Fantasy Football: Reggie Bush Injury Impact

Well, it's not even officially the real offseason (unless you're a fan of a team not in the playoffs), and we already have our first injury concern heading in to next year. Reggie Bush has reportedly undergone microfracture surgery on his left knee that will require extensive rehab.

Depending on the report you read, Bush is expected to be ready for minicamp come June. Let's be careful here; Greg Oden had the procedure done and was out an entire NBA season. NFL players have had mixed luck with this type of surgery.

Kellen Winslow had it done in February of 2007 and still managed decent numbers. Terrell Davis was forced into retirement. Running backs certainly take a pounding, but tight ends aren't exactly powder puffs.

Davis had the procedure performed when it wasn't entirely common, while Winslow had it done more recently. In reality, it depends on the individual as much as anything else. Some respond better to rehab and treatment. Bush will need to be incredibly dedicated to the work in order to be on the field and healthy for the 2009 season.

Regardless, we need to examine the impact this will have on his status as a fantasy running back heading in to drafts. Bush put up nearly 900 combined rushing and receiving yards to go with nine touchdowns in 10 games this season. When he's on the field, the talent is certainly there.

The key to that last statement is "when he's on the field." Owners deal with Bush and his vulnerability to injury on a seemingly annual basis. Bush has torn the PCL in the same left knee, and missed four games, in 2007. This season, because of the injury, owners needed to make sometimes uninformed decisions as to if Bush would be on the field.

The Saints, though, did not entirely suffer. In addition to the play of Drew Brees, Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas emerged as waiver-wire gems that performed admirably well over the course of the season and made many forget about the dynamic offensive force they had lost.

While it's likely the Saints end their relationship with Deuce McAllister, Thomas has proved himself worthy of being on the field. In all likelihood, the Saints would move to more of a time-share situation in the backfield and use Bush more in a USC-style by floating him out to the slot in pass-catching situations more often.

At this point, we can't say that Bush will be entirely healthy or that he won't be. I would certainly move Bush out of the second round and towards the end of the third or beginning of the fourth in most formats. Thomas will still be available in middle rounds in most drafts, but I wouldn't expect him to be a late-round pick. Certainly not with this news.

Lance Moore should maintain his value moving into next season and is a reliable WR3 or flex option, especially as his role in the offense continues to evolve.

Bush, when healthy, is a top-35 fantasy player. If his recovery goes the way of Winslow's, look for Bush to move to stay in the top-50 or 60 of players, but towards the end of that spectrum. Owners should certainly be looking to draft Thomas if they want to bring Bush into the fold.