When a player gets hurt, do we see it from the perspective of Wally Pipp or Lou Gehrig?
The pain and beauty of sport is that when a player goes down, another takes her/his place. On the football field, a star receiver's absence doesn't mean that team's down a man--only that they've swapped out a man. This is obvious, yet in the fantasy world, it's sometimes overlooked.
Of course injuries matter. Sometimes--probably a majority of the time--there's some degree of statistical drop-off. But not every time. Not nearly every time.
2014 comes to mind. On the one hand, Carson Palmer's midseason injury converted a highly effective passing game into a lesson in futility. No backup QB could come close to making up for Palmer's loss. Every fantasy-friendly receiver--Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown--took a hit.
On the other hand, Gio Bernard was enjoying a productive 2014 campaign (five TDs in seven games) before getting hurt midseason. Rookie Jeremy Hill took over the starting role and proceeded to dominate, scoring (I think) the second most RB fantasy points from Week 9 to Week 17.
Injuries matter, but sometimes they lead to roster-boosting opportunities. The key is understanding each situation for what it is and acting on it (or not).
Tony Romo's injury makes backup Dak Prescott immediately relevant in 2-QB leagues. It's too early to understand the ripple effect on all Dallas players. But my initial reaction is that Dez Bryant will take a hit. I'm not convinced Prescott will be able to get Dez the ball with the same success that Romo has all these years. Everyone else is wait-and-see from my perspective. But I'm passing on Dez at his current ADP.
Injuries = opportunities. Sometimes. Other times injuries = understanding when to stay away.
The pain and beauty of sport is that when a player goes down, another takes her/his place. On the football field, a star receiver's absence doesn't mean that team's down a man--only that they've swapped out a man. This is obvious, yet in the fantasy world, it's sometimes overlooked.
Of course injuries matter. Sometimes--probably a majority of the time--there's some degree of statistical drop-off. But not every time. Not nearly every time.
2014 comes to mind. On the one hand, Carson Palmer's midseason injury converted a highly effective passing game into a lesson in futility. No backup QB could come close to making up for Palmer's loss. Every fantasy-friendly receiver--Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, and John Brown--took a hit.
On the other hand, Gio Bernard was enjoying a productive 2014 campaign (five TDs in seven games) before getting hurt midseason. Rookie Jeremy Hill took over the starting role and proceeded to dominate, scoring (I think) the second most RB fantasy points from Week 9 to Week 17.
Injuries matter, but sometimes they lead to roster-boosting opportunities. The key is understanding each situation for what it is and acting on it (or not).
Tony Romo's injury makes backup Dak Prescott immediately relevant in 2-QB leagues. It's too early to understand the ripple effect on all Dallas players. But my initial reaction is that Dez Bryant will take a hit. I'm not convinced Prescott will be able to get Dez the ball with the same success that Romo has all these years. Everyone else is wait-and-see from my perspective. But I'm passing on Dez at his current ADP.
Injuries = opportunities. Sometimes. Other times injuries = understanding when to stay away.