7 Injuries That Have Most Affected Fantasy Football

After only a week of NFL regular season games, injuries have already taken a toll on many teams, both in real life and fantasy football.

In the fantasy football world, an injury can be solved by simply picking up a new player off of waivers. No player is irreplaceable, but there are some people that owners will really miss.

In addition, some injuries hurt more than just the player. Often times, an injury to one of the athletes will hurt other players around him.

Here is the list of player injuries that will most affect fantasy football this season.

7. Louis Murphy

In his two year career, Louis Murphy showed a lot of flashes of success. Though he was a fourth-round draft pick in 2009, he has produced a lot more than teammate Darrius Heyward-Bey, a first-round pick in the same draft.

Unfortunately, a groin injury has sidelined him so far this season. The Oakland Raiders are ready to take the next step offensively and Murphy has not been able to join the young team.

When he is ready to return to the starting lineup, he will be a solid sleeper candidate for the remainder of the season. Defenses will start to stack the line against Darren McFadden and the Raiders will need someone to spread the field.

A healthy Louis Murphy can be that player.

6. Marques Colston

Marques Colston has a broken collarbone that should keep him out for at least a month. While this should hurt fantasy owners who drafted him in the fourth or fifth round, it also affects every player on the New Orleans Saints.

Drew Brees loses his favorite receiving target but his value will not be hurt too badly. He is one of the best in the game at spreading the ball around to the open target, regardless of who it is.

Colston’s injury actually increases the value of the other receivers on the Saints. Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson should all get more playing time and eventually better stats. Tight end Jimmy Graham will also get a boost in targets, especially in the red zone.

5. Daniel Thomas

Daniel Thomas was drafted on average only a few spots after Reggie Bush. Many experts believed Thomas would split carries evenly with Bush and possibly get all of the goal-line carries.

After missing the first game, the rookie from Kansas State might have missed a golden opportunity for the remainder of the season.

Bush looked good on Monday night against the New England Patriots. On the ground he looked quick, but he really excelled in the passing game. Bush showed some of the elusiveness that people expected when he came out of college, and he looks like he will get the majority of touches even when Thomas returns.

Thomas will most likely return this week for the Miami Dolphins, but he will have an uphill battle in regaining his preseason value.

4. Osi Umenyiora/Justin Tuck

Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck are two of the many members of the New York Giants who have been sidelined this season. So far it appears that the defense is struggling without them.

The defensive was not able to put enough pressure on Rex Grossman and he torched the secondary for a quarterback rating of 110.5.

It seems the reserves do not have the ability to handle the added pressure, and if these players do not return soon the Giants defense will continue to struggle.

From a fantasy perspective, this will not only hurt them as a team defense, but they might become a defense that you will attempt to match up against week to week. If Grossman can put up 18 fantasy points, any solid quarterback should be able to have an impressive performance versus this depleted team.

3. Steven Jackson

Steven Jackson took the first play from scrimmage of the St. Louis Rams season 47 yards for a touchdown. That is the good side of Steven Jackson that fans love.

Unfortunately, his next carry showed his injury side.

Jackson will miss at least the next game with a strained quad. He has only played in all 16 games twice in his eight year career. With the mileage that Jackson has put on in his career, fantasy owners should be scared that the injuries will continue to pile up.

Cadillac Williams looked solid after replacing Jackson against the Philadelphia Eagles, and any fantasy owner should look to pick him up for the duration of Jackson’s injury.

2. Arian Foster

Any time a top-five fantasy draft pick misses a game, people start to get scared. A hamstring injury in the preseason forced Arian Foster to miss Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Houston Texans did not seem to miss him in their slaughter against their division rivals. They routed the Colts 34-7, while Ben Tate ran for 116 yards. Derrick Ward added 39 rushing yards of his own.

This is not to say that Foster will lose his starting job when he comes back. He did win the rushing title a year ago, and that should not be understated. However, the Texans will most likely ease Foster back into playing shape while mixing around carries.

Foster will still most likely have an excellent season, but fantasy owners do not enjoy keeping their top pick on the bench. 

1. Peyton Manning

No player in the NFL has made more headlines with his injury this season than Peyton Manning. The man who is used to creating positive buzz with his play shocked the sports world when it was announced he would miss a regular season game this season for the first time in his career.

Many thought there was a chance of Manning missing the first game, so while his draft stock fell he was still remaining in the first five rounds of most drafts. Knowing what we know now, I am sure a lot of people regret this decision.

Not only will people miss the production that Manning provides, his teammates in Indianapolis will also suffer. Reggie Wayne had a solid game, but he will not be able to repeat his performance every week with Kerry Collins at quarterback.

The same goes for Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and any other targets who lost the chance to catch passes from one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Joseph Addai will also see tougher defenses up front with a weaker passing attack.

Darren Rovell of CNBC estimated that $65 million will shift hands due to Manning’s injury. As much as it hurts the Colts, there might be more people affected in the fantasy world.