Monday Morning Rehab: Wes Welker, Sidney Rice Injury Updates
Sometimes you really are hurt, and sometimes you are just hurting your team.
Such is the case with these week's edition of the Monday Morning Rehab, our weekly injury update for fantasy owners. A trio of wide receivers check in this week with various ailments, but only two of these are physical.
Fantasy owners fondly remember the break-out season Minnesota wide receiver Sidney Rice had in 2009. Those hoping for another need to be mindful of the toll the season had on his body and how it is going to affect him in 2010. More on that below.
Unfortunately, fantasy owners also remember the toll the 2009 season had on Wes Welker's body. A season-ending injury near the end of the 2009 season put his chances of starting this year on the active roster in jeopardy. All fantasy owners want to know now is when he will return to the starting lineup.
Finally, the one non-physical ailment in this week's MMR: Vincent Jackson's potential hold-out. It could be a rather lengthy one. Couple that with his three-game suspension to start the season and VJax is looking more and more like a fantasy nightmare this season. Still plenty of speculation that he could be traded , although the Chargers continue to deny it.
For that and more on Welker and Rice, hit the jump.
Wes Welker [WR, Patriots]
From FFToolBox :
Breer goes on to say that we will know better about when Welker will return before training camp, when the club has to decide whether to put him on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list or not. If the team doesn't, Welker becomes ineligible to go on the regular-season PUP (which would take him out through Week 6), and the only way the team could save his roster spot is by putting him on IR.
It is going to be tough to gauge Welker's value in fantasy drafts. I suspect many an owner will avoid the situation altogether, but if the value is right it would be hard to pass on Welker. Especially if he looks ready for the regular season when the preseason arrives.
Remember Julian Edelman? The guy who stepped in and seamlessly filled Welker's role at the end of the 2009 season? That guy may be some one to grab later in drafts and hope it takes Welker a little more time to recover. Get at least a few useful weeks out of Edelman.
Sidney Rice [WR, Vikings]
From ProFootballTalk :
Rosenhaus said on his Twitter page (via Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune ) that Rice has "a lingering hip injury that he suffered in the playoffs." Rosenhaus also said that surgery isn't anticipated, and that Rice is "hopeful that he will be fully healthy for the start of the season."
Rice said the hip is not really an issue at this point and he will be ready for the season opener against the New Orleans Saints. This may be just a way to keep the Vikings from pressing him too hard during camp and the preseason, so that Rice can start the season healthy and continue jockeying for a bigger pay day.
Vincent Jackson [WR, Chargers]
From FFToolBox :
According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson is likely to reject the organization's recently-reduced RFA tender, and could continue his holdout into Week 10 of the regular season if his lofty contract demands are not met in full.
Going to be really, really hard to pull the trigger on this guy come fantasy drafts. Unless, of course, he does get traded to someone like Seattle, Washington or Chicago.
Still, he is going to miss the first three games of the season. Fantasy owners will need to take that into account when prepping cheat sheets ahead of fantasy drafts.
The MMR will continue to run every Monday morning as scheduled during the regular season. If you have an injury update or want an update on a certain player, please leave a note in the comments.
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