Fantasy Football Week 3 Injury Report: 3 Late-Game Players Too Risky to Start

Some of the toughest fantasy football decisions to make are when you have a player with a late start that's listed on the injury report and your only backup starts at 1 p.m. Here are three fantasy stalwarts that are banged up and don't play in the first wave of games that are too risky to start in Week 3.

Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers

There are unconfirmed reports that Gates won't play in Week 3, but until the official inactive list is released it is impossible to know for sure. Even though the tight end has struggled with foot injuries for several seasons now, he's managed to keep the pain under control and play through it.

After a strong performance against the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener, the New England Patriots completely shut Gates down last week. While his foot problem will never completely heal, a week off in what should be an easy victory for San Diego would be a smart move.

A matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs would usually make owners salivate at the thought of a huge game for Gates, but there is just too much risk involved to leave him in your lineup. Play a different tight end and hope Gates recovers in time for Week 4.

Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys

While Jones is expected to play on Monday Night Football against the Washington Redskins, he probably won't be 100 percent and will be splitting carries with DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice. Any setback would likely lead to the Cowboys removing him from the game.

Jones has been a case where the results haven't matched the hype. Entering the season as the undisputed starter, big things were expected from the fourth-year back, but he has totaled less than 100 yards through two weeks with just one touchdown.

The Redskins have been above average against opposing fantasy running backs so far and when you factor Jones' injury into the equation, he just isn't worth starting this week. He still has some long-term value, but leave him on the bench until he proves he's healthy.

Dallas Clark – Indianapolis Colts

Clark has been a major disappointment without Peyton Manning leading the Colts offense. He is averaging just six fantasy points per week and is listed as questionable for Sunday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although Curtis Painter is quite possibly the worst quarterback in the NFL, the decision to sign Kerry Collins to a $4 million contract looks worse every week. The Colts had no chance of contending for the playoffs without Manning, so they should have just rode it out with Painter.

Either way, Clark's value went from top-three tight end to borderline fantasy play. He'll be a game-time decision today, which means you won't know his final status until 7 p.m. It's not worth getting a zero when you'd only be in line for four or five points anyway.