Injured Players from the 2008 Season

I am going to go by division and discuss players who are coming back from an injury and the impact that they could have on their respective team. Many of these players tend to get forgotten and they are important players to target in terms of finding bargains in the later rounds.

NFC East – Felix Jones: This much I remember from Jones’ brief play last year.
A) He apparently looked like he was 40
B) He could run like hell, but Dallas did not really seem to want to use him on much besides kickoffs
At the end of the Cowboys year, they were using Tashard Choice. Imagining Jones in that offense would have been scary if he could have kept up any sort of pace that he was illustrating early in the year. Only 30 carries, but an average of 8.9 yds/carry. This stat is impressive and many owners are taking the leap to draft him earlier as shown by his ADP (6.11). I would agree with this position and given what Dallas had seen last year with Barber breaking down at the end, I would expect more of Jones & a new combo nickname (hopefully something a little more original than Thunder & Lightning)

NFC North – James Jones: No, this is not a Jones specific list. Jones had a strong rookie campaign followed by a subpar sophomore season (20 rec, 274 yds, 1 TD). When you look at Green Bay’s offense, they are rising and with Don Driver bound for a decline at some point, Jones could be the next guy to step in. He is not on the ADP radar when I searched for him, but it’s worth keeping him in mind, especially given Aaron Rodgers’ performance last year.

NFC South – Kellen Winslow: Much was expected of Winslow after he posted 1106 yds & 5 TD’s in the 2007 season. But like most of the other Browns, Winslow was dismal last year playing in only 10 games and amounting only 428 yds. His ADP is 7.05, which is quite high considering the unknown QB situation in Tampa. Winslow is going over other proven TE’s such as Chris Cooley (7.11) and Owen Daniels (8.03) and I would much prefer those two TE’s at that juncture of the draft.

NFC West – Matt Hasselbeck: Hasselbeck had his best year in 2007 with 28 TD’s and nearly 4000 yds. But last year, Hasselbeck was injured and probably was in no immediate rush to come back to a team who were so depleted they went circa 2004 by bringing back Koren Robinson. I was just waiting for Darrell Jackson to line up on the other side and remind fans how to consistently drop balls. Hasselbeck will not get back to the year in 07, but I expect 20-24 TD’s with 3000+ yds again. Hasselbeck’s ADP is 10.01, which is just about right for an owner who drafts a player like Matt Schaub.

AFC East – Greg Camarillo: Where’s Tom Brady? I figured there is probably enough talk about him. Let’s go with Camarillo, who got injured at a point where he finished with 55 rec, 613 yds, and 2 TD’s. Had he finished the season, Camarillo would have been on pace for 80+ receptions, which is great for PPR owners who need to fill WR spots. Davone Bess filled in essentially as a clone for Camarillo as Bess gathered 30 out of his 54 receptions after Camarillo got injured. Finding out who is Pennington’s go-to possession receiver will be of great benefit for fantasy owners. At this point, this is hard to predict although Rotoworld seems convinced Bess is the PPR man (link). Currently, Camarillo is not on the ADP charts.

AFC North – Carson Palmer: Prior to the 2008 campaign, Palmer had thrown for over 4000 yds in the past two years. He was essentially the 3rd QB in line behind Manning & Brady. Now, his ADP is 8.01, which is quite low considering his receiving core should be better his year. Another player to pair up with QB’s like Schaub or Donovan McNabb as Palmer can get back to stats in the mid-20 TD territory and 3200+ yds.

AFC South – Mike Walker: This pick here is a big stretch as Torry Holt is now in Jacksonville. However, Walker is worth keeping in mind similar to James Jones as Garrard seems to have solid chemistry with Walker. Walker’s stats were ordinary, but someone has to catch balls there and I do not believe Holt is the clear cut answer to the problem. Look for the younger receiver in these situations as there is a lot more potential in Walker than in Holt. Walker is not on the ADP charts.

AFC West – Darren McFadden: McFadden did play 13 games, but was constantly on the injury report and only ended up starting 5 games. I would expect far more than the 113 carries McFadden saw last year and if Jeff Garcia is somehow able to get the #1 job there, I would take McFadden higher than his ADP (4.08), probably somewhere in the late 3rd round-early 4th round. There is less talk this year of Justin Fargas playing such a large role in a committee system and with that, McFadden could put up RB2 numbers by being the focal point in the offense.