league. I am now off of the Vince Bandwagon. I would love to see him achieve in Tennessee and to move past just being a “running QB”. Of course his team has not given him any good targets.

20) Aaron Rogers- Packers: If Aaron wins the QB battle with Favre, I would draft Rogers as a backup. If he looses it to Brett, only draft Aaron if you are in a deep keeper league and move him way down the list.

21) Matt Schaub- Texans: The Texans had a bunch of injuries last year. Schaub has a lot of potential but that is all it is at this moment. He could be a high risk, high reward QB.

22) Jeff Garcia- Buccaneers: Garcia is a long ways away from his great fantasy seasons in San Francisco. He should be serviceable for a game or two as a backup.

23) JaMarcus Russell- Raiders: Last year’s top NFL Draft pick was barely on the field last year. He should start all 16 games if he is healthy. The talent on his team is subpar but McFadden should help keep some of the attention off of Russell.

24) Alex Smith- 49ers: Mike Martz is the only reason that Smith is ranked this highly. Martz has many faults but he can help QBs realize their potential.

Tier 7- Starter Unknown

25) Trent Edwards- Bills:

26) Matt Leinart- Cardinals:

27) Tarvaris Jackson:

28) Matt Ryan- Falcons:

29) Brodie Croyle- Chiefs:

30) Kellen Clemens- Jets:

31) Kyle Boller- Ravens:

32) John Beck- Dolphins:

33) Rex Grossman- Bears:

34) Kurt Warner- Cardinals:

35) Chad Henne- Dolphins:

36) Chris Redman- Falcons:

The Counselor is OUT: