NFL Injury Report: Dez Bryant, Santonio Holmes and 5 Injuries to Monitor

Injuries. They can kill your fantasy season (and put a damper on your regular football enjoyment as well).

We had a ton of injuries in preseason and now that we are heading into Week 2 of the regular season, we've got a new crop popping up.

As that is the case, it is critical to keep on top of both the injuries occurring today and the ones which happened last week but are lingering.

Here are five guys you have to keep an eye on this week as we head into our Week 2 match-ups.

Dez Bryant

Dez Bryant was on his way to a tremendous game against the New York Jets last Sunday night, until he left with cramps.

All was well postgame, until the reports started rolling in about a bruised quad and since then it's been nothing but bad news.

Unfortunately, Dez plays an afternoon game so you have to make some lineup decisions beforehand and, to play it safe, it may be best to avoid him unless you have someone you can stick in last minute.

Longer term, this injury could linger and you need to keep an eye on reports all week long. It might suck this week to be unable to use him, but it will be worth it if he is healed for the rest of the season.

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes is reported as active for the Jets' 1 p.m. game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, it's a real possibility that he could re-injure the quad and knee which have bugged him all week.

Holmes' match-up is too good to pass up on today so there's a good chance you won't bench him. However, like Bryant, Holmes' injury can linger if he aggravates it again.

It's critical to know how he's doing so if he goes down again today, you can get that waiver claim in. It's equally important to keep on top of his post-game and daily status.

Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson rolled his ankle in Week 1, and it's lingered all week.

While 'Megatron' has insisted he's fine, it bears watching as he has had his share of minor injury issues.

An ankle is fairly easy to re-aggravate and can very quickly become a sprain or potentially cause ligament damage.

With quarterback Matt Stafford healthy, things look great for some tremendous numbers in the Lions' passing offense.

Calvin Johnson could be in for a tremendous season, as can some of the other players in the offense. If he goes down, getting on Nate Burleson or Brandon Pettigrew early could be key.

Again, not a worry this week—but worth watching long term.

Jason Peters

Why am I bringing up an offensive tackle in a fantasy football article?

See the guy behind him? Michael Vick?

Vick got hit a ton last week. By the Rams.

This week they face an Atlanta Falcons team which is better than the Rams defensively and is really itching to destroy Vick.

Meanwhile, the offensive line for the Eagles is bad, which is why Vick spent so much time getting cranked last week.

Vick's long-term health—and the productivity of him and his offense—depends on that offensive line keeping him healthy.

While Jason Peters isn't an All-Pro these days, he's a veteran on a very young and unproven line.

He had to leave practice on Friday with tenderness in his ankle/Achilles' tendon and is questionable for this Sunday Night Football match-up.

Losing him is scary. The sooner he comes back, the better any Eagles owner will sleep.

Chris Cooley

For a long time, tight end Chris Cooley has been a reliable and solid starter for fantasy teams.

Once the elite went off the board, Cooley was always a guy I liked to grab later and know I would get some solid numbers out of him each week.

No more.

Cooley's knee has been bothering him for some time and it's hampering his productivity. It's also allowing former USC tight end Fred Davis to steal the starting tight end gig.

Davis dropped 105 yards on the Giants last week and should do pretty well against Arizona today.

Cooley needs to get back on the field, but another great game by Davis might make it too late.

Keep an eye on Cooley's knee. If healthy, he could eat into Davis' time, making them both hard to start. If he doesn't get back soon, though, Davis is likely to run away with the job.