Inside The Medical Tent Week 3
- Brian Scott
- Sep 20, 2023
- 7 min read
PRESENTED BY
THE INJURED LIST PODCAST® AND FANTASY SPORTS CORPORATION
WEEK 3
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.
Heading into Week 3 injuries have riddled the league. We have already lost quite a few guys and have had a few just not play well so far. It has been a wild start to the season and you may be looking at your league standings as if they are upside down. That is okay. We are here to guide you through these early weeks of chaos to victory.
Nick Chubb - RB (CLE)
Andrew Leduc - Another top back falls to a lower-body injury. Is this injury as bad as it looked?
Brian Scott - What do you say about this? It's one of the worst injuries you can see on the playing field. This was a knee joint subluxation due to a multi-ligament knee injury. A horrible injury can sometimes lead to neurovascular damage and require emergent surgical attention to prevent losing a limb. Another athlete that comes to mind who had a similar injury was Marcus Lattimore in college at the University of South Carolina. Another is Willis McGahee who injured his knee in the collegiate national championship game in 2003. However, there is one particular athlete that stands out. That athlete is Nick Chubb. Yes, you read that correctly. He had the same injury 8 years ago in college on a non-contact play along the sideline where he injured multiple ligaments in the same knee after being spun around by a defender. He made a remarkable recovery from that injury to play many years in the NFL relatively unscathed until this past Monday Night. Battling back from this injury once while avoiding major damage to the joint is incredible. Doing it twice is dam near impossible. I fear that this may be the end of the road for him if he has any hope of living a normal active life at his age. I will never say never, but this is potentially career-ending.
Andrew Leduc - Dynasty managers need to pay attention here. A potential career-ender for a running-back who is regularly in the top 10 is devastating. This was supposed to be a big year for Chubb and one that would have set up his owners perfectly for a “sell high” scenario. For redraft players, this is just another first-round pick gone to waste, unfortunately. If you did not already have Jerome Ford, you probably had to pay a very high price for him. Then after paying that price, you had to watch the Browns sign Kareem Hunt. Jerome Ford has already been said to be the lead back this week, but if he does not deliver to expectations, you can expect to see a fair share of Hunt mixed in. This is a nightmare situation now that I only want Ford if I am already desperate because of other injuries and I am hoping for a long-shot league winner.
Saquon Barkley - RB (NYG)
Andrew Leduc - Do you have an update on the severity of Barkley’s injury?
Brian Scott - Coach Daboll was quoted yesterday as saying "I wouldn't count on that, not just yet," when asked if Barkley would be missing some time. Today, Barkley was ruled out. His MRI showed an ankle sprain, surprise...surprise. What it did not show was a high ankle sprain. So, that is good news considering. However, since the Giants have a shortened week and head out to San Francisco on Thursday, I think it would have been foolish for them to rush him back so quickly, regardless of how he felt and the severity of the injury. It is too early in the season, and we have seen in years past how easily one can be set back by trying to come back too quickly. While I appreciate his motivation and the coach's optimism. I think the smart thing to do here was to sit him out with a possible return the following week if he is doing as well as they say. The original prediction of 3 weeks was a little odd, to begin with. If his sprain is much milder than it appeared originally, I do not see any reason why he couldn't make it back for a MNF game in two weeks. The extra time between games is a huge advantage.
Andrew Leduc - This is great news for a guy who still has the chance to be not only the top running-back for his team but also the top pass catcher not named Darren Waller. That has been my take all off-season, that Barkley should see a big role in the passing game given their carousel of receivers. What I did not count on was how terrible the offensive line would play through these first two weeks. Some things need to change for Barkley to have the big-time season I predicted him to have, but there is plenty of time and I still believe the Giants will find their way back. In the meantime, Matt Breida is still hanging around and should see some increased touches. I would also just keep an eye on Eric Gray though. He is a rookie who will be the second back while Barkley is out. He may be worth a stash in case Barkley continues to have injury trouble. Only stash him if you have a bench spot to burn because in Redraft he is a complete shot-in-the-dark.
Brandon Aiyuk - WR (SF)
Andrew Leduc - Not ideal timing with the short week. Do you think we see Aiyuk suit up, or take the extra rest?
Brian Scott - Aiyuk injured his shoulder this past weekend. With the quick turnaround playing the Giants this Thursday, the 49ers and Aiyuk are working against the clock. He was a limited participant in practice Tuesday with a nondescript shoulder injury. Being a receiver, depending on the exact injury and the severity, this could be a game-time decision. If he can get some full practice time in then he will likely play, anything short of that, I question his effectiveness. By the way, he was an athlete that I featured on my annual pre-draft injury episode the year he came out of college and entered the NFL draft. So, take that for what it is worth.
Andrew Leduc - Is anyone keeping track through two weeks of my favorite off-season players getting injured? Brandon Aiyuk is a beast and will continue to show it in this offense as long as he is healthy. I would honestly rather him sit for this week and get the rest, because he is a player that you got as your Wide Receiver 1 or 2 if you went “Hero RB” strategy. If that is you, you cannot afford a reinjury or complication to this injury. This shoulder injury will most likely be a part of him for the rest of the season, so just turn on your notifications for this Thursday and plan accordingly. Juaun Jennings is someone who would see an uptick in touches if Aiyuk has to sit, but I am not rushing to the waiver wire to add him just yet. I would expect the offense to just shift to more Deebo, McCaffrey, and Elijah Mitchel. The latter of those options is the guy you can still possibly get and hold on to. McCaffrey is injury-prone as well, but even if he stays healthy, this could be the opportunity for Mitchel to carve out a role for himself regardless. It is worth a shot if you can take it.
Austin Ekeler - RB (LAC)
Andrew Leduc - What is the team not saying about Ekeler’s injury?
Brian Scott - Head Coach Brandon Staley still did not provide a timetable for Ekeler's return. I think that some of this is not just related to his ankle injury, but also his mourning from the personal loss of his friend and agent. I have not heard any reports of him being sighted at the practice facility. There could be some psychological component to this as he grieves, but once he has had time to heal emotionally, I expect that we see him make a quick recovery physically. So pay close attention, this one could play out quickly once we hear some more informative updates. I hope he is okay as he grieves if that is the case. I am speculating of course, but you have to remember that athletes are people too and they develop close relationships with the people they work with just like you and I.
Andrew Leduc - It seems as though Ekeler could use this grief as motivation to play in his friend and agent’s honor. We have seen it countless times before, and if this situation is truly part of why he is currently out, then I think he will carry that flag for the rest of the season. With no real threat behind him, please forget about Joshua Kelley and just ride Ekeler to the moon. If it is not Ekeler playing in this backfield, I want no one in this backfield in fantasy.
Joe Burrow - QB (CIN)
Andrew Leduc - A miserable start for our Burrow and Chase shares. Is there any hope on the horizon?
Brian Scott - Burrow has reportedly reaggravated his calf injury this past weekend but reports on Wednesday said he is feeling much better. With an extra day of rest heading into the MNF matchup this weekend, I think we’ll see him suit up! This is shaping up to be a nagging injury that could hamper him until their bye week in 4 weeks. Hopefully, he can make it that far without worsening the injury.
Andrew Leduc - This one is starting to become a thorn in my side as a Ja’Marr Chase owner in many leagues. If this injury continues to nag him this season and his offensive line continues to not help him, then we have trouble here. With the above scenario, I am not sure Burrow comes even close to his ADP value. I am not saying he can’t turn it around and be a QB1 at the end of the season, but you drafted him as a top-5 QB, and that is in serious jeopardy right now. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about it at this point. Trading him is a waste unless you have another top-10 QB on your bench ready to go. Otherwise, you are not going to get the value back on your team you need to make a charge.
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
Comentarios