(The Fantasy 5 is a quick-hit wrap-up of some of the biggest news topics of the day for fantasy football players, giving you advice you need to improve your team.)
Football is almost here. We have preseason football on tap Thursday night, which means fantasy drafts are coming up quickly. Things are starting to take shape in training camp, and in today’s Fantasy 5, we have injury news that could significantly impact draft boards at both quarterback and tight end.
1. Growing apprehension over Andrew Luck
The veteran quarterback still does not have a timetable for return, which has prompted some to speculate that Luck could open the season on the reserve/PUP list. Colts general manager Chris Ballard insists Luck will be back by Week 1, but the smoke surrounding this situation certainly has the potential to turn to fire.
Without any answers, it’s tough to provide a concrete plan of action for how we should approach Luck in fantasy drafts this year. However, we can play out a few scenarios for the sake of argument. If Luck ends up missing a week or two of the regular season, his fantasy stock won’t drop much. In fact, it’s unlikely we’d move him down from the No. 4 spot in quarterback rankings. If anything, he would go a round or two later than his current ADP, which is in the fifth round.
However, if Luck opens the season on the reserve/PUP, he won’t be eligible to return until Week 7. With the Colts bye coming in Week 11, that means you’ll have nine games of him in a best-case scenario. We saw Tom Brady be very productive last year after missing the first four games of the season, but a PUP designation means Luck would miss essentially half of the fantasy football regular season. That’s a lot of time to take up valuable real estate on your bench, and you could be well behind the eight-ball when he finally returns. Then again, if you’re able to grab a quality late-round replacement, holding on to Luck could ultimately pay dividends given the relative high productivity of QB2s in today’s NFL. We’ll dive deeper into the numbers if/when more news about Luck’s situation arrives.
2. Jordan Reed sees a toe specialist
Along with luck, the anxiety is on the rise for Reed as well after he traveled to Charlotte to see a specialist about his toe injury. This was allegedly just a follow-up visit, but Reed still has no timetable. The Redskins insisted this wasn’t a serious injury for Reed, but players typically don’t see specialists for minor dings.
Reed is no stranger to injury in his time as a pro with at least 15 different ailments that have cause him to appear on the injury report since 2011. It’s still too early to tell if this is a serious issue, but those in best-ball leagues should certainly think twice before selecting Reed at his current ADP in the early-fifth round.
3. O.J. Howard turning heads at Bucs’ camp
The rookie tight end has reportedly impressed so far in training camp, and the Bucs view him as NFL-ready as a blocker. This is great for the team and for Howard, but for fantasy purposes we need to be very careful how we interpret this news. Fantasy drafters have endorsed Howard so far this offseason, selecting him on average in the 10th round as the No. 11 tight end of the board. While his talent is certainly appealing, that’s entirely too early given the fact that Howard will almost certainly split targets with Cameron Brate. Despite his upside, fantasy drafters will want to pump the Howard and consider him more of a late-round option.
4. Eric Decker looking good
He’s still getting acclimated, but the veteran receiver has been impressive so far and is expected to be a red-zone asset for Marcus Mariota. Decker projects to be on the field for all three downs and will man the slot in three-wide sets. Though he’s entering his age-30 season and coming off hip and shoulder surgeries, there’s still some value to be had with Decker. That being said, it’s important to keep in mind that the Titans were one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league last year. That approach puts a cap on Decker’s weekly upside. He’s best considered a borderline WR3 at this point.
5. Injury roundup
- Cam Newton was limited in practice with a sore shoulder Tuesday. Newton is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but he’s expected to be ready well in advance of Week 1.
- Joe Flacco appears heading in the right direction with his back injury. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expects him to return soon. While Flacco is barely on the fringes of the fantasy radar in 1QB leagues, this is good news for the Ravens pass-catchers.
- Speaking of the Ravens, Crockett Gilmore is likely out for the season after undergoing a procedure to repair his MCL. Baltimore also lost Dennis Pitta for the season and are now left with veteran Ben Watson along with Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams, and newly signed Larry Donnell at tight end. None of these four players are likely to be consistent fantasy options.
- And one more note from Baltimore, as Breshad Perriman suffered an injury in practice that looked like a hamstring. The injury isn’t believed to be serious, but it’s a situation worth monitoring given Perriman’s history.
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