Posted by Tristan H. Cockcroft, ESPN.com
Hip surgery & all the "cool kids" seem to be having one these days.
Kurt Warner, fresh off signing a two-year, $23 million contract to remain with the Cardinals, underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to repair a torn labrum and "clean up some loose fragments" in his left hip. The operation was performed by Dr. Marc Philippon, and if that name sounds familiar, well, he's the same doctor who also operated on Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez's hip earlier in the month.
Philippon said the surgery went well, and Warner's range of motion in his hip immediately improved. The star quarterback will likely sit out the team's May 1-3 minicamp, but all indications are that he'll be ready for voluntary team workouts beginning May 19.
Nothing should change regarding Warner's fantasy stock, though as always with players coming off surgery, take note that you should check back on his health once training camps open in July. At Warner's advanced age (he turns 38 in June), it's not unthinkable that he'll suffer some sort of setback between now and then, but as things stand in mid-March, his keeper-league owners shouldn't push the panic button.
And what of Warner's overall 2009 draft stock? Well, I covered that a few weeks back when Warner initially signed his new deal, but toss this onto the pile as another small bullet point in the case against his being a strong value in redraft formats. He's an annual health risk; it's a bit foolish to say he'll be a lock for top-five status, though top-10 is well within reach as quarterbacks are concerned.
Fantasy Football Blog
