20-Nov-2009 17:20pm | |
RealTime Fantasy Sports Draft Guide
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Arizona Atlanta Baltimore Buffalo Carolina Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit Green Bay Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Miami Minnesota New Orleans New England New York Giants New York Jets Oakland Philadelphia Pittsburgh San Diego Seattle San Francisco St Louis Tampa Bay Tennessee Washington InfirmaryBy Jeff Paur RealTime Fantasy Sports As with most seasons, we have several players with injury issues heading into the season. This year (as with most), many players are returning from knee injuries, which is always a concern, but it seems like players are returning sooner than ever from serious knee injuries - which is a good thing. Hopefully, all players are on their road to recovery and ready for the start of the season. But we know that isn't always the case. Here is a breakdown of some of the players returning from injury or offseason surgery: Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals. Warner had surgery during the offseason to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. He played much of last season with the injury. The surgery isn't expected to slow Warner too much, but is something to watch during training camp. He should be 100 percent for the start of the season. Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals. Palmer was sidelined nearly the entire '08 season because of an elbow injury. It was thought he might need Tommy John surgery, but Palmer was cleared from any surgery and seems on pace to be full strength for the start of the coming season. Palmer apparently feels great and doesn't think the elbow will be a factor going forward. James Hardy, WR, Bills. Hardy tore his ACL near the end of his rookie season, putting his '09 season in jeopardy. He is shooting for a return to game action near the end of the preseason schedule. But it isn't certain Hardy will be ready for the start of the regular season. It seems more likely he'll miss several games to start the season, putting his second season in jeopardy. 
Ryan Torain, RB, Broncos. Just when Torain started to get things going his rookie season, he suffered a torn ACL in Week 10. He could be slowed some early in the season because of the injury. But he has made strides this offseason and the Broncos aren't ruling out Torain being ready for the start of the season. He'll need to be healthy if he hopes to be in the mix for the Broncos at running back this season. Torain should be doing all he can to get healthy for training camp. Derek Anderson, QB, Browns. Anderson partially tore his MCL, ending his season early. He also had a broken finger on his throwing hand, which was slowing him. Neither injury is considered too serious, though, and Anderson should be ready to go for the coming season. We expect him to be full strength for the start of training camp. Carnell Williams, RB Bucs. At this point, Williams' career is in jeopardy. He suffered another knee injury, needing surgery to repair a torn patella tendon. The injury isn't as serious as a torn ACL, but still a concern because of his past history. The Bucs aren't counting on Williams to be ready for the start of the season, but Williams feels he can get ready for the start of '09. He believes he can be ready for the starting of training camp. Brandon Marshall, WR, Broncos. Marshall needed hip surgery this offseason, a similar procedure to what was done on Kurt Warner. He isn't likely to participate in any team offseason activities, but is expected to be ready for camp. Marshall could be limited in camp, but should be fine for the start of the season. Monitor his progress to be safe, but this hip surgery shouldn't be a huge factor. Shawne Merriman, LB, Chargers. Merriman tried to play on his injured knee last season, but that experiment ended quickly. He had surgery to repair to torn knee ligaments. The surgery was a major procedure, but Merriman is progressing well. He is already running and could be ready for the start of training camp. Merriman still has a lot to prove, but seems a good bet to start the season on time. The Chargers could ease him into action, though, as he comes back from this major injury. 
Felix Jones, RB, Cowboys. A toe injury slowed Jones much of his rookie season, eventually ending it early. He needed surgery to repair a torn ligament beneath his left big toe. Jones is already running and cutting, though, and should be full strength for his second season. His toe shouldn't be a reoccurring problem. Greg Camarillo, WR, Dolphins. Camarillo was enjoying a breakout season before he tore some ligaments in his knee during a Week 12 game. He needed surgery and is rehabbing to get ready for the coming season. Camarillo is shooting to be ready for the start of training camp. This could come true, but Camarillo is likely to be eased into action early in camp and preseason action. He seems likely to be ready for the start of the season, but nothing is certain right now. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots. Brady's health has been well documented (thank you TMZ). He needed a couple surgeries to repair his torn ACL (one because of infection). Brady is doing well now, though, and while nothing is certain, he has a good chance to be ready for the start of the season. We should know more in training camp. The Patriots keep injuries very close to the vest, which doesn't help matters in Brady's case. But if you had to guess, you would think Brady would be ready for the start of the season, especially since they dealt Matt Cassel during the offseason. Stay tuned.
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