Friday Fantasy Football Injury Report- Week 4

Michael Vick is top on the list of this weeks injury buzz after leaving last Sunday's game against the New York Giants with an injured hand. Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Here at Fantasy CPR we are going to do everything that we can to get the right guys in your lineup to win you games.  While there are a number of different factors that can affect whether or not you should start or sit a player (matchups, depth chart shifting, etc.), a player’s health is the number one determinant in whether or not a player should be in your starting lineup for a given week.  While starting Marcedes Lewis over Antonio Gates may send shivers down your spine, you are in far better shape doing so if Lewis is the only one seeing the field on Sunday.  That said, let’s take a look at some of the major injuries affecting fantasy lineups for week 4.

Michael Vick, QB Philadelphia Eagles-  Vick has gotten banged around quite a bit through the first few weeks of this young 2011 season.  His week 2 concussion did not prevent him from playing this last week, and it is looking like his injured hand won’t keep him out either.  Early reports were that the hand was broken, but x-rays revealed that there was no break, only some intense swelling.  Earlier this week Vick stated he has a “100% chance” of playing this Sunday.  He was a full participant in practice on Thursday, so expect Vick to make good on this promise.  Keep in mind too that this is Vick’s non-throwing hand, so this should have little impact on his passing game.  However, if Vick wants to make it through 16 weeks this season he needs to start being Mike Vick and reinstate his elusiveness, because his offensive line currently isn’t doing him any favors.  When he takes to the ground this week ball security is going to be an issue when he tries to secure the ball with his bum hand.  All that being said, if he is on your roster you should be starting him this week.  Because he is Michael Vick.

Tony Romo, QB Dallas Cowboys-  Romo has also been dealing with some injuries through the first few weeks.  His suspect offensive line has allowed him to get beat around like a nerd at public school, including a cracked rib and punctured lung that he received in week 2.  These injuries were not enough to stop Romo from starting in week 3, sporting a form fitted Kevlar vest to help protect his healing internals from further damage.  Which is a good thing since Dallas Center Phil Costa fired the ball into the tender unsuspecting ribs of Tony Romo on four separate occasions during the game.  Tony has been limited in practice this week, and could be imited in practice for the next few weeks while he continues to heal.  But this is not the type injury that a little injection can’t fix to get him ready to go on gameday.  Tony Romo showed some true grit on Sunday, and unless a major setback occurs he should be taking the field again this Sunday.  Now his wide receivers on the other hand…

Dez Bryant, WR Dallas Cowboys-  Dez Bryant is the current number one receiverout in Dallas with Miles Austin out for the second straight week after re-aggravating a hamstring injury suffered in week 2.  But Dez has some problems of his own, as he is recovering from an injury to his quadriceps (also suffered in week 2).  He played last week against the Redskins, and looked less than 100%.  Apparentlys he also re-aggravated his injury last week, and has not practiced yet this week.  He is going to be a game time decision, but it would be hard to believe that he is going to be anything other than a decoy if he goes.  Dallas has an early bye in week 5, and Dallas is banking on this to get both of their top wideouts healthy again for week 6.  For this week though, use any Dallas offensive players with caution.

Frank Gore, RB San Francisco 49ers-  I had both Steven Jackson and Frank Gore much lower than most people at the beginning of the year, because if these guys know how to do something besides hard running, it’s getting injured.  Expectations validated.  Gore got his ankle twisted up last week in Cincinnati and was spellled by the rookie Kendall Hunter.  Gore has at least been a limited participant in practice this week, which normally would mean that Frank the Tank would be good to go this Sunday.  But Gored looked fairly ineffective early in this last game, and Kendall Hunter looked to have way more snap, crackle, and pop.  Gore should suit up this weekend, but he may see very limited carries.  Monitor this one all the way up til kickoff, and if you have depth at RB you may want to consider sitting Gore this week even if he is cleared to play.

Beanie Wells, RB Arizona Cardinals-  Beanie is still recovering from a hamstring pull that he suffered in week 2.  This injury kept him out last week’s juicy matchup against one of the leagues’ worst teams in the Seattle Seahawks.  And his team certainly suffered for it, losing to the Seahawks 10-13.  It was clear that Beanie was missed, and they are going to look to get him in the lineup this week against a much better New York Giants team, if at all possible.  He has been a limited participant in practice this week, but he dids receive an increased workload Thursday over Wednesday, which bodes well for his availability for Sunday.  His spot in the starting lineup is by no means a lock, so monitor the situation closely leading up to kickoff- but as long as he does not appear to suffer any setbacks from the increased practice load, expect to see Beanie out on the field.

Roddy White, WR Atlanta Falcons-  Not much has been made of Roddy’s thigh injury he received last week, but it has kept him out of practice the last two days.  As of right now nobody seems to think that this injury is going to keep him out of this week’s game in Seattle, but any time a player misses both Wednesday and Thursday practice, you have to be a bit concerned even if they do take the field.  If he is good to go he may be limited to a degree, opening up a fantastic opportunity for Julio Bones against an across the board pathetic defense in Seattle.  The numbers say that Seattle is a top 10 pass defense in terms of passing yards per game, but this is due to some weak QB competition (Alex Smith, a struggling Big Ben, and a struggling Kevin Kolb) and even more so than that, the fact that teams are playing with a lead most of the game (as bad as their defense is their offense is far worse, scoring a mere 10 points per game).  Monitor this situation closely, but of Roddy is going to be on the field it would be tough to sit him this week.