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THE INJURED LIST PODCAST® AND FANTASY SPORTS CORPORATION
WEEK 1
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.
We are a little later this week with some big injury news dropping today before Week 1. We are here though and we have everything you need to know for what I am calling “Tight End Apocalypse.” Some big names are in the article this week that I am sure is causing some stress for you. Let’s dive right in.
Mark Andrews - TE (BAL)
Andrew Leduc - Do you know what his undisclosed injury is?
Brian Scott - Some reports have stated that the injury is undisclosed, but I have seen some reports earlier in the week that stated he may be dealing with a groin injury. He missed 4 straight practices but the team and Head Coach Harbaugh are confident he will be ready for week 1 and I am inclined to believe them. Andrews is a veteran, so he will know when to push through an injury and when not to. I have him on one of my starting rosters, I plan on keeping him there, but always keep one eye open as game time nears.
Andrew Leduc - This has definitely felt like more of an early year maintenance situation for Andrew’s coming out of camp and the pre-season. If Andrew’s does play, he is setup nicely to be the top Tight End on the week to start the season. With Kelce and Kittle both banged up, Andrew’s could be the last elite Tight End standing come Week 2. Play him confidently unless reports this weekend suggest otherwise.
Zach Moss - RB (IND)
Andrew Leduc - If Moss returns to practice this week do you think he plays?
Brian Scott - I predicted that he might be ready week 1 and have to play with some type of protective splint/cast/brace on. I am sticking to that prediction. He broke his forearm and had surgery right away, so he is at about the 5 week mark, which theoretically should be safe enough to let him suit up and play. That being said, way back when he was in the NFL draft, I featured Zach Moss on one of my pre-draft injury specials as he came into the league with an extensive injury history. Let us hope for now it has not caught up with him and he has healed enough to get in game action. I am almost certain that if he is not ready this week, we see him in week 2.
Andrew Leduc - Personally I do not think it matters for fantasy all that much if Moss suits up or not. We have seen the hype on Moss as a plug-and-play backup for a couple years now, both in Buffalo and Indianapolis last year. He has some success, but he does not blow the doors off. Deon Jackson is a guy who is explosive and can do that. He showed out well last year when given the chance and I believe the Colts will continue to see what they have in him. I also believe Evan Hull gets a decent amount of work this week as they test the waters of a committee approach with Hull and Jackson in the absence of Jonathan Taylor. As long as Taylor is not playing, I see both Jackson and Hull being used and it coming down to touchdowns as to which one is relevant in fantasy each week.
Travis Kelce - TE (KC)
Andrew Leduc - After hyperextending his knee in practice, the universal 1st round pick is now in question for Thursday night. Is hyperextension a step below or above a sprain?
Brian Scott - The big question about his hyperextended knee injury came flying at me from all directions today while I was at work. There has not been much info out there as of yet. Head Coach Andy Reid did not say much after practice except that we will wait and see how he is tomorrow. Adam Schefter, who has been known to put out very misleading information, quoted sources as saying that "his knee was quite swollen but they felt his ACL was intact, and that they will have to do more testing tomorrow". If that is true, then that means there is significant injury potential, as a hyperextended knee can lead to major ligament damage to the ACL or PCL more commonly. It can also at the very least cause a sprain of those ligaments and/or bone bruising, which can cause quite a bit of swelling in the knee. Either way, from the sounds of it, I am not sure we will see him suit up in 48 hours. They are likely waiting on an MRI of the knee. I think the smart play here on part of the Chiefs is to be diligent and get down to the diagnosis and hold him out week 1 at least, but if more sinister injury, it could be several weeks.
Andrew Leduc - The alarms were sounding all afternoon. Travis Kelce missing significant time would completely blow up the fantasy season for a lot of owners. The first round capital that a lot of people spent on Kelce, has meant that they missed out on first round caliber wide receivers or running backs, or even quarterbacks in certain formats. What was putting owners at a distinct advantage over their league could now be what puts them behind the curve. There is still a lot we need to find out in this situation, but thinking ahead doesn’t hurt. If you need to pick up a Tight End for this week, don’t just be thinking of streaming for a single week. Grab someone like Gerald Everett or Jake Fergusson, who both have a few favorable matchups in the first few weeks.
George Kittle - TE (SF)
Andrew Leduc - Kittle only conditioned off to the side during practice Monday with a groin injury. Likelihood to miss the opener?
Brian Scott - Kittle apparently tweaked his groin about a month ago but did play 12 snaps in their last preseason game against the Chargers. He was working on the side during practice. This is one of those instances where a veteran player is going to be dictating a lot of what they do in treatment plans. He knows better than most younger players how to prepare and manage an injury so that it does not worsen or linger and he is still available. I see him playing this week despite this setback. How effective will he be, that is another question that is not as easy to answer. I will leave that up to the fantasy football experts.
Andrew Leduc - This is good news in a Tight End landscape that is a complete toss up this year. Kittle is still in a favorable offensive situation. The system in San Francisco is still Tight End heavy and a young quarterback like Brock Purdy is exactly the type of situation where the Tight End gets leaned on. I do think Kittle’s ceiling is going to be capped this year though because I have been predicting a big emergence of Brandon Aiyuk. I see Kittle having a stable floor weekly, but I do not see him having a massive boom week like we see from Travis Kelce sometimes. In a positional landscape that is inconsistent, Kittle should be the steady force you need him to be, but he will not carry your team to the championship.
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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