Between the significant number of teams on bye (six) and the overwhelming number of injuries to key players, many fantasy owners had a difficult time fielding a serviceable Week 6 lineup. Fortunately, the Week 6 action didn't add to our problems; there were few injuries to key players. Here is a quick look at some of the injury news from Sunday's games, with more detailed information to come as it becomes available.
Vince Young, QB, Titans: His fall out of bounds in the third quarter Sunday looked bad, but the fact of the matter is the scrambling Young appeared to pull up even before he was pushed to the ground. The Titans are calling this a quadriceps (large muscle on the front of the thigh) strain and are saying Young is day-to-day, which suggests the strain is relatively minor. The fact that Young is such a scrambler, however, makes this injury a bit more significant. If he were a quarterback who hovered in the pocket, he would still be bothered by the injury, but it likely wouldn't affect his style of play too much. But Young needs his legs, as do the Titans. According to the Tennessean, Young claimed that he was having sharp pain just trying to bend his knee (which stretches the quadriceps muscle), which is not a good sign. Young's activity during the week should give us an idea as to how severe the strain is and whether we can expect him to miss any playing time. But do remember this: Limiting his mobility definitely means limiting his game.
Rudi Johnson, RB, Bengals: Well, he did play, but he didn't start. He netted eight yards on four carries, not exactly the overwhelming performance his owners needed to feel he was over that hamstring injury. On the Bengals' official site, Johnson indicated that he did not experience any setbacks, which is good news. But he also said he didn't feel like himself, so the team chose to go primarily with teammate Kenny Watson. This news should not be a total surprise; as we reported before the game, Johnson really had not practiced hard and had not yet tested the hamstring. It was good to see him play, but he has a ways to go to return to form. We will keep an eye on practice reports throughout the week.
Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars: Taylor worried his fantasy owners when he appeared on the Thursday injury report with a groin injury. All indications were that the injury was minor, however, and Taylor had a solid practice Friday. Minor it was. Taylor racked up 90 yards on just six carries, including a 76-yarder on his very first touch. That run was significant in that it not only showed he still had big-play magic, but it also showed the groin injury didn't affect him. Maurice Jones-Drew saw more carries, which isn't surprising considering that the Jaguars likely would be cautious with Taylor. But Taylor had a strong performance, which should give fantasy owners confidence going forward.
LaMont Jordan, RB, Raiders: Jordan has a back problem. This is not news. The bigger problem, however, is that it is non-specific, as many back problems are, meaning we don't know the exact structure causing him pain. According to all team reports, MRIs on Jordan's back have yielded no significant results (also not uncommon in the case of back pain), so it remains an up-and-down battle for Jordan.
Jordan's pain behavior is actually typical of most back-pain cases. Rarely is there a clear single structure (muscle, joint, disc, etc.) that is responsible for the symptoms that a person experiences. Inflammation of any one tissue can affect other tissues, and flare-ups can occur at random. The result? A chronic problem that requires "management" all season. Just as Brian Westbrook manages his intermittent knee swelling with periods of rest, Jordan will have to manage periodic back flare-ups with rest and rehab. The Sacramento Bee reported that Jordan himself spoke about working his core (abdominals, gluteals) in an effort to help protect his back, and ultimately that is likely the solution. The challenge for the medical staff is trying to manage this problem during the season. Jordan played Sunday and was able to compile 42 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving. That's not his best effort, but it's certainly better than what was expected, given his status Friday. In fact, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Jordan felt that it was the hardest he had run all year. The fact that he put forth that kind of effort and didn't leave feeling worse is a good sign, but if you are a Jordan owner, you can expect this up-and-down scenario going forward. He may have good weeks, he may have bad weeks. You might not know until the last minute whether he will start or not. There is definitely upside with Jordan, but he's a risk as well. Stick with him, but be sure to have an insurance plan in place.
Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: Warner suffered what is being called an elbow sprain (ligament injury) in his non-throwing arm during the first quarter of Sunday's game. Warner was on the ground with his arm extended when the Panthers' Julius Peppers landed smack on it, forcing Warner's elbow in an unnatural direction. He appeared to hyperextend the elbow, stressing the medial (inner) side. Which ligament reinforces the inner elbow? You guessed it, it's the ulnar collateral (Tommy John) ligament, the one Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme is about to have surgically repaired. Although details have not been released as the team awaits an MRI on Warner's arm, if he did injure that ligament, it would indeed be an odd turn of events to have two quarterbacks with that type of injury within several weeks of one another. One element in Warner's favor is that this is his non-throwing arm, so it might not hamper him to a serious degree. Nonetheless, he must be able to extend both arms fully when taking snaps and must be comfortable enough using the left elbow to assist with ball-control. If you had planned to start Warner, plan on securing a backup for at least the next week until more details are known.
Sammy Morris, RB, Patriots: Morris left Sunday's game in the third quarter with what is being called a chest injury. Morris was hurt on a tackle in which he took a hard hit to the chest, followed by a number of players landing on top of him. The Hartford Courant is reporting that Morris left the locker room with his left arm in a sling, suggesting that his shoulder is involved in the injury. The chest muscles and shoulder are closely related (remember Joseph Addai was originally reported to have a shoulder injury that then was called a chest injury), so this is not altogether surprising. We will try to get more specific information as it comes available.
Benjamin Watson, TE, Patriots: Watson was injured in the second quarter, also on a tackle. Right now the Patriots are reporting that he sustained a left ankle injury, nothing more. Remember, these are the secretive Patriots, so we might have to wait until practice reports to assess the significance of Watson's injury.
Check back throughout the week as we update these injuries and more in preparation for Week 7.
Stephania Bell
