Fantasy Football Week 10: Buying or Selling Top Injured Players

Few things are more difficult in fantasy football than knowing how to handle an injured player. Do you stash or cut him? Do you target players coming back from injury in trades when their value is low, or do you stay away, fearing another setback? 

Luckily, you don't have to answer those questions alone. Below, I'll provide some insight on several injured players and why you should either buy or sell them going forward. 

Buying

The biggest concern you should have with Giovani Bernard if he misses a second straight game is that Jeremy Hill absolutely crushes once again and earns himself a bigger role in the offense. While that's possible, Bernard has been so good this season that it's hard to see the Cincinnati Bengals going away from him once he returns. 

I'm absolutely buying Ryan Mathews once he returns from injury, likely in Week 11. After a torrid start as the starter in San Diego, Branden Oliver has really cooled off and has seen his rushing yards decline for five straight weeks, ending with 13 rushes for just 19 yards this past week. 

Oliver is definitely best utilized as a complementary piece and will still have some value playing Danny Woodhead's role in San Diego. But look for Mathews to immediately regain his old role as the early-down back who sees the bulk of the carries.

I'm not terribly worried about Arian Foster. Yes, his constant stream of injury concerns is hard to ignore, but his latest knock—a groin strain—doesn't sound too serious. But you don't need to take my word for it, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported something similar earlier in the week:

Foster is second in the NFL in rushing yards and has been a red-hot player for fantasy owners, so I'm buying him.

And then there's Fred Jackson, who could return as soon as this week and should receive the lion's share of the carries with C.J. Spiller sidelined. Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown didn't exactly stage a mutiny with their performances while Jackson was sidelined. 

Jackson was already an RB2 or, at the very least, a weekly flex consideration. Without Spiller siphoning touches, Jackson should have huge value down the stretch.

Selling 

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

I'm done with Doug Martin.

Maybe it's the constant stream of injuries. Maybe it's the 2.9 yards per carry. Maybe it's the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reportedly shopped him around the league before the trade deadline, and worse, they couldn't find any takers. Maybe it's the fact that Bobby Rainey has played pretty well when called upon to start, and the team also has this year's third-round pick, Charles Sims, waiting in the wings.

Or maybe it's all of the above. Yup, I'm done with Martin.

Nick Foles can be dropped in all formats. Even if he only misses six weeks, the next time he plays will be in Week 16, which means he won't be in action again until your fantasy championship. You could sit on him, sure, or you could add Mark Sanchez, a player who probably isn't much less talented than Foles in the first place. 

I'll be choosing the latter. Heck, the following excerpt from Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com should tell you all you need to know about Sanchez picking up Chip Kelly's offense:

"

Forced to run Kelly's offense without warning Sunday, Sanchez was fine. Kelly helped by making his first play a deep throw that went for 52 yards to Jeremy Maclin. 

Later, Sanchez heard Kelly's voice over the speaker in his helmet. The coach was calling a zone-read play, one of the areas Sanchez is least comfortable with.

"Chip said, 'You know we're running such-and-such play, so you're reading [No.] 99,' " Sanchez said. "I was like, 'Thanks.' "

"

With that type of support from the sidelines, Sanchez will be just fine. Cut ties with Foles.

I'm selling on Montee Ball. Ronnie Hillman has been splendid for the Denver Broncos and is a far better fit for their offense given his quickness and shiftiness. Ball will likely retain the role he had last year, coming in for short-yard situations or perhaps late in games to grind the ball on the ground and run down the clock. But Hillman is the man you really want to own moving forward—four straight weeks with 11 or more fantasy points is indicative of that.

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

We end with Jordan Cameron, who has been arguably fantasy's biggest flop this season. Cameron has scored five or more fantasy points in a game just once this season, and his 16-point Week 6 has accounted for over half of his fantasy points this season. Yikes. 

Sure, the absence of Josh Gordon has probably hurt Cameron. Sure, if Johnny Manziel ever gets the chance to start, he could have a better chemistry than Brian Hoyer has shown with Cameron this year. I'm not willing to bet on either at this point. Cameron is droppable in all formats.

All point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues. Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than sitting down and scoring touchdowns with Anthony Fasano.