Injury Insider: More Westbrook worries
By Jeff Lippman | Fantasy Writer Follow JeffFollow CBS Fantasy Football
The Eagles are 2-1 after finishing off in-state rival Pittsburgh in Week 3 with only a close loss in Dallas as their lone blemish. Philly has looked good thus far with quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Brian Westbrook looking as vintage as ever.
That was, of course, until successive plays in the first half against the Steelers put both players in jeopardy of missing Week 4's Sunday night matchup at Chicago.
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| It didn't take long for Brian Westbrook to become a weekly headache for owners. (Getty Images) |
The most serious of the three injuries for Fantasy owners is Westbrook, a top 5 pick in most Fantasy drafts. On crutches immediately following Sunday's game, Westbrook was seen walking without a noticeable limp on Wednesday, despite not partaking in practice, and thinks he's going to be able to give it a go Sunday night.
"I'm optimistic about getting out there and being able to play," Westbrook said Wednesday after practice. "I've been rehabbing pretty hard, pretty aggressively. I'm doing basically everything I can do be able to get out there on the field on Sunday night. I'm able to walk on it and put pressure on it, and do some different things. I've gotten better. I have definitely gotten better since Sunday, so I have that hope that I can get out there and play."
Though he says he's playing, Fantasy owners have two routes to take to prepare for the possibility of no Westbrook in Chicago. You could dig up Correll Buckhalter from under the sands of the waiver wire or you could do something a bit more unorthodox, which is what we suggest. You could, drum roll please, bench Westbrook regardless of whether he plays or not Week 4.
We give Westbrook an 80 percent chance of starting, but he makes his money with his legs and they won't be 100 percent healthy. When you figure in the fact that Chicago's all-consuming defense is allowing just 71 yards per game on the ground this season, Westbrook might not fare well even with two healthy legs. Don't get me wrong, he's still one of the best options in Fantasy on a weekly basis and you should only sit him if you have another solid option in his stead, but Westbrook won't be at his best -- if he plays at all -- against the Bears.
McNabb also said he's going to play. In fact, "there's not a chance in my head I'll miss the game," are the exact words he used. The man hasn't suited up for all 16 games in the regular season since 2003 so he's bound to miss a game or two, but we don't think Week 4 will be one of them. He's a Chicago native and the game is on primetime. Those things matter and will force McNabb into playing and playing well. We give him a 90 percent chance of starting and think that he's worth starting in most Fantasy leagues as your No. 1 quarterback.
Eagles coach Andy Reid said that Smith underwent an MRI on his back and it showed no structural damage. That said, we still don't put much stock in Smith being healthy enough to contribute on Sunday night. He's not worth starting and you should find another option at tight end.
Yes, the Eagles situation is a little messy and that's not what a team that is in the cellar of the NFC East with a winning record wants to see heading into Week 4, but they are on the mend and avoided a major problem since these injuries aren't as bad as they originally could have been.
Quarterbacks
Brett Favre, New York Jets: If you've started in 256 straight football games a little thing like a twisted ankle isn't going to keep you out of No. 257. And if you have started 256 consecutive games, your name can only be Favre, and that man is a lock to be on the football field on Sunday.Favre twisted his left ankle in Monday night's loss at San Diego and he's been limited in practice this week, but coach Eric Mangini has been happy with his progress and Favre is preparing for the game as if he's starting.
Fantasy Take: The Jets host Arizona on Sunday in Week 4 and the Cardinals are playing like a top-10 defense against the pass right now. We give Favre a 257 percent chance of starting, but he'll be just a low-end No. 1 option. Start him unless you have another elite option.
Wide Receivers
Braylon Edwards, Cleveland: Edwards' Fantasy owners are far more concerned with his lack of production than his shoulder injury. He may be limited in practice but with only eight catches for 73 yards, no touchdowns and six drops on the season, limited is how you describe the Fantasy points he's brought his owners."I'm trying to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders," Edwards told the Cleveland Plain Dealer Wednesday. "I think that's what all my teammates are doing. But today is the start of a 13-game season. I'm going back to having fun with what they trust me to do. I'm putting too much pressure on myself and it's not working for me."
Someone should tell him to get that weight off his bad shoulder. Maybe he won't drop so many balls.
Fantasy Take: At this point last season, Edwards already had 15 catches for 278 yards and three scores. He's going to be fine to play in the game as evidenced by the extra work he's putting in with quarterback Derek Anderson, and that gives him a 90 percent chance of starting. The Browns play the Bengals on Sunday and Cincinnati is decent against the pass. That said, if there was a week where Edwards can become the guy he was last season, this one is it. Start him in Week 4.
Might play, don't start: Chicago's Devin Hester (ribs), Minnesota's Sidney Rice (knee) and Tampa Bay's Joey Galloway (foot) are all questionable to play in their respective Week 4 games Sunday.
Of the three, only Rice has been able to practice at all this week. The Bears host the Eagles on Sunday night, Minnesota heads to Tennessee and the Bucs host Green Bay in Week 4.
Philadelphia and the Titans both have solid pass defenses, making Hester, who has exactly two catches for 13 yards on the year and didn't play last week, and Rice poor starts regardless of being healthy or not. The Packers' pass defense is not going to shut most solid wideouts down, but after having missed last week's game, Galloway won't be near 100 percent even if he plays and should not be considered a solid wide receiving option.
Fantasy Take: Rice is the only one with a touchdown catch this season but he plays the No. 3 pass defense. We give him a 60 percent chance of starting Sunday and don't recommend him. Hester won't be a contributing member of the offense and shouldn't be starting, either, and Galloway is a poor start because his foot has been limiting him from doing any of the things he wants to do on the football field. Bench all three in Week 4.
Tight Ends
Antonio Gates, San Diego: Gates is still suffering from a nagging toe injury that was with him all preseason and was re-aggravated in Week 1. Gates has still played in all three games and has 10 catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns.He's been out of practice all week but Gates' responds by saying, "It's time to be smart." We take that to mean that he's sitting because he doesn't want to take any chances he gets further hurt in practice. He doesn't have any designs on missing Week 4's game in Oakland.
Fantasy Take: Gates gets a 890percent chance of starting against the Raiders, who own one of the league's worst pass defenses. You'll want to have arguably the No. 1 Fantasy tight end starting in Fantasy Week 4.
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson, Minnesota: Peterson is still being hampered in practice by a sore hamstring and has only been able to take part in limited participation. That said, at this point last week, Peterson wasn't practicing at all.The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday that Peterson is feeling "pretty good" and hasn't felt any tightness left in his hamstring. Since he played in last week's game, and rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries, with tightness, we assume he'll be ready to play -- and at a higher level -- come Sunday against the Titans.
Fantasy Take: Peterson gets an 85 percent chance of starting in his Week 4 game against the 10th best rushing defense. He's rushed for 103, 160 and 77 yards, respectively, in each of his first three weeks, and since we believe his hamstring will be close to 100 percent, Peterson is a must-start and a good bet for another 100-yard rushing game.
Willis McGahee, Baltimore: McGahee is over the knee injury that caused him to miss the first week of the season, evidenced by the 64 yards and a touchdown he put up Week 3 against the Browns. But if it isn't one thing with McGahee, it's another, and now he's dealing with a lacerated right eyelid.
OK, that sounds pretty bad, and the Ravens even thought the Browns inflicted harm on their starting back on purpose -- the NFL found that to be untrue -- but McGahee practiced in full on Thursday and coach John Harbaugh has said that if he can see, he's going to start.
Fantasy Take: Expect him to have a 95 percent chance of starting Week 4's game at Pittsburgh. Should you start him though? McGahee has yet to prove he's running at full speed and against the Steelers No. 2-ranked rushing defense, he's just a low-end No. 3 option at best and my colleague Jamey Eisenberg has him as his "Sit of the Week."
Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor, Jacksonville: This is why injury reports can be deceiving. Jones-Drew and Taylor both are listed as questionable for Sunday's Week 4 game against the Texans. Neither has practiced yet this week as Jones-Drew is suffering from an ankle injury and Taylor from a hand problem.
Both, however, aren't any further hurt now than they were before last week's game. If you need a memory refresher, Taylor racked up 121 rushing yards and Jones-Drew 166 total yards and a touchdown against the Colts. Their injuries didn't seem to bother them much last week.
Fantasy Take: Taylor and Jones-Drew both get 90 percent chances of starting against the Texans, one of the worst defenses in the league against the run. That makes Jones-Drew a No. 1 Fantasy option and Taylor a low-end No. 2. Both should be starting in Week 4 against Houston.
Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas, Oakland: Fargas is by far the more banged up of the two Oakland runners. He couldn't play in last week's game and he's still not practicing, though, neither is McFadden.
Fargas' groin is keeping him out while McFadden is treating his toe injury with caution so as to not aggravate it further.
McFadden isn't any worse off this week than he was before last week's matchup with Buffalo. The Bills solid rush defense limited McFadden to just 42 yards rushing, and that could be partly because of the injury, but he's had another week to rest and get healthy for the Chargers.
Fantasy Take: Fargas is likely out against San Diego and we give him just a 10 percent chance of playing. McFadden will start and be the feature back with Michael Bush getting some reps as well. McFadden rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 against Kansas City and those are the type of numbers Fantasy owners will hope to get when he faces the Chargers' porous defense. Fargas should be avoided, but McFadden is a must-start in any Fantasy league as a low-end No. 2.
LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego: Fantasy owners will hate to see Tomlinson on the injury report for Week 4 after he scored his first two touchdowns last week on Monday night against the Jets. Never fear, though, as Tomlinson's toe has been plaguing him since Week 1 and it has yet to keep him out of a game, though he hasn't been the guy Fantasy owners expected when drafting him No. 1 overall.
Tomlinson still hasn't practiced this week as of Wednesday with his right big toe still resting. Tomlinson declared himself good for Sunday's game against Oakland, however.
"It's doing alright," Tomlinson said. "It's only been two days. It's doing pretty good, so I'm very optimistic about this week."
With his first two touchdowns out of the way, Fantasy owners want to know when to expect the first 100-yard rushing game from Tomlinson this season and Week 4 could be the one. The Raiders own the No. 13 rushing defense but in 14 career games against them, Tomlinson has rushed for 1,709 yards -- that's over 122 yards per game.
Fantasy Take: Tomlinson isn't any worse off this week than he was before last week's two touchdown effort. He gets a 95 percent chance of starting in Week 4 in Oakland and will continue to get better and better as the year goes on. He's a must-start against the Raiders and we expect he's going to tear it up in the Coliseum on Sunday.
Steven Jackson, St. Louis: The practice report for Thursday lists Jackson as just a limited participant. Jackson, however, said he was able to participate in all drills, both team and individual, reports the Belleville News-Democrat.
Jackson's groin is limiting him right now but he says that won't be an issue come Sunday against the Bills. "The groin is fine," Jackson said. "On Sunday, it won't be a problem."
Fantasy Take: Jackson gets a 90 percent chance of starting in Week 4 against Buffalo, a team that is 12th in rushing defense. He's yet to rush for 100 yards or score a touchdown playing for the lowly Rams but is coming off a 128 total yard performance in Seattle. Against the Bills' tough rush defense, we still consider Jackson a low-end No. 1 option who should be starting for your Fantasy team in Week 4.
Do you have a Fantasy Football question? Send your thoughts to DMFantasyFootball@cbs.com and we'll get to as many as we can. Be sure to put Attn: Injuries in the subject field. Include your full name, hometown and state.
