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Vikings QB
Daunte Culpepper
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Every football player faces the prospect of injuries, as do the fantasy owners who
select them. And having one of your fantasy team members miss significant time or not
perform up to par because of injury can be a truly frustrating experience. We know because
we’ve been right there with you.
With this in mind, Pro Football Weekly decided to analyze the current status of and
outlook for some of the league’s injured stars from the 2001 season to give fantasy
participants an idea of where they stand before training camp begins. Players are listed
in alphabetical order.
QB Drew Bledsoe / Bills
Giving up next year’s first-round pick in exchange for Bledsoe was a clear sign
the Bills had no lingering concerns about the sheared blood vessel that caused him to miss
much of last season. The Bills have upgraded the offensive line and added to their arsenal
of weapons with the addition of TE Dave Moore and rookie WR Josh Reed. The expectations
are high in Buffalo, but Bledsoe, whose play has dropped off in recent years, will need
plenty of protection and a productive running game to thrive in his new surroundings.
QB Daunte Culpepper / Vikings
A sophomore slump overtook Culpepper before he went down with a knee injury in Week 12
that kept him out of action the rest of the way. The healed knee is not believed to be
much of a concern at this point, and the new regime in Minnesota is working hard at
finding ways to open up the offense under Culpepper’s guidance. In WR Randy Moss,
Culpepper has one of the most explosive players in the league at his disposal, and he has
a big arm and the athleticism and running skills that are difficult to find in a
quarterback his size. RB Michael Bennett is unproven but has the potential to be an
explosive player, which would greatly improve Culpepper’s fantasy football outlook.
The offensive line and WR depth are still very much in question, however. WR Derrick
Alexander may end up in a Vikings uniform, which would help.
RB Terrell Davis / Broncos
In many ways, Davis is the ultimate wild card in fantasy football, but it’s been
so long since he’s been able to stay healthy that it could be difficult to pull the
trigger on Draft Day. Knee and leg problems persisted throughout last season, keeping him
out of half of the Broncos’ games. And he underwent yet another arthroscopic knee
surgery last month. The Broncos expect him to be operating at full strength by training
camp, but his hot-and-cold health status has been a major cause of headaches for fantasy
owners. When feeling pain-free enough to start last season, he showed glimpses of quality
play. But the problem stems from the fact we’ve only been able to see glimpses, and
Davis has several more-than-capable replacements waiting in the wings should he falter
because of the injury bug again.
RB Eddie George / Titans
Bothered by a painful toe injury during the 2000 season, George opted to have offseason
surgery last year, and that threw off his conditioning program and prevented him from
really getting on track in 2001. Although George has never missed a start in his NFL
career, the nagging toe injury and slow recovery from it caused him to shorten his stride
and made it more difficult for him to break tackles. Titans coaches believe he’s back
to where he was after observing him at a recent minicamp, and if George gets better
blocking and increased help from the passing game, his numbers will be on the rise after
last year’s disappointment.
PK Bill Gramatica / Cardinals
The Cardinals are banking on Gramatica being their guy come preseason, but don’t
expect them to allow him to celebrate much when he returns. Gramatica tore the anterior
cruciate ligament in his right (non-kicking) knee last December after landing awkwardly
following his trademark celebration after a made field goal. By the end of May, Gramatica
was able to kick a soccer ball, and his rehabilitation allows him to kick a football about
15 yards at a time for now. Gramatica, whose brother Martin rebounded nicely from the torn
ACL he suffered in college, made 16-of-20 field-goal attempts as a rookie prior to his
injury.
RB Edgerrin James / Colts
James takes great pride in his conditioning and work ethic, which no doubt will help in
his recovery from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in October. He’s
currently well ahead of schedule, and the Colts plan on having him ready to participate in
training camp. Although Dominic Rhodes excelled in his place last season and could share
time until James gets his feet under him, expect James to shoulder the load when he’s
deemed ready. He is, after all, a two-time NFL rushing champ who accounted for 3,262
rushing yards and 35 total touchdowns his first two years in the league. He also returns
to arguably one of the best offensive situations in the entire league and one that
didn’t change much despite the arrival of a new coach in Tony Dungy. His injury,
however, is one that historically prevents a player from performing at 100 percent the
following season.
RB Jamal Lewis / Ravens
Lewis, who gained 1,364 yards on the ground as a rookie, went down with a torn anterior
cruciate ligament during training camp last season, so his rehabilitation is further along
than that of James. Ravens RB coach Matt Simon told PFW that Lewis looks strong and is
running well in minicamps after coming in at a lower weight than last year. However, he
also said it will be important to hold the reins back a bit and not do too much too soon
until the knee proves to be stable. That, along with the fact the Ravens will have several
new and inexperienced faces in the offensive lineup, does not necessarily bode well for
Lewis — at least not on Draft Day.
WR Ed McCaffrey / Broncos
McCaffrey was part of a record-breaking WR tandem in Denver during the 2000 campaign.
The big, physical and tough McCaffrey caught 101 passes for 1,317 yards and nine
touchdowns in 2000 but didn’t get the chance to put together an encore. He was lost
for the ’01 season after suffering a broken leg in the opener. McCaffrey is running
without pain, but he is being brought along slowly because of the nature of the injury,
his age (34 in August) and his importance to the club. He is expected to be back to 100
percent during the preseason, but the Broncos added WRs Rob Moore and Ashley Lelie as well
as TE Shannon Sharpe to the stable.
WR Marcus Robinson / Bears
Robinson is the Bears’ best playmaker on offense when he’s healthy, but he
hasn’t been healthy much the last two years. Coming off back surgery that ended his
2000 season prematurely, Robinson posted big numbers in his first two games last year. But
a serious knee injury cut last season short for him, allowing teammate Marty Booker to
emerge as Jim Miller’s favorite target. There should be more competition for Robinson
in the quest for the ball this year, but his rehab was on track and he easily remains the
team’s best deep threat. He just has to stay on the field to prove it.
RB Fred Taylor / Jaguars
Few players, if any, have put more fantasy owners into a depression because of injury
problems than Taylor, who missed almost the entire 2001 season with a severe groin injury.
When healthy, Taylor has proven to be a bona-fide fantasy stud, capable of breaking a big
play at any time. Problem is, he has started only 36 games in his four years in the league
and will have a patchwork offensive line that no longer includes Tony Boselli to start the
season. Still, Taylor’s potential for explosiveness is so great that he surely still
will get drafted fairly early in most leagues. He has not had any setbacks in his recovery
and figures to be at full strength by the start of training camp. The question is, who
will have the guts to take him and how early will that person pull the trigger?
RB Ricky Watters / Free agent
Rumors have been running rampant about where Watters will end up, but the
ultracompetitive unrestricted free agent is in pursuit of a shot at a starting job, which
will severely limit his options. Watters has been extremely durable during his career, but
he did succumb to a shoulder injury that forced him out of action for eight weeks last
year. He was solid upon his return to action, but a broken right ankle shelved him for the
final two games. As of presstime, Watters was still on the market. Retirement is a
possibility if he doesn’t get a reasonable offer, but Watters’ skills
haven’t diminished much, and his versatility and experience would be a welcome
addition to many clubs. |
