Fred Jackson Injury: Latest on Bills RB's Week 2 Status and Fantasy Value

Buffalo Bills fans—and Fred Jackson’s fantasy owners—are on the edge of their seats.

What seemed to be a knee injury forced the talented halfback to limp off the field in Week 1. The New York Jets’ LaRon Landry delivered the hit that sent C.J. Spiller into the ballgame. While Spiller proved to be significantly more effective than Jackson, it’d still be a mammoth setback for the Bills to lose the veteran for a lengthened period of time—especially considering how badly their division rivals made Ryan Fitzpatrick look.

UPDATE: Sunday, September 16 at 11:24 p.m. ET

Bills RB Fred Jackson has been officially ruled out vs. Kansas City, according to ESPN's Staff.

---END OF UPDATE---

UPDATE: Tuesday, September 11, 8:40 a.m. ET by Donald Wood 

After getting blown out in Sunday’s 48-28 loss to the rival New York Jets, the news for the Buffalo Bills got even worse as star running back Fred Jackson will miss at least three weeks with a knee injury, according to ESPN and Bills head coach Chan Gailey,

As reported by Adam Schefter, Jackson had an MRI on his knee, but the results were inconclusive. It will be 7-10 days before a timetable becomes clear, but the team is expecting the veteran to miss at least three weeks of action or more.

For Buffalo management, Bills fans and fantasy owners, the loss is devastating, but there may be a silver lining; the injury opened the door for young back C.J. Spiller to have his chance to shine.

On 14 carries Sunday, Spiller ran for 169 yards and a touchdown.

While the Bills want their star to return to the lineup as soon as possible, the emergence of Spiller as the starting running back has eased the pain. For now.

----------End of Update-----------

UPDATE: Monday, September 10, 1:50 p.m. ET by Donald Wood

After injuring his knee in the second quarter on the team’s 48-28 loss to the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills starting running back Fred Jackson had an MRI on Monday to diagnose the extent of the damage.

CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported the results of the MRI and Jackson’s reported timetable:

"

The best case scenario for Fred Jackson would be a return in 4 weeks, but again, MRI inconclusive on exact range

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 10, 2012"

While this is terrible for Jackson and the Bills, the loss of Jackson allowed the young star C.J. Spiller to shine Sunday. On 14 carries, Spiller managed 169 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 25 yards.

The Bills will be without one of their best players for at least the near future, but the success of Spiller could ease the pain.

---------End of Update----------

A positive sign about Jackson’s Week 2 status surfaced when NFL.com’s Michael Fabiano tweeted this report:

"

Fred Jackson is questionable to return with a leg injury.

— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) September 9, 2012"

While he didn’t return to the game—it isn’t like it would’ve been worth the risk in the blowout anyway—the fact that he wasn’t ruled out should give Bills fans optimism about the diagnosis.

Speaking of that diagnosis, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted a more recent report on Jackson’s injury:

"

Initial diagnosis for Bills RB Fred Jackson is a sprained left lateral collateral ligament. Jackson is scheduled to undergo an MRI Monday.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2012"

Monday’s MRI will disperse the fog surrounding Jackson’s odds of playing against the Kansas City Chiefs next week. An LCL injury—whether it’s a sprain or tear—isn’t a minor injury. Because of that, Jackson’s fantasy value in Week 2 will be minimal.

As a result, Spiller’s stock just took off. He recorded 194 yards from scrimmage and scored a touchdown in Jackson’s absence. And that’s against a stout Jets defense.

Expect Spiller to take advantage of the opportunity and (finally) blow up.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels