This article is part of our Injury Analysis series.
The Vikings running back has been a bright spot in the early days of camp. Cook was well on his way to a monster rookie campaign when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. The injury ended his season in early October, forcing Cook to spend the last nine months rehabbing. His hard work appears to have paid off as he has been an active participant in Minnesota's first few practices. Even more impressive is the fact that he is doing all this without wearing a brace on his surgically reconstructed knee. While this may scare off a few fantasy owners, don't overreact to the situation. Multiple medical studies have shown functional bracing is unable to restore knee stability in high force activities. Furthermore, several complications, including muscle atrophy and a decrease in inherent stabilizing activity, may be linked to bracing. I still expect Cook to receive routine rest over the course of training camp and preseason, but he should be set for Week 1. Keep him as one of the top 25 players taken on draft day.
Luck has been seen practicing and throwing a football, meaning he's already light years ahead of last season. Instead of confusing reports about the status of his health and availability, Luck took part in all aspect of camps during the first two days of practice. His workload was limited on Saturday to handoffs and movement drills, as part of a return to play protocol
The Vikings running back has been a bright spot in the early days of camp. Cook was well on his way to a monster rookie campaign when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. The injury ended his season in early October, forcing Cook to spend the last nine months rehabbing. His hard work appears to have paid off as he has been an active participant in Minnesota's first few practices. Even more impressive is the fact that he is doing all this without wearing a brace on his surgically reconstructed knee. While this may scare off a few fantasy owners, don't overreact to the situation. Multiple medical studies have shown functional bracing is unable to restore knee stability in high force activities. Furthermore, several complications, including muscle atrophy and a decrease in inherent stabilizing activity, may be linked to bracing. I still expect Cook to receive routine rest over the course of training camp and preseason, but he should be set for Week 1. Keep him as one of the top 25 players taken on draft day.
Luck has been seen practicing and throwing a football, meaning he's already light years ahead of last season. Instead of confusing reports about the status of his health and availability, Luck took part in all aspect of camps during the first two days of practice. His workload was limited on Saturday to handoffs and movement drills, as part of a return to play protocol pre-established by the Colts medical team. He reported no pain in his surgically repaired shoulder but admitted he was a bit rusty. Barring an unforeseen setback, look for his leash to get longer as the preseason progresses. I'm still not set on a strategy that would make him my QB1, but he could be worth a flier starting in rounds seven or eight of a 12-team league.
The newest Patriots receiver is trying to move past last year's injury-riddled campaign that ultimately resulted in two separate surgeries on his knee and ankle. Sadly he's already nicked up after suffering a mild right hamstring strain. He's expected to miss a few days recovering, but this raises yet another medical red flag for the wideout. Hamstring injuries are notoriously fickle, especially to speed-dependent positions like wide receiver or cornerback. Keep an eye on Mathews' status as the week continues, but adjust his ranking accordingly.
Decoding injury reports can prove difficult, especially when the information is limited or vague. New England is notorious for supplying cryptic injury descriptions, but other teams will occasionally follow suit. In Tennessee, the Titans remain tight-lipped regarding the status of one of their top receivers. Matthews has been limited by an undisclosed injury since OTAs and has yet to take part in training camp. It's hard to gauge how the issue will impact Matthews' ADP, but consider me hesitant to invest in a wideout with an apparent lingering injury.
The Jets running back depth has taken a hit right out of the gate after McGuire sustained a broken foot in one of the team's first practices. He will undergo surgery in the near future and is a candidate to be placed on injured reserve. McGuire wasn't expected to assume a starting role but had a chance to carve out a useful role in PPR leagues. The injury eliminates any of those odds, and New York will now turn to free agents like Alfred Morris and Orleans Darkwa to fill the void on the depth chart.
Turf Burns
Terrance Williams: The early reports on Dallas' top returning wide receiver are promising. He has been an active participant in training camp and has shown no signs that his surgically repaired foot is a problem. Williams underwent surgery to repair a fractured fifth metatarsal shortly after the 2017 season ended and was a bit of a question mark in the days leading up to camp. As mentioned last week, the success rate for this type of procedure is high and multiple receivers have returned to an elite level of performance following the injury. For now, it appears Williams will have a chance to assume one of the top spots on the Cowboys wide receiver depth chart.
Austin Roberts: The rookie tight end out of UCLA was hoping to take advantage of a void at tight end following Hunter Henry's ACL tear in OTAs. Unfortunately, Roberts has been lost for the season after suffering the same injury over the weekend. Now Virgil Green seems to be the top tight end for Los Angeles, though the team is reportedly eyeballing former Charger and Pro Bowler Antonio Gates. Roberts' injury was the second season-ender in the early days of Charger camp, as the team also lost cornerback Jason Verrett to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Tyler Eifert: The Bengals tight end has started camp on the PUP list but insists he will be ready for Week 1. Since entering the league in 2013, Eifert has averaged fewer than eight games played a season due to a remarkable propensity for injuries. The first few injuries, including a torn shoulder labrum and elbow dislocation, were a bit fluky, but his recent back surgery can be a very limiting and easily aggravated injury. This is particularly true for the tight end position where the spine is subjected to and loaded with all the stress of a receiver and a lineman. Despite Eifert's rosy outlook, his inherent injury risk is too much of a gamble for me.
Jordan Reed: The same goes for Washington's tight end. A top level producer when healthy, Reed has been unable to avoid the injury bug. He's battled recurring hamstring issues, endured multiple concussions and sustained a high-grade shoulder injury. Last year pain in both of his big toes limited his playing time despite numerous treatment attempts, including a stem-cell injection. Reed opted to address the problem head on in the offseason, undergoing surgery to remove the pea-shaped bones underneath each toe. These sesamoid bones sit within a tendon located on the bottom of the foot and help with leverage of the big toe. However, if pain and inflammation within the sesamoids becomes chronic, surgeons can opt to simply remove them. With the root of the problem gone, Reed should be able to move past his toe problems, and his early performance in training camp is encouraging. However his, laundry list of injuries is too great to ignore, and I wouldn't draft him with a high degree of confidence.
