Fantasy Football Week 5 Injury Recap and Fantasy Impact

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Quarterbacks:

Drew Stanton, QB, ARI

• Injury: Concussion
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Logan Thomas
• News: Drew Stanton was knocked out of the game against Denver after taking a shot to the head and was later diagnosed with a concussion.
• Fantasy ramification: The fantasy appeal here is low. Logan Thomas looked decent in relief and until proven otherwise, neither of these guys are fantasy options. The player to watch in Arizona is how Carson Palmer is progressing because it is hurting everyone's value out in Arizona at this point.

Jake Locker, QB, TEN

• Injury: Thumb
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Charle Whitehurst
• News: Jake Locker got hurt yet again against the Browns this week and did not return to the game. He had x-rays on his thumb which came back clean and is slated for an MRI on Monday.
• Fantasy ramification: Locker was never a fantasy option and neither will Whitehurst be. I don't think either of the quarterbacks starting affect any of the fantasy appeal around them. Nothing to see here from a fantasy standpoint.

Running Backs:

Reggie Bush, RB, DET

• Injury: Ankle
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Joique Bell / George Winn
• News: Reggie Bush suffered an ankle injury against the Bills and downplayed it afterwards, but did say he'll take a wait and see approach so his status is in question.
• Fantasy ramification: There may be quite a bit of shifting going around in this backfield. If Bush can't go, Joique Bell will be the primary back, assuming he goes. Bell was cleared for activities late in the week, but was inactive; most likely due to missed practice time. He should be good to go, but if neither of these backs are good to go, George Winn will probably be the guy. Bell will be an RB2 if Bush can't go.

Rashad Jennings, RB, NYG

• Injury: Knee
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Andre Williams
• News: Rashad Jennings exited the matchup with the Falcons with a knee injury and did not return.
• Fantasy ramification: Andre Williams looked great in relief of Rashad Jennings which doesn't please Jennings owners at this point. Jennings had a great matchup with the Falcons and unfortunately got a bit banged up. He will have an MRI on Monday to see if there is any further damage. It's a wait and see game here, but Andre Williams is definitely worth the add at this point as we await news. They may start using him some more as well.

Montee Ball,  RB, DEN

• Injury: Groin
• Status: Doubtful
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Ronnie Hillman / C.J. Anderson
• News: Montee Ball left the game against the Cardinals after not doing much and did not return. Early reports are that he will be out "for a while" which certainly isn't good news.
• Fantasy ramification: Ronnie Hillman has to be the top waiver wire pick-up of the week now. Ball's chances aren't looking good and he hasn't done much to prove he'll assume the starting role when/if he does come back. Hillman is the better add, but Anderson is a player to own as well. Hillman was working as the change of pace back with Ball healthy and should assume most of the work in the backfield as it stands.

Donald Brown,  RB, SD

• Injury: Concussion
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Branden Oliver
• News: Donald Brown left the game against the Jets with a concussion injury after taking a hit to the head.
• Fantasy ramification: The UDFA made his name known on Sunday even when Brown was still in. Oliver is a strong add in all leagues at this point as he was clearly the better back on Sunday. Even if Donald Brown plays, Oliver should get quite some work. He's a small, but strong back that had over 150 total yards and two touchdowns against a tough Jets defense.

Zac Stacy,  RB, STL

• Injury: Calf
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Benny Cunningham
• News: Stacy left the game against the Eagles with a calf injury and it appeared serious as he was quickly ruled out of the game.
• Fantasy ramification: The Rams like both their running-backs and this is awful news for both Zac Stacy and his fantasy owners. Cunningham will be a hot waiver wire pick-up as well as we wait and see what happesn with Stacy. Stacy was having a pretty nice game, but shortly after his exit, Cunningham scored a touchdown for the Rams and we may be seeing more of that soon. Like Montee Ball, Stacy could lose his job if he is to miss an extended amount of time.

Fred Jackson,  RB, BUF

• Injury: Sprained Ankle
• Status: Probable
• Depth Chart: Timeshare with C.J. Spiller
• Back-up: C.J. Spiller
• News: Fred Jackson apparently sprained his ankle late in the game against the Lions, but finished the game.
• Fantasy ramification: If Fred Jackson misses any time, Spiller is an automatic RB2 with upside, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Fred Jackson should be fine as he finished the game and is a strong RB2 in PPR formats and a RB2/Flex in standard formats.

Wide Receivers:

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET

• Injury: Ankle
• Status: Questionable At Best
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Golden Tate / Jeremy Ross
• News: Calvin Johnson looked like a decoy yet again and on his lone catchgot hurt bad and did not return.
• Fantasy ramification: Calvin Johnson hasn't done his fantasy owners any favors after his huge week one outing and it's not looking good for him to suit up next week against the Vikings. Golden Tate automatically becomes a WR3 with upside. The severity of his ankle injury is not known yet, but don't count on him for the time being as he hasn't done much these past few weeks although he's been active. Jeremy Ross would be an interesting add if Calvin misses some time, but he isn't a reccommended fantasy option at this point.

Danny Amendola, WR, NE

• Injury: Head
• Status: Probable
• Depth Chart: Slot Receiver
• Back-up: Aaron Dobson
• News: Cecil Shorts left the game against the Chargers with another hamstring injury.
• Fantasy ramification: Danny Amendola left the game briefly and was being evaluated for a possible concussion, but passed all his tests and was cleared to return. No fantasy appeal here either way. The Patriots just haven't used him enough or looked at him at all in the first five weeks.

Malcom Floyd, WR, SD

• Injury: Calf
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Eddie Royal
• News: Malcom Floyd left the game against the Jets after a calf injury and didn't return.
• Fantasy ramification: Eddie Royal's value, despite having an off game, seems to have just gone up if Floyd misses some time. Either way, Royal has been playing more and more snaps each week. People will point to his fluky couple of games last year, but this year may be different. Hang onto Royal if you have him, and pick him up if you don't. He's a WR4 with upside and a WR3 if Floyd misses time.

Tight Ends:

Jimmy Graham, TE, NO

• Injury: Shoulder
• Status: Questionable
• Depth Chart: Starter
• Back-up: Benjamin Watson
• News: Jimmy Graham got hurt early against the Buccaneers and returned for a couple of plays, but couldn't handle the pain and left for good.
• Fantasy ramification: The good news is Jimmy Graham will have the bye week to get healthier. Early reports suggest that the injury isn't believed to be too serious which is also good news. If he does miss time, Benjamin Watson could be a streamer option at an extremely weak tight end position.