Ryan Grant Injury: Updates on Packers Star's Week 4 Status and Fantasy Value

After missing nearly all of the Packers' Super Bowl season in 2010, running back Ryan Grant is hurt again.

Grant suffered a bruised kidney in a Week 3 win over the Bears, which put a cloud over an otherwise strong day.

Now, this injury is not as serious as what happened last season. Actually, Grant's status for this Sunday's game versus the Broncos is still unknown. But fantasy owners and Packers fans want to know what they can expect from Grant.

UPDATE: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 9:52 p.m. EDT

After Ryan Grant was held out of the game with a bruised kidney on Sunday, backup James Starks rushed for 63 yards on 13 carries and caught five balls for 38 yards.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers also tossed for over 400 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, further hammering home the fact that Rodgers is so good he doesn't need Grant.

My guess is the Packers will only start Grant next week against the Atlanta Falcons if he's 100 percent. There's no need to risk impeding his progress when the Packers can still play so well without him.

In terms of fantasy impact, Grant has mainly been overtaken by Starks. He's going to have his good days, like against the Bears in Week 3 (92 rushing yards), but he's not a focal point of the Packers' offensive attack.

-Ryan Rudnansky

UPDATE: Sunday, Oct. 2 at 10:19 a.m. EDT

After bruising his kidney in Green Bay’s Week 3 victory, it looks like the Packers will have to play the Denver Broncos without veteran running back Ryan Grant in the lineup.

The Green Bay Packers official twitter feed is reporting that Grant is out for certain this week:

If you drafted Ryan Grant this season, it’s obvious you backed the wrong horse in that race, and you need to do whatever it takes to get Packers new starting running back James Starks in your lineup.

Update: Thursday, Sept. 29 at 1:47 p.m. EST

According to the official Twitter page of the Green Bay Packers, Ryan Grant missed practice again today.

This doesn't bode well for fantasy owners, as James Starks will likely have an increased role in this weekend's offense if he continues to miss practice.

Update: Thursday, Sept. 29 at 12:11 p.m. EST

According to Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel, the medical staff is reluctant to clean Ryan Grant for the upcoming game against the Denver Broncos.

"

The Green Bay Packers running back expressed frustration Wednesday that he might be held out of the Denver Broncos game Sunday because the medical staff is reluctant to clear him. A decision won't be made until Friday, but Grant was held out of practice and probably will be again Thursday.

"It's definitely frustrating, Grant said. "That's kind of the mood that I'm in right now. I think it's even harder because of me sitting out so many games last year. I don't want to miss a game at all. But I kind of have no say in this."

"

This doesn't look good for fantasy owners. Even if he is cleared to play, who knows how much action

Update: Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 3:00 p.m. 

Mike McCarthy held a press conference today, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel beat writer for the Packers Tom Silverstein was all over it tweeting the latest news about Grant. 

The "them" is referring to Grant and offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, who is sidelined with a knee injury. McCarthy also said that, "Grant's kidney injury needs to be monitored and there is a protocol involved with that type of situation." 

The likelihood of Grant playing this weekend doesn't look good. Grant may feel OK to play, but it's up to the team doctors. The Packers are playing Denver, so they don't necessarily need Grant in the game all that bad. James Starks has proven he can carry the load, and he'll do just that until Grant is at 100 percent.   

Update: Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9:05 a.m. ET

Grant told WSSP-AM that he is feeling better. This is good news because even though the Packers are capable of winning without him, he's still a workhorse running back they'd love to have out on the field. 

"

"I feel fine," Grant said on Monday. "I have been walking around. I finished the game and everything. We really don't know any details right now. ... It wasn't really anything major to it -- just precautionary I guess. We'll get some more information from the doctors on some tests later on this week." 

"

I wouldn't play Grant this week on your fantasy team because he doesn't have much value right now. There are better running backs to play whether Grant is 100 percent or not. 

The Packers will continue to monitor his status, and there should be more information as the day progresses and the players report for practice.

Update: Tuesday, September 27 at 3:04 p.m EDT

Tyler Dunne posted here in his Packers' blog that Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy will use Grant a lot of he's on the field.

That's positive, but fantasy owners would still be best advised to be careful. See if he practices a lot as the week progresses. Even then, avoid Grant if you have depth at running back.

Update: Tuesday, September 27 at 2:41 p.m. EDT

Bob McGinn provided even more doubt that Grant will even play on Sunday.

This is a serious injury. Unless something serious changes, he'll be in a limited role at best.

Update: Tuesday, September 27 at 2:22 p.m. EDT

In response to a concerned reader, Brian Carriveau supported the notion that Grant's not a feature back.  

Fantasy owners, take that advice. Grant's not a guy worthy of the fantasy risk at this point. Keep your eyes and ears open for more reports to the contrary this week. But for now, leave Grant on the bench.

Update: Monday, September 26 at 4:41 p.m. EDT

Nathan Zegura reported the injury.

Wednesday is an important day. It's a team's first true day of practice. Given this information, it seems unlikely that Grant will participate in full practice. Still, if he participates in even a limited practice session, it bodes well for his chances to play.

Update: Monday, September 26 at 2:26 p.m. EDT

Given the lack of overall great running backs, it's certainly understandable for fantasy owners to want Grant in their lineup.

Football Diehards reports the injury, but even they can't be too sure about things.

In Week 4, the Packers are going against the Broncos. Given the Broncos' lack of run defense, it makes Grant really enticing to fantasy owners.

But look at that post. Does the word "could" not scare you a little bit?

This is not a conference game for the Packers. Yes, those games count just the same in the standings, but they don't have anything to do with future tiebreakers.

The fact that Denver is not a strong team should actually be a black flag for fantasy owners.

Remember that the Packers just won the Super Bowl without Grant. Realistically, they have to know that a home game against the Denver Broncos should go the same way. They are also a team with a lot of running back depth. Remember, they were 2-0 without much contribution from Grant.

This is a team with a loaded offense. Grant will be 29 at the end of the year. Green Bay is certainly not going to rush Grant back to action in the fourth week of the season. If he plays, look for a limited roll.