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Preseason 4
By Brian Scott and Andrew Leduc
WELCOME TO THE MEDICAL TENT
Welcome back for the second year of “Inside The Medical Tent.” Each week I, Andrew Leduc, will be asking Brian Scott, of “The Injured List Podcast,” injury questions that could have a fantasy impact. Brian will be giving his professional analysis of the injury and potential timelines. I will then turn that around into what you should do with that player and who could be a possible replacement. Check back every Tuesday during the season for all the necessary information before hitting your league’s waiver wire.
Let’s jump in and tackle the injuries so far from the offseason and preseason as we prepare for our drafts.
Javonte Williams - RB (DEN)
Andrew Leduc - Rumored to be starting the season on a pitch count, are the Broncos being overly cautious after the torn ACL, or does this “ease to return” line up with a typical ALC timeline?
Brian Scott - I do not think they are being "overly" cautious, just "cautious". Rightfully so seeing as how he is just now a little over 10 months out from his ACL reconstruction. Take into consideration that he was way ahead of schedule and had been participating in OTAs back in July, which was around the 7-month mark. Given that he had not only the ACL, but also PCL, and LCL injuries as well, I think it is a wise move on the part of the Broncos to give him limited action as he works his way back to game shape. He did well seeing action in the second preseason game and had no setbacks after having 3 carries for 12 yards and 4 catches for 18 yards. Look for his game time usage to ramp up on a week-to-week basis as he continues to get into physical game shape and shakes off mental rust.
Andrew Leduc - Most people seem to be on the same page with Williams. Currently sitting as RB23 and overall 60 in drafts, he could be a very nice zero-RB candidate to start that grouping for you. In that same range we have Cam Akers at RB22 and James Conner at RB24. I would much rather have Williams and expect a lower-scoring output for the first few weeks than take a chance on those other two. If you are targeting him in a zero-RB build, then you should have the horses at WR to carry you through until he is a full go in an offense that should be improved from last year. He currently sits as my RB21 going into drafts.
Cole Kmet - TE (CHI)
Andrew Leduc - After being carted off the field Wednesday there was no clear information released. Slated to play week 1 though, did you see or hear anything that concerns you?
Brian Scott - Cole left early from practice last Wednesday when he hopped on a golf cart and left the indoor practice facility never to return. My guess is that he was dealing with some illness or heat-related issue as he returned to practice and looked "normal" as per several observers. Let us not forget, that although players are often dealing with nagging physical ailments, they are not entirely immune to sickness, fatigue, or other physiologic ailments that could render them ill and unable to practice from time to time. Sounds like it was nothing serious and he will be ready for week one.
Andrew Leduc - This is a perfect example of when not to overreact to a headline on injuries. When you hear that Cole was carted off the field, you may jump to the worst-case scenario. Do not rush to the waiver wire and drop someone off your roster to pick up another TE. Do your research and look for experts like Brian here. There is often a less crucial explanation to some of these situations and an overreaction could completely change the course of your year. With that said, I have Kmet ranked as my TE9 in an offense I am very high on. I see him getting a decent amount of the target share, especially in the red zone.
Rashod Bateman - WR (BAL)
Andrew Leduc - Says he is 99% after his off-season Lisfranc surgery. He did have ample time to recover, playing only 6 games last year. What type of limitations should we watch for after this injury?
Brian Scott - He was placed on season-ending IR last November and underwent Lisfranc surgery after trying to play through a sprain that occurred sometime around weeks 4-5. He had a single screw placed to stabilize the Lisfranc Joint, which is not an uncommon procedure to address this problem. He had a minor setback sometime in the offseason around April/May and had the screw removed and then later had a cortisone injection to the joint in his midfoot. Since then though he has been doing well showing no residual effects. It is not unusual for the hardware in the midfoot to cause irritation and subsequently have to be removed. They would not have done this if there was any fear of healing to have not occurred. This type of Lisfranc injury is the most ideal, especially in a young elite athlete. I feel that this should not create any major setbacks this season as he has looked good working his way back to action.
Andrew Leduc - It does seem as though Bateman is doing well physically and will not be limited, barring any setbacks of course. It has not stopped me however from ranking him as my WR51. This is mainly because I see him as the 3rd or 4th option in an offense that will completely run through Lamar Jackson. It is no secret that Mark Andrews is going to be another target monster. Zay Flowers though is one of my favorite targets of draft season. I have Flowers ranked as the WR19. He is currently being drafted as WR43 and 110 overall. He is being drafted right before Odell Beckham Jr. (WR44) and 10 spots ahead of Bateman. Between Andrews, the emergence of Flowers, Jackson running, and the Ravens still being a run-heavy team, I just do not see enough going around for Bateman to be overly relative barring an injury opportunity.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba - WR (SEA)
Andrew Leduc - Have you heard an update here? Has he had the surgery? Are we still looking at 4-6 weeks instead of the 3-4 the team is saying?
Brian Scott - I am sticking to my original prediction that he will not return to action any earlier than 4 weeks from his surgery which was performed last week. That means he will not be ready for week 1, but today the team announced that he will NOT be placed on IR/PUP to start the season. So that means that he will likely be available by weeks 3-4, which is right about what I figured it would be. Keep in mind, that it is his wrist, so this should not play much into his overall conditioning and game readiness once he gets back on the field. He probably will not need much practice time to prepare, so it could be a bang-bang decision once they get the clearance from the surgeon. Keep your eyes peeled on this as it develops heading into week 3. I still think they will not risk him out earlier than 4 weeks, but I have been proven wrong before.
Andrew Leduc - I do agree with Brian here that typically when the team does not take advantage of the PUP list it means they feel confident they can use a player before the 4-week mark. I still think he is the 3rd option here, but I love JSN as a dynasty play and maybe even a second-half-of-the-season kind of guy. He is someone you can currently get as the WR38 and overall 95. Now, in drafts that is a bit early for me for a guy who will be playing behind the likes of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett with Geno Smith throwing the ball. I would be letting someone else draft him, and then see if they panic after a rough start and strike then with a player who gets off to a hot start for you. There are a lot of circumstantial “ifs” there, but I would rather take that chance and hold him for the playoff push than spend the draft capital up front now in redraft. In dynasty though, he is a first-round pick for me.
THE DISCHARGE
Come back every week for all of the latest injury updates. If you have other questions we didn’t get to in this week’s edition you can follow us on Twitter below and message us directly.
Brian Scott - The Injured List Podcast - (@injuredlistpod) https://twitter.com/injuredlistpod
Andrew Leduc - (@theRealMrMallard) https://twitter.com/realMrMallard
If you are interested in Andrew’s weekly rankings as well, follow the link below to TSS Fantasy.
Andrew Leduc’s (Mr. Mallard) Rankings - https://tssfantasy.com/andrews-rankings
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