Week 5 Injury Report: Forecasting Impact on Fantasy Football

Week 4 of the NFL season saw a handful of devastating injuries to NFL teams and to fantasy football rosters all over. While some injuries are serious (see Santonio Holmes), others won't keep players off the field for too long (see Jake Locker). 

Today I'm going to update the biggest injuries around the league to help your fantasy football team. I'll break down each injury, let you know how it'll impact fantasy football in general and then give you some advice as to what to do if the injured player is on your team.

Jake Locker, QB, Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans will be without their starting quarterback, Jake Locker, this week according to John Glennon of The Tennessean. Locker hurt his non-throwing shoulder early in Week 4 against the Houston Texans.

Impact on Fantasy Football

With Locker sitting out for this week, Matt Hasselbeck becomes the starter for the Titans as they play the Minnesota Vikings. Hasselbeck led this team last year and was actually quite good for the majority of the season.

There might be a slight drop in production from receivers like Kenny Britt (if he plays), Kendall Wright and Jared Cook, but it shouldn't be much.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

This injury doesn't seem to be overly severe, so there is no need to take extreme precautions. However, it'd be wise to pick up Hasselbeck if he is still available to fill in until Locker can return.

Santonio Holmes, WR, New York Jets

The New York Jets got terrible news this week when their worst fears were confirmed when Santonio Holmes was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a Lisfranc fracture (foot).

Impact on Fantasy Football

This injury to Holmes is obviously a huge blow to the New York Jets offense. However, the truth is that no player on the Jets has been worthwhile in terms of fantasy production.

For example, Holmes only had 20 receptions, 272 yards and a touchdown through the first four games. With that said, the loss of Holmes is going to severely cut down on any fantasy value that Mark Sanchez has, which wasn't much to begin with.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

The only reason that you'd keep Holmes is if you're in a dynasty league, but in any other league you'll need to drop him. I'd also recommend against picking up any other receiver on the Jets because it's likely you'll end up disappointed.

Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers

It appears that the Green Bay Packers could be without Greg Jennings for another week. Rob Demovsky of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported that Jennings didn't practice on Wednesday as he's still struggling with a groin injury.

Impact on Fantasy Football

The Packers get the Indianapolis Colts and their porous passing defense this week. This means that if Greg Jennings can play, he is a must start.

However, without Jennings on the field, James Jones needs to get picked up off the waiver wire immediately. Last week we saw Jones have two touchdown receptions and this week we could see similar production out of him.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

The fact that Jennings could potentially miss his second straight game is a little unsettling. He struggled with injuries last year and it appears to be carrying over into this season.

While I wouldn't do anything drastic just yet with Jennings, if he misses another week or two you may want to look at unloading him while he still has some value.

Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants

The New York Giants have been without Hakeem Nicks for the past two weeks. Both his knee and foot have been giving him troubles.

Head coach Tom Coughlin seems up in the air about Nicks practicing on Thursday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk from ESPN.com.

Impact on Fantasy Football

Despite being the top receiver for the Giants, there hasn't been much of a decline in the fantasy production of key players on the roster. Eli Manning and Victor Cruz continue to be great starts, as does tight end Martellus Bennett.

The big impact will be with receivers Ramses Barden and Domenik Hixon. The first week Nicks was out we saw Barden have a huge week and this past week it was Hixon's turn.

They'll both get plenty of opportunities to make plays if Nicks continues to be forced to the sidelines.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

Nicks hasn't been completely ruled out of Sunday's game, so you'll need to keep an eye on reports coming out of New York. The fact that he is such a dynamic player makes him a definite keeper even if he misses Week 5.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

There were some major doubts surrounding Rashard Mendenhall even playing this year from his knee injury suffered last year. However, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports, Mendenhall "believes" he'll play this week.

Impact on Fantasy Football

When Mendenhall has been healthy in the past he has been one of the better fantasy football running backs in the league. While he likely won't be getting the majority of the carries in his first game back this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers will definitely be moving in that direction.

This also means that Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer now have very little worth in leagues. Once Mendenhall gets acclimated back to the game, he'll take away most of Redman and Dwyer's carries.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

If you were wise enough to draft Mendenhall or pick him up off the waiver wire early in the season, kudos to you. While I'd be hesitant to start him this week should he happen to play, he is definitely a must-start player for the rest of the season.

Kevin Boss, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without tight end Kevin Boss for the rest of the season, as Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star informed us on Wednesday. Boss has been dealing with concussions and has been officially shut down by the Chiefs.

Impact on Fantasy Football

To be honest, the injury to Boss doesn't have much impact on fantasy football at all. He only had three receptions, 65 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks, so it isn't like he was a huge option in the Chiefs offense.

Boss' injury also doesn't mean that guys like Dwayne Bowe or Tony Moeaki will have an increase in production. They'll continue to produce at the level they were producing at before Boss was injured.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

If Boss somehow magically appeared on your team, you need to open your eyes and drop him instantly.

Ben Tate, RB, Houston Texans

Backup running back Ben Tate was out of practice on Monday and underwent X-rays on his toe according to John McClain from the Houston Chronicle.

Impact on Fantasy Football

After being a fantasy darling last year, Tate has seen a major drop in his opportunities this year.

He's only carried the ball 30 times for 117 yards through the first four games. That puts him on pace to gain less than 500 yards this season, making him rather worthless for most leagues.

With that said, if Tate can't play in Week 5, Arian Foster will have a few more touches to work with. Considering Foster's ability to make huge plays, those few touches could be really big for fantasy owners.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

The only reason you'd have Tate on your team is if you're expecting Foster to get injured or you think he is somehow going to become a bigger part of the Texans offense in the near future.

Either way, Tate is taking up valuable roster space and should be dropped.

Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Titans

Kenny Britt's ankle continues to give him trouble heading into Week 5. John Glennon of The Tennessean reports that Britt didn't practice in any team drills on Wednesday, and his status for Week 5 is up in the air.

Impact on Fantasy Football

If Britt is unable to play on Sunday, look for Kendall Wright to step up in a big way for the Tennessee Titans. Wright is quietly having a solid season for the Titans and is definitely looking like one of the best rookie receivers in the league.

Another player to keep your eye on should Britt be inactive on Sunday is tight end Jared Cook. He showed some chemistry with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck last year, and without Britt, Hasselbeck could certainly be looking his way more frequently this week.

What To Do If He Is on Your Team

You have to keep Britt because he is such a game-changing player when he is healthy. If he can develop a relationship with Jake Locker, he could become quite the fantasy player late in the season and into the playoffs.