Spin-juries

Injury news is important in the NFL, but it's value might be TRIPLED in fantasy.

Here's a few recent training camp injuries and some spin about what you might need to do if it affects your team.

INJURY: Matt Cassel, QB, KC - I haven't mentioned it, but I tend to have a curse that rivals that of a recently retired broadcaster. It only applies to QBs, though. Dante Culpepper, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, Tom Brady, the list goes on and on... If I own them, something dreadful happens (injury, poor play, etc). Such is the case with Cassel, who went down on Thursday night with an ankle injury.

SPIN: The injury is expected to keep him out for 2-4 weeks, and he'll likely miss the Week 1 opener against Baltimore, if not more. You probably weren't going to expect much against the Ravens, but it's time to seek other options for week one (and potentially longer).

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INJURY: Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG - Jacobs injured his arm in Saturday night's game against the Jets, further affirming his reputation as an injury-prone risk at RB.

SPIN: The X-Rays were negative, but when Jacobs returned to the game, he promptly fumbled. This is not a good sign, but nothing to panic over. Make sure you move to acquire Ahmad Bradshaw if you don't already have him on your bench as he would likely receive the bulk of the work if Jacobs proves ineffective or aggravates the injury.

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INJURY: Matt Schaub, QB, HOU - Schaub (another QB I own, currently) hurt his ankle while running for a first down Monday night against Minnesota.

SPIN: Schaub has yet to shed the "injury prone" tag and this certainly won't help. He appeared willing to play through the pain and completed 2 passes after returning to the game with the ankle taped. Check back on Tuesday, though, to make sure this injury isn't worse. Losing Schaub would greatly decrease the value of his receivers, Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter and TE Owen Daniels, although it may not have any affect on RB Steve Slaton's value.

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INJURY: Kevin Walter, WR, HOU - Speaking of Walter, he left the game Monday night with a hamstring injury.

SPIN: Hopefully this isn't going to be a lingering concern for Walter, who had somewhat of a breakout season last year. He won't play next week (as is the case for most starters in the last preseason game) so check his status before you activate him for Week 1. If he doesn't practice leading up to the game, chances are he won't play, or won't play well. If you have other options, they might be wise.

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INJURY: Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR - Stewart has missed the entire preseason with an Achilles injury.

SPIN: Stewart had an injury stigma attached to him out of college, but that was basically eliminated after last season. If he's not able to go, DeAngelo Williams' value rises considerably, but there are more than enough carries to support both backs. As long as you weren't relying on Stewart as a number 2 back in your league, you should have some time to wait as Stewart rests and heals.

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INJURY: Bernard Berrian, WR, MIN - Berrian did not play in Monday night's preseason game in Houston with an aggravated hamstring.

SPIN: This should come as no surprise to Berrian owners. He has been out of practice lately, but appears to be targeting week 1 as his return to action. Keep tabs on him, but don't expect too much of a drop off from the inconsistent results you'd normally get from Berrian.

More Spin-juries to come.