Fantasy Football Week 2: 5 Injuries to Watch

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If you’re like many needing a bit fantasy football Week 2 win, you need to keep an eye on these five injuries leading up to Sunday and Monday

Nothing can put a wrench into your fantasy football strategy like an injury to a star player, and constantly seeking out the freshest information on the injury can be time consuming.

Here are five injuries that could impact your fantasy football team this week, and if you are unlucky enough to miss out on a star player, hopefully you have a suitable contingency plan in place. Just as NFL teams have to have plenty of depth on their roster, fantasy owners need to watch out if they are relying on the same few players each week.

With the “probable” designation removed from the NFL injury report lexicon, there are more “questionable” listings on the injury report than usual. This can be confusing, and some of the players on this list carry that “questionable” tag with them heading into this week’s slate of games. Will they play? Will they be held out?

Click ahead to find out.

Sep 8, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) is pulled down by Carolina Panthers cornerback James Bradberry (24) in the third quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Demaryius Thomas, WR – Denver Broncos

Throughout his career, Demaryius Thomas has been one of the most reliable fantasy scorers around, but he got off to a slow start in Week 1 by catching just four passes for 48 yards against the Carolina Panthers.

Now, Thomas is dealing with a hip injury, and while he says that he can play, he is worried about his ability to cut or take hits.

Currently listed questionable by the Broncos, Thomas has been able to practice this week, and I bet Denver lets him suit up. How effective he will be is completely unknown, and it is difficult to trust him with such a limited quarterback in Trevor Siemian.

What should give Thomas’s fantasy owners some hope is the fact that the Indianapolis Colts secondary looks poised to get lit up. After allowing 37 (OK, technically it’s 39) points to the Detroit Lions last week, the Colts will not have Patrick Robinson, Vontae Davis, and T.J. Green on the field. Once again, the Colts secondary is banged up, and Antonio Cromartie and Darius Butler are also listed questionable.

That leaves room for Thomas to shake off the hip pain, and you figure that the Broncos almost have to send the ball his way if he’s on the field.

There’s little risk in Thomas missing this week’s game, so the risk lies in his effectiveness and role within a run-heavy offense.

Aug 11, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) during pregame warmups prior to a game against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Gronkowski, TE – New England Patriots

For a second straight week, Rob Gronkowski finds himself featured as one of the five biggest fantasy-relevant injuries. The Patriots held Gronk out of last week’s game with a hamstring injury, but they still one without him or Tom Brady on the field against an elite Arizona Cardinals team.

This week, the Patriots will take on the Miami Dolphins at home, and they have a much better track record in Gillette against this team. Miami is a more important opponent as far as playoff implications and division standings go, but do the Patriots feel threatened by this Dolphins team? To be fair, Miami did look good against the Seattle Seahawks before falling 12-10.

According to the Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels, Gronkowksi is “certainly” not at full strength, which leads me to believe that they’ll be willing to hold Gronk out. Chris Hogan is listed questionable and his injury could be a factor, but after beating Arizona, I don’t think New England feels much pressure to play Gronk. And, of course, they have Martellus Bennett at their disposal, even if he didn’t play a huge role as a receiver in Week 1.

Oct 11, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) is tackled by Chicago Bears outside linebacker LaRoy Reynolds (52) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Chicago won the game 18-17. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Jamaal Charles, RB – Kansas City Chiefs

As expected, Kansas City Chiefs star running back Jamaal Charles doesn’t have much of a shot at suiting up this week. Already down both of their starting guards, the Chiefs won’t get their best ball-carrier back on the field, though Spencer Ware played so well last season and in Week 1 that it might not matter either way.

Charles is officially doubtful for this week’s game against the Houston Texans, and his status will continue to be a big storyline in Week 3. For now, fantasy owners can safely bench Charles, start Ware, and only hang onto Charcandrick West in deeper leagues. Though West and Ware surprisingly had the exact same number of Week 1 snaps, Ware is undeniably the superior player and had a considerably greater workload.

Owners of Charles should at least be happy that he continues to take limited practice reps, suggesting he continues to make progress on the health front.

Aug 28, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) hands the ball off to running back Chris Ivory (33) in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Ivory, RB – Jacksonville Jaguars

Yesterday, Jacksonville Jaguars free agent signing Chris Ivory called himself “ready to go” and considered himself “day-to-day.” However, Ivory failed to practice today, and the Jaguars have unsurprisingly ruled him out of Sunday afternoon’s battle with the San Diego Chargers.

This means T.J. Yeldon will get another start at the running back position, and he figures to have a better game against the Chargers than he did against the Green Bay Packers last week.

Yeldon turned 25 touches into just 69 yards, but he had a solid fantasy day by punching in a touchdown. His role as a pass-catcher will be interesting against a Chargers defense that got sliced open by Ware in the passing and running game last week.

If Yeldon fails to grab this opportunity by the scruff of the neck, then the Jaguars will take notice. Fantasy owners will, too, especially those who are unsure if Ivory or Yeldon is a superior player in the kind of running back situation that many owners like to avoid worrying about.

Aug 25, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster (34) runs the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Arian Foster, RB – Miami Dolphins

This is where the removal of the “probable” tag can confuse things. The Miami Dolphins have listed Arian Foster as questionable with a hamstring injury, and most reasonable people would look at this statement and say, “Crap. Not again.”

I mean, a lower-body injury to Foster isn’t a new occurrence, but there doesn’t appear to be any reason for alarm here. Although Foster is listed as questionable and missed practice on Wednesday, there’s a great chance the Dolphins simply held him out as a precaution. Foster has practiced fully, and even Patriots beat guy Ben Volin stated that Foster “should play”.

In such an important game against the Patriots, Foster’s status should be a lock, regardless of what mind games Adam Gase wants to try and play with the questionable listing.

Foster’s health will always be called into question whenever he appears on the injury report, but fantasy owners should still start him until further notice. Although he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry against the Seahawks, the Pats run defense isn’t quite as unstoppable, and the numbers failed to show just how spry the 30-year-old looked.