Braylon Edwards Injury: Updates on 49er Star's Week 3 Status and Fantasy Value

Braylon Edwards went down with a knee injury in the first quarter of the 49ers' Week 2 overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys. His exit from the game left Alex Smith and the 49ers offense with their No. 1 and No. 2 receivers sidelined with injuries.

Edwards is a fringe fantasy starter even when he's completely healthy, and presents a huge risk now that he isn't 100 percent.

Keep checking back to this page for updates on Edwards' Week 3 injury report.

UPDATE: 9/25/2011 12:15 p.m. ET

The San Francisco will not play against the Cincinnati Bengals this week, or anytime soon because of the knee surgery he had earlier this week.

Bleacher Report’s NFL draft expert Matt Miller talks about who needs to step up with Edwards sidelined:

If Edwards was on your fantasy team and you didn’t drop him over his lack of production, this should be the final kick in the rear that helps you make the move you know is necessary. Grab Crabtree if he is available.

UPDATE: 9/24/2011 9:20 a.m. ET

The San Francisco 49ers were one of the few teams who came knocking on free agent wide receiver Braylon Edwards’ door during the offseason, and he has rewarded them with a knee injury.

ESPN NFL analyst John Clayton is reporting on twitter that it will be a few weeks before Edwards is back in the lineup:

While Edwards is leaving the lineup, former first-round pick Michael Crabtree is going to be back in the lineup. Judging from last season and the beginning portion of this season, Crabtree may not have the value he should in a terrible 49ers pass offense.

Wednesday, September 21st 11:00 p.m. ET

Well, it keeps getting worse for Braylon Edwards.

After being listed as day-to-day, the playmaking wide receiver is out for at least three weeks after undergoing knee surgery according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Per ESPN.com:

"

Coach Jim Harbaugh refused to predict a timetable for Edwards' return or provide further details. The coach had to be pushed to reveal the surgery at all.

"Braylon had a little procedure done, yeah," Harbaugh said Wednesday. "He's going to be out for a little bit. I hate to speculate (how long)."

"

When a team is hesitant to put a time table on a player's return, it raises more than a few eyebrows, and you have to wonder how effective Edwards is going to be this season. You don't want to play around with a knee injury, and San Francisco is going to play if safe to avoid further injury to the knee.

Obviously, the injury was worse than originally thought, and this is going to take a major threat out of the 49ers offense. It will be interesting to see how the team responds without a big target like Edwards out wide.

If he's on your fantasy team, it's probably time to consider waiving him and looking for a better option.

Monday, September 19th, 10:45 p.m. ET

CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco reports that after an MRI on Edwards' knee, Trent Baalke says his status is day to day. It's not exactly clear whether or not Edwards is going to be able to suit up this week against the Bengals, but it's encouraging that the injury doesn't appear to be a serious one that could potentially sideline him for the season.

That isn't exactly encouraging news for fantasy owners, though.

Even if Edwards toughs it out, he's not going to be a major factor in the game. Edwards is worth checking back on throughout the week, but unless you are in a bind, it appears as though your team would be best served if you went with a safer option.

The 49ers have a manageable game in front of them this week when they take on the Bengals. We'll see if the 49ers are more conservative with Edwards in an effort to preserve him this season or more aggressive in what is a winnable game.

Wednesday, August 10th, 5:57 p.m. ET

Even more discouraging is the fact that this isn't the first time we've heard of Edwards having to battle through injury this season. He had an undisclosed injury dating back to August that could have very well been to his knee.

Coach Harbaugh simply said, “He’s working through a little something right now that’s slowing him down."

Sporting News' report of the injury didn't appear to be enough to raise a red flag to fantasy owners, but seeing Edwards banged up this early in the season is cause for concern.