Training Camp Injuries Impacting Fantasy Football: A.J. Brown, Isaac Guerendo, And More
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Guillotine Leagues, five training camp injuries to monitor, Drafting from 1.06, and Tight End Tiers.
It’s always tricky to know how much to panic on injuries at this time in the year.
On the one hand, we are still a month away from the games actually mattering for our fantasy teams.
On the other, injuries can increase the risk of re-aggravation, open up opportunities for other players, and slow down important preseason development (especially in the case of rookies.)
Fantasy Football Injury Roundup
Here are four recent injuries along with my concern level for each…
Isaac Guerendo (shoulder)—Guerendo is going to miss a “few weeks” with a new shoulder injury.
Concern level: 2.8/10. The appeal of Guerrendo is the work he’d get if Christian McCaffrey were to get injured, so the early-season angle isn’t a huge deal in this case. Still, keep tabs on this timeline because Jordan James could quickly enter the sleeper rookie RB mix.
Khalil Shakir (ankle) - Shakir is “week-to-week” with a high-ankle sprain.
Concern level: 4.6/10. The Bills WR room is one of the weakest in the league, so they really can’t afford to not have Shakir. He powered through a similar injury last yearwithout a loss in production, but I still want a round or more discount if I’m taking him in any drafts.
A.J. Brown(hamstring)—AJB is dealing with a hamstring injury from a practice on Friday.
Concern level: 1.3/10. This is not ideal, but there is still plenty of time for him to recover before the start of the season. I’ll be “slurping the ‘ol dipperino” if he falls in drafts because of this.
Cam Skattebo (leg)—He had a “setback” over the weekend with a leg injury.
Concern level: 5.9/10. Daboll has been coy with the exact injury (it sounds like a hamstring), but this is concerning for a rookie in a legit 50-50 camp battle with Tyrone Tracy. Rookies missing time is far more concerning to me than when it comes to vets.
As you can see from my exposures via the Best Ball Hub, I need to shift some of my bets to Tracy in drafts going forward:
Concern level: 2.4./10. Stafford is a grizzled vet who doesn’t need much of a tune-up for the start of the season and still has 4+ weeks to get healthy. I’m not really concerned yet, but will be in a couple more weeks if there’s been no progress.
OK, that was a cathartic exercise. I’m done being worried … for now.
Welcome to the official Guillotine Leagues™ draft kit, where we'll help guide you through everything you need to avoid the chop, beginning with the draft—which has some quirks in strategy you should be aware of.
Guillotine is not your typical format, so this won't be your typical draft kit. In a Guillotine League, your season can end any week. You’re going to experience playoff-level anxiety every week.
The best way to curb that anxiety? Prepare. And prepare some more. And then? More.
How can you possibly prepare that much, you ask? Everything you need to do exactly that, and survive the chop, is not only here, but also free. ⤵️
You got your draft pick order and drew the 1.06. You feel deflated, knowing that players like Ja’Marr Chase and Bijan Robinson will be long gone by your turn. Then you think about the possibility of drafting the player who was the consensus 1.01 last year at this time, coming off seasons where he was the RB2 and RB1, respectively. What’s not to love? Oh, yeah, when that player is Christian McCaffrey and he played in just four games last season, injury pessimism sets in. What if he can’t stay healthy?
Chris Allen continues his excellent series on the different draft positions. He went into three different multiverses of draft strategies, including one that called for drafting another former QB1 who’s looking for a bounceback of his own. Yes, CMC was involved in multiple options. Which of these strategies will work for you?👇🏼
The Pulp Fiction reference at the top of Ian Hartitz’s tight end tiers article is reason enough to click on this article. While Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and George Kittle are bad, ahem, men—arguably the baddest at the position—not everyone in your league is going to roster a set-it-and-forget-it TE1 at arguably the toughest position to fill in fantasy football.
Ian came up with the movie reference—no wallets needed—and also worked 24 players into six tiers, along with a “Best of the Rest” that features players who could be streamers at some point in the season. How does your TE strategy fit with Ian’s tiers? ⬇️
