Injury-Palooza 2012

Getting through injuries remains a popular theme in the 2012 Fantasy Football Season.  I've already discussed my ideas on how to navigate through injuries and still win, but I wanted to specifically discuss Week 11 and how the most recent string of injuries affects more than just one position on your fantasy roster.

1) Michael Vick

Michael Vick's concussion against the Cowboys opened the door for Philly fan-favorite Nick Foles to get his shot behind center.  Foles gets a fantasy-friendly matchup in his first career start against the putrid Washington Redskins pass defense.  However, because we're dealing with a rookie QB, the situation affects the entire Eagles offense.  Rookie QBs tend to check down when facing pressure, meaning you're still starting LeSean McCoy without much hesitation.  I'm also going to give a small uptick to Brent Celek, as the TE position is a safety blanket in most offenses, and with a rookie taking the snaps, I can anticipate Celek getting a few extra looks.  I'm giving a downgrade to DeSean Jackson, as the deep passing game is probably not as much of an option since Foles will be looking to get the ball out of his hands quicker than Vick did.  I am not a huge fan of Jeremy Maclin in general (even though I've drafted him in my league of record every year since he's entered the league), and he may see his usual workload, but I'm not expecting greatness.  The guy I like best this week is WR Riley Cooper.  Jason Avant is out on Sunday, clearing the path for Cooper to see additional snaps.  Foles has probably taken most of his practice snaps up to this point with Cooper at WR, and I look for them to have a pretty solid rapport.  Cooper caught a TD last week from Vick, and I expect him to see plenty of targets this weekend.

2) Jay Cutler

Cutler is the main cog in the Bears' offense, and as we've seen in the past, the Bears offense seems to stall without Cutler behind center.  With a matchup in San Francisco on tap, I don't like any of the Bears main offensive pieces this weekend.  Brandon Marshall should still see his usual workload, which is 10+ targets.  What he does with those targets is what I'm fearful of.  You're starting Marshall this week because you don't have a lot of other options to replace that type of production, but I'm calling for a 5-6 catch for 65-70 yard kind of performance.  Adequate, but not spectacular.  Matt Forte is another player you probably have to start due to the lack of stronger options available to you, but I can't see him getting more than about 70-80 yards and a TD is the only way Forte can have some value this weekend.  The only player getting a small upgrade from me this weekend is Michael Bush, as the Bears will have to run the ball to control the clock and change field position.  Bush could see extended work, making him more viable this week than he has been since he started against St. Louis.  As a Bears fan, I'm hoping the defense can light it up and keep Jason Campbell in winnable situations on his side of the field.  I'm tempering all expectations for the Bears offense this weekend, and if I owned pieces of this offense, I'd be scouring the Waiver Wire for one week fill ins.

3) Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben wasn't concussed like our first two QBs, but he came out of Week 10 with probably the most threatening injury of all.  Apparently, his shoulder injury has also revealed that he has a broken rib that can puncture his aorta if he isn't handled correctly.  He has already been ruled out for Week 11's tilt with Baltimore, paving the way for Byron Leftwich to get his first start in 3 years.  The Steelers are expecting Rashard Mendenhall to be back for this game and he will be the starter if he is declared Active.  I like him only if he's the starter.  If he can't go, Ike Redman and Jonathan Dwyer will split carries again, meaning you really can't know who is going to be featured.  I still like Heath Miller and Mike Wallace, but you can't have a ton of confidence in either of them as the offense will be restructured to fit Leftwich's strengths.  I am willing to bet Emmanuel Sanders and Jericho Cotchery will have serviceable games for the same reason I like Riley Cooper above...the 2nd string QB tends to get the bulk of his reps with the 2nd string offense, and with Antonio Brown out again, the pre-existing rapport between Leftwich and these WRs leads me to believe fantasy points can be had if you're willing to risk starting Sanders or Cotchery.

4) Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson

McFadden and Goodson are likely going to miss this week's game against New Orleans, the 2nd straight game missed for each.  This clears the way for Marcel Reece to step into the starter's spot, similarly to how he performed last week against Baltimore.  Reece got 20 touches on the day, totaling 104 yards.  Against the pourous Saints defense, Reece could be in for a big time day.  Even if he doesn't get 20 touches, I give an overall bump to all of the pieces of Oakland's passing offense.  Carson Palmer, Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Brandon Myers should all see big days, as the Saints should do everything in the power to run up the score.  This game has shootout written all over it, similar to the Raiders-Steelers tilt from Week 3 or the Raiders-Buccaneers tilt from Week 9.  The Raiders average 26.5 points per game at home in 4 games vs. 17.0 points per game in 5 road games, so offensive production is in the cards for Sunday. 

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