RADIO
Football is a contact sport, meaning that injuries are fairly commonplace. Week 14 though, has been an especially bad week for injuries in NFL, and comes at an extremely inopportune time for those whose fantasy playoffs started this week. Let's take a look at three of the biggest names who were bit by the injury bug this week, and potential remedies for their fantasy owners.
Andy Dalton left in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a right thumb injury on his throwing hand. The injury occurred after Dalton attempted to make a tackle after throwing an interception in the red zone. After the game, Marvin Lewis revealed that Dalton would definitely miss next week's game against the San Francisco 49ers, and it was later revealed through multiple team sources that Dalton would likely miss the rest of the season with a fractured thumb. According to a tweet from ESPN's Bob Holtzman, the best case scenario for Dalton is for him to return in the playoffs. For those who don't play daily fantasy during the NFL playoffs, this means that Dalton is finished. Dalton's backup AJ MacCarron didn't look bad in relief, throwing for 280 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. But does that mean you should trust him in a starting lineup? Probably not. You can likely find better options on the waiver wire.
Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls suffered a season ending ankle injury in Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens. The injury is disappointing for the rookie running back, who had been leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry coming into Week 14. Seattle turned to DuJuan Harris to take the lion's share of the carries after Rawls' injury, giving him 18 carries. Harris ran for 42 yards, and lost a fumble on at the 5-yard line in Seattle's blowout victory over the Ravens. Running back is a notoriously thin position on the waiver wire so you may have to roll the dice on Harris and hope he provides you with respectable numbers next week.
New England Patriots' running back LeGarrette Blount went down with a hip injury in the second quarter of New England's 27-6 victory over the Houston Texans. Blount was initially listed as questionable after the injury, but was downgraded to out later on in the game. Brandon Bolden stepped up in Blount's absence, rushing the ball for 51 yards on 16 carries. If Blount isn't able to go next week, Bolden looks like he'll be the next man up in Pats backfield.
