Nate Kaeding Injury: Update on Chargers Star's Knee Injury

On the opening kickoff in the Chargers' game against the Minnesota Vikings, kicker Nate Kaeding suffered an injury to his left leg. He was carted off the field and taken into the locker room where he had it examined. 

Fantasy Impact

Normally, an injury to a kicker wouldn't have huge fantasy implications, but a Kaeding injury does. In many drafts, Kaeding was the first kicker off the board.

Kaeding is one of the few kickers that can really win you a fantasy matchup with long field goals.

Who's the Backup?

For now, punter Mike Scifres is the backup. After a Mike Tolbert touchdown later in the game, Scifres was the one that came out to kick the extra point.

Don't go rushing out to pick up Scifres if you had Kaeding in your fantasy league, though. The good thing for the Chargers is that there are several good kickers sitting at home right now just waiting for the call.

In an offense as good as the Chargers, any kicker they add is going to be a good fantasy play. Wait for them to sign someone during the week and pick that player up, assuming Kaeding is going to miss some time. 

Devastation Scale

Being that Kaeding is "only" the kicker, this injury is relatively low on the devastation scale. As far as kicker injuries go, however, this one is fairly high. Kaeding isn't just some kicker. He is one of the better kickers in the league.

I'll put this as a five out of 10 on the devastation scale. The kicker they bring in to replace Kaeding should replace much of his production, but no kicker can completely replace Kaeding.

Timeline for Return

Kaeding is unlikely to return in this game. Bill Johnston, who works in PR for the Chargers, tweeted the following: "Nate Kaeding injured left knee; not expected to return. Mike Scifres handling all punting AND kicking duties."

There is no word as of yet on if the Chargers expect him to be ready for next week.

What They're Saying

Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette summed up the feelings of Chargers fans well right after the injury occurred: "Yikes. Nate Kaeding just got carted to the locker room for the Chargers."

Mike Borzello of CBSSports.com tweeted about how the Kaeding injury is affecting the Chargers' game plan: "Most underrated injury of the day might be Nate Kaeding. Chargers already passed up a FG b/c of it; nearing similar situation right now."

LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.