Jason Campbell Injury: 5 Fantasy Football Implications for the Raiders

The Raiders got some bad news in the second half of their game against the Browns today. Quarterback Jason Campbell went down hard on a scramble and slowly got up holding his right collarbone. He was helped to the sideline and replaced by Kyle Boller.

After the game, we found out that Campbell has a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely. This has to take the wind out of Oakland's sails a little bit. They have played above expectations and have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in the entire league this year. A big part of that was the impressive play of Campbell.

Fantasy owners are hurting too. Campbell was averaging 223 pass yards per game and was always a threat with his feet. He was leading a high-flying Oakland offense and was probably a solid backup option on most people's fantasy teams by now. 

So, with Campbell out, how are his teammates' fantasy stocks affected? Here are five fantasy football implications of the injury on other Oakland Raiders:

Kyle Boller, QB

Boller has been a journeyman backup for a few years now. He's not necessarily a great quarterback, but he's got the experience and the weapons around him on the Raiders to make a fantasy impact. Picking up Boller in place of Campbell isn't going to replace the production, but you can play your matchups and still get some decent numbers.

Boller and Campbell's numbers are actually very similar over their respective careers. But again, Campbell was on a roll with this offense and had really found a rhythm with some of his receivers. Not to mention he is much more dangerous with his feet.

If your fantasy team is in need of a backup, or even third-string QB, Boller won't be a bad option to look at, seeing as he still has a decent gun and is playing with some very fast, athletic teammates in Oakland.

Denarius Moore, WR

Denarius Moore has enjoyed a solid rookie campaign in 2011. He's not putting up huge numbers, but has definitely had some fantasy impact with two touchdowns and around 200 yards receiving. He's a deep play threat and showed it in a Week 2 loss against Buffalo, when he went for over 140 yards.

He might have a few more looks as the season progresses, but I don't know if Boller has the deep game that Campbell possesses. This might mean to stay away from Moore completely as a fantasy pickup. He's definitely going to lose value with Boller at the helm.

Jacoby Ford, WR/KR

This is one guy I don't think fantasy owners need to worry about. Ford has been a big-play guy in the Raiders' offense since he arrived. He's got the speed and the playmaking ability to get open deep and make a play after the catch.

Whether or not it's Campbell or Boller throwing to him, I think you're going to see Ford continue to be a threat for putting up big points every week. And if all else fails, he's still a very dangerous return man. He had three returns for touchdowns in 2010, and brought a kickoff back 101 yards today against the Browns.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR

Heyward-Bey was actually really starting to look like a legit option for Campbell in the last few games. He was surprising a lot of critics by coming up big in 2011. He caught six passes for 82 yards today and is averaging around 65 per game. He's still not the star Al Davis expected him to be when he drafted him ninth overall, but he's showing promise.

I think he and Campbell had definitely started to develop a good rapport this season, and it's a shame for him and his fantasy owners that he's going to have to learn how to connect with a new QB. Heyward-Bey is still a deep threat with that speed of his, but don't expect anything big for a while, at least until he settles in and gets comfortable with Boller throwing the ball to him.

Darren McFadden, RB

Run DMC has had an explosive season so far in 2011. He's a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball, whether it's on a handoff or a pass play. Luckily for fantasy owners, we can expect his numbers to stay the same. Or even improve for that matter.

One would think that defenses will start keying on McFadden now that Campbell is out. But honestly, they have been keying on him and he's still shredding them. And having the new QB running the offense could benefit McFadden in a couple ways. First of all, he's going to get the ball even more than usual. That sounds good to fantasy owners, as he will probably rack up more yards and more scores.

Also, the defenses can focus more on blitzing with a less mobile Boller in the pocket, and that will open up McFadden for draw plays or dump-offs. And once he's in the open field, he's going to be hard to take down. So, this might be the one guy whose fantasy standing really isn't affected too much by Campbell's injury.