Peyton Manning Injury: Updates on Colts Star's Status and Fantasy Value

Prior to this season, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was a rock in the landscape in the NFL. He didn't miss a single game, and both the Colts and fantasy owners reaped the benefits.

But not anymore. Manning is recovering from a series of procedures on his neck, and is likely going to be out a long time.

With Manning's status changing every day, be sure to check back here for updates and relevant fantasy analysis.

UPDATE: 9/24/2011 9:35 a.m. ET

Peyton Manning is still far from being able to get back on the field in game situations, the fact that he has been doing some running is an encouraging sign for the star quarterback and his ailing team.

The Indianapolis Colts are desperate for quality play from the QB position with Manning away. But Kerry Collins job won’t get any easier against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.

Steelers beat reporter Mike Bires revealed on twitter that Collins may be less that 100 percent himself:

As if things in Indy weren’t bad enough, the news that Collins may be an even weaker player than before has to scare the fans of the Colts to death. Only Indy player worth a fantasy start will be the team’s punter.

Thursday, Sept. 22 at 2:34 P.M. ET

There isn't much going on with Manning's bad neck at the moment, but CNN recently released a report cautioning people to avoid stem cell procedures abroad.

The report discusses the drawbacks of the procedures:

"

One problem with going abroad for these unapproved treatments is that there's no follow-up; you won't have anyone back home to take care of any complications that might result, (Dr. Joshua) Hare said. 

Another concern is that, without proper regulation, any given stem cell therapy abroad may actually be different every time you receive a treatment, said Jeffrey Karp. There also may not be any regulations on the quality of the treatment, so you really don't know what you're getting.

"

We don't expect any of this to impact Manning at all, but it does highlight the severity of his injury and the desperation he's in to get it fixed. The future Hall of Famer is doing everything he can think of to get healthy. 

Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 2:00 P.M. ET

As we have seen in day's past, Manning was back at the Colts' practice facility today. There aren't many hopeful things to discuss about - his neck won't miraculously heal overnight - but any progress is good progress. 

According to Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star:

Again, any progress is good progress but Manning still has a long way to go before his chucking footballs down the seam to Dallas Clark.

The Colts will continue to move forward with Kerry Collins for the time being.

Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 6:00 p.m. ET

One thing I neglected to mention earlier is that Manning did show up at the Colts' indoor practice facility on Monday, and that he was supposedly there to begin his rehabilitation.

But don't get too excited. According to The Indianapolis Star, the initial stages of Manning's rehab don't involve much:

"

Manning briskly walked laps around the Indianapolis Colts indoor practice facility Monday while his teammates stretched in preparation for their standard, light day-after-a-game workout.

"

Manning isn't throwing, but at least he's walking. That's... well, I guess that's something.

On the bright side, Manning did have a sense of humor about it. When he saw that there were TV cameras watching, he turned to them and said, "Can I get this for my scrapbook? Pretty exciting, huh?"

Riveting, in fact.

Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET

As you have no doubt already heard, it was revealed that Peyton Manning underwent an unusual procedure on his ailing neck before his latest surgery—a decision that was supposedly made in hopes of speeding up his recovery.

If you didn't hear about that, this is what FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reported on Sunday. Manning underwent stem-cell therapy in Europe, which was necessary because the treatment is not used in the States.

Concerning whether or not this treatment will work, Amina Kahn touched on that subject in an article in the Los Angeles Times. According to Dr. Hyun Bae, an orthopedic spine surgeon at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, the answer is no:

"

As for whether a stem cell treatment could make a difference for Manning, Bae said the treatment wasn't likely to do much good. What Manning needs at this point, he said, was time—a good six months of it, perhaps—away from the field to heal.

"

Ian O'Connor of ESPNNewYork.com asked Manning's father, Archie, about his son's European excursion, and he said he didn't know anything about it. Archie did, however, have some good things to say too.

Add it all up, and it's pretty apparent that a speedy recovery just isn't in the cards for Manning, and it also sounds like he's not anticipating one either.

Fantasy Value: To be perfectly honest, Manning is a waste of a roster space at this point. He is not going to be returning to the gridiron any time soon, if at all. If you have him on your bench, I would just drop him. Either that, or see if some dolt in your league will actually trade for him.