What Should You Do When Players Get Hurt?

Injuries are inevitable. The issue is not - will injuries happen, because they will. The only issue is - when will they happen. Make no doubt about it, key players will be injured this year to some degree or another.  Whether short term or long term, injuries can prove to be a daunting challenge to many fantasy owners.

Often the difference between winning and losing, is how owners respond to injured players. When Edgerrin James was injured last year, many James owners panicked. Thoughts of imminent doom raced through their minds. We could hear their moans... Edge is injured; boo hoo; who is this undrafted nobody Dominic Rhodes? In reality, those James owners who picked up Dominic Rhodes via free agency, did not suffer any real loss whatsoever. Rhodes proved to be a very capable and productive replacement.

What should you do if a player is injured? Is there anything you can do in advance, to soften the blow if a player gets injured? Who is more injury prone? What do the "terms" in injury reports really mean? Are physic hot-lines helpful? Whew...  We can't answer every question, but here's a few helpful answers to the more important ones.

Should I Wait to Select a Replacement Player?

In stress situations, many fantasy owners "freeze". When a 1st round stud goes down for the year, many owners hesitate to pull the trigger. Don't delay in seeking a replacement. If you hesitate, you will be sunk more often than not. This is a no brainer.

When a key player is seriously injured, you should immediately move to replace him. If you delay, another owner will likely beat you to the punch and leave you in a lurch. The only reason for hesitation is uncertainty. Owners are uncertain if the back-up player will perform. Ever have these thoughts... Is he a good player? What if he bombs? Sure you have. We all have.

Our point is simple, but very true. No matter how badly the back-up player performs, he will always out perform the injured player sitting on the bench in street clothes. Take the chance. Pull the trigger.

What Can I do to Prepare in Advance?

Many players have a history of injuries. Although no one is exempt from injury, these players are certainly more injury prone than others. Did you know that last year, only one quarterback took every snap from center? Injuries are just another facet of fantasy football that owners must prepare for.

In cases of injury prone players, we suggest that you draft their back-ups in the later rounds of the draft. If you drafted Fred Taylor last year, you should have grabbed Stacey Mack in the latter rounds of your draft. Bet your sorry you hesitated. What about you Ricky Watters owners? Did you grab Shaun Alexander?  With Alexander's performance down the stretch, you would have been glad you did. Just think of it as an insurance policy.

Now let us caution you on this principle. It makes no sense to draft the back-up of your 10th round pick. However, drafting the back-up of a key 1st, 2nd or 3rd round round pick might be very wise.

What Does Doubtful, Questionable and Probable Really Mean?

Torn ACL, turf toe, deep thigh bruise, pulled hamstring - what do they mean? An injury such as a torn ACL can sideline a player for the season. Nagging injuries such as a pulled hamstring will keep players out of the lineup for a couple of weeks. If your player suffers a season ending injury, you obviously need to replace him immediately. However, if a player sustains a minor injury, you would be much better served by going to your back-up players. If you followed our advice, you will already have the back-up on your roster.

The key for fantasy owners is to determine whether the injury will sideline the player. The NFL releases weekly injury reports for all injured players. But did you know that the information comes from the teams, through the NFL? Certain teams will use the injury report to take advantage of the situation. They may report a minor injury as more serious and vise versa. Their opposition will be left guessing whether the player will actually play in the game. Guess what?  Fantasy owners are also left guessing.

Finding a reporting source for injury updates does not always help fantasy owners. What does doubtful, questionable and probable really mean? Owners might be surprised to know that players listed as "questionable", play in games over 60 percent of the time. Here's another bit of misinformation - some players listed as "probable", don't play in the game at all.

The key to understanding injury reports, lies in research, research and more research. You need to know that Shannon Sharpe always plays, even when he's listed as questionable. You need to know that the Titans always hedge their injury reports. Doubtful means questionable, questionable means probable, etc. You need to know this information, so that you can accurately predict whether or not the injured player will start, play or sit the bench. If you can't conduct the research, we would suggest that you find a source which does. Stay away from official league reports. They may tell you that a player is injured, but you need to know if he is going to play. There is a big difference. Just ask any owner who is agonizing about which player he should start.

Remember... Injuries happen! Good luck.

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