Fantasy Football: Injured players panic meter

It's always a big letdown when the NFL season hasn't even started yet and you are already dealing with injuries on your fantasy roster. Depending on how deep your league is, even the more minor injuries to players who wouldn't necessarily be owned in a redraft league can have an impact on your fantasy team.

As teams around the league cut their rosters down to 53 players by Tuesday's deadline, many players were placed on injured reserve. Of course, some of these players have a chance to come back at some point during the season.

If you have any of these players, you will want to pay particularly close attention to what's discussed here. Another strategy you could take is to determine whether to try and obtain one of these players. Perhaps the asking price could be lower than usual due to that player's injury status.

Looking across each roster in the NFL, here are some key players that are on IR or the PUP list and how you should proceed as a fantasy owner. The worry meter here will go from 1 (little worry) to 10 (total panic).

Fantasy Football Panic Meter: Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts: The marquee name at the RB position and in fantasy football in general on this list is Jonathan Taylor, last year's consensus No. 1 overall pick.

Taylor was not traded, even though there will likely several potential suitors, and he will begin this season on the PUP list, allegedly for recovering from ankle surgery. Could Taylor be ready for Week 1? Probably. But the Colts don't seem to know what to do with this situation and for a franchise that has fumbled situations before, it's not very encouraging.

Panic Meter: 3

I'm not overly concerned if I'm a Taylor owner. I'm more concerned that he is playing for the Colts than any potential injury issue he has and the Colts just don't seem as though they are going to give him what he wants.

If I'm a Taylor owner in a seasonal league, I hold steady and hope to get the most I can from him later in the season. If I own Taylor in a dynasty league, I'm shopping him around for sure.

Jeffrey Wilson, Miami Dolphins: It was a shame to see Wilson land on IR with some sort of finger issue as he is, in my opinion, one of the best under-the-radar runners out there. Now, he will miss at least the first four games of the season.

Panic Meter: 4

I wouldn't be overly concerned, but the Dolphins do have a fluid backfield with Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. If the rookie Achane performs well, he could certainly eat into any future carries for Wilson.

Nyheim Hines, Buffalo Bills: Hines will miss the entire 2023 season after injuring his leg on a personal watercraft. He's always been more of a receiving running back and special teams guy than anything else, but it's still a tough loss for the Bills.

Panic Meter: 7

The panic meter here only applies to dynasty and keeper leagues but Hines' value takes a big hit there. You obviously only roster him if you have an open spot on your injured reserve, but he will turn 27 years old in November so his value is certainly declining.

Hassan Haskins, Tennessee Titans: Haskins was placed on injured reserve just before the Titans reduced their roster to 53 players, so his season is quite possibly already over. He had a quiet rookie season and despite coming into the league with promise, his star is quickly fading.

Panic Meter: 7.5

Again as it relates to dynasty leagues, there's not much reason to hold onto Haskins right now unless you have a crazy deep amount of roster spots in your league or if you're still a huge fan from his Michigan days. But if his on-field performance doesn't doom him, this off-field incident still might.

Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens: Undrafted out of East Carolina, Mitchell made the Ravens' 53-man roster but was reverted to injured reserve, where he will miss at least the first four games.

Panic Meter: 1

There is a lot upside with this young player, especially in this offense as there isn't a great amount of quality depth behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Mitchell already beat out the veteran Melvin Gordon for the No. 4 RB spot. Stash him somewhere on your roster in a dynasty league (taxi squad, maybe) and you might have a diamond in the rough.