Breaking: Brian Urlacher Out for the Season with Dislocated Wrist

Updating our previous post this morning that Brian Urlacher would have to have surgery on his dislocated wrist, the latest report out of Chicago is even more ominous.

Brian Urlacher is reportedly out for the season, according to Vaughn McClure of The Chicago Tribune:

Brian Urlacher appears to be out for the season after dislocating his right wrist, the linebacker said Monday. The team has not given the official word, but Lovie Smith is expected to address the issue during his afternoon press conference.

This is obviously terrible news for the Bears and their fans and comes on the heels of a heart-breaking loss in Green Bay during which new QB Jay Cutler threw 4 INTs.

Urlacher, to describe him in completely cliched term, is the heart and soul of the Bears’ D. And even though the primary weakness in the current Bears defense appears to be in the secondary (and specifically cornerback Nathan Vasher), Urlacher’s athleticism and experience often helped to compensate for issues elsewhere.

Frank Gore Injury Update – Questionable for Week 16 Against Rams

Update for Week 16: Frank Gore’s status is till in doubt for this Sunday’s Week 16 game between the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams. Monitor Gore’s status throughout the week, and pick up DeShaun Foster if he is still available in your league. We highlighted DeShaun Foster in this week’s Sleeper Focus, and he could provide good numbers again if he starts in palace of Gore.

Fantasy football owners who have ridden San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore into the playoffs received some bad news this morning when they checked for an injury update: Frank Gore will not play on Sunday in the 49ers Week 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

Frank Gore has an ankle injury and his availability had been in question all week — he was listed as questionable on the official injury report. In fact, earlier in the week the 49ers signed Thomas Clayton off of their practice squad for depth which, as Adam Schefter of NFL.com reported, tipped off that the 49ers were not optimistic about Frank Gore’s chances of playing.

If you are a Frank Gore owner and now have a hole in your lineup because of his absence, you should run to the waiver wire and see if DeShaun Foster is available. The former Carolina Panther will start in Frank Gore’s place; and while he does not have a great matchup against a solid Dolphins’ D, he will be getting starting RB touches.

DeShaun Foster only has 78 yards rushing on the season, be he has scored a TD on a reception. And Mike Martz is very creative in how he uses his running backs. Frank Gore is just south of 1,000 yards right now, and also has 42 receptions for 367 yards. Especially if you are in a PPR league, DeShaun Foster could be a nice little diamond in the rough for you today.

There is no word on how long the 49ers expect Frank Gore to be out. He did make the trip to Miami with the team, and the 49ers were hopeful that he could test out the ankle in pregame warmups and that he would be okay. This was obviously not the case, however, as the team announced last night that Frank Gore would sit the Sunday Week 15 matchup out.

For more fantasy football information, go to:

• Fantasy Football Week 15 Sleepers
• Fantasy Football Week 15 Injury Report: Joseph Addai and Brandon Jacobs Out

Fantasy Football Week 15 Injuries: Joseph Addai and Brandon Jacobs

A couple of important injury notes have broken over the past 24 hours. Let’s run them down right now:

Joseph Addai misses practice with injury on Friday, likely out for Sunday’s game.

Joseph Addai has an injury to his shoulder and did not practice on Friday. According to quotes from Tony Dungy, the Colts are going to hold Addai out if there is any doubt whatsoever. This stinks on many levels for owners of Joseph Addai, with week 15 being the first round of the playoffs in most leagues. Not only will Addai likely not play, but he will miss the cupcake meeting against the Detroit Lions. It looks like it is safe to stash Joseph Addai on your bench, but check on Sunday morning to be absolutely certain.

In the absence of Joseph Addai, Dominic Rhodes will fill in and likely get the majority of the carries. Rhodes his been reasonably productive this season, especially in the 2 games in which he started. Rhodes had 25 carries for 73 yards and a TD against Baltimore, 20 carries for 73 yards and 2 TDs against Green Bay, and 17 carries for 70 yards against the Titants. So Addai has proven he can score some fantasy points when he gets the bulk of the carries. If he is your #2 RB for this week, you are in good shape — and there is upside, as Rhodes is capable of having a huge day against Detroit.

Brandon Jacobs has knee injury and will miss Sunday’s game against Dallas

Brandon Jacobs continues to struggle with injuries as the season wears on. Many owners who rode Brandon Jacobs to the playoffs are not being forced to find fill-ins during the crunch time weeks. Hopefully most of the Jacobs owners picked up Derrick Ward or Ahmad Bradshaw in case of injury to Jacobs. Ward and Bradshaw will likely split the carries this weekend, and both have value as flex fill-ins. If have both and can only start one, go with Ward as he usually gets more carries.

Fantasy Football Week 8 | Reggie Bush Injury Update – Deuce McAllister

(Update 11/26 – Thanks to ProFootballTalk for his one.  Reggie Bush is hopeful that he will be back on the field for the Saints’ Week 13 game.  Fantasy players everywhere…rejoice!)

Check out the Week 9 Fire and Ice Fantasy Football Forum for the latest news regarding Reggie Bush’s injury status.
If you’re a Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas or Aaron Stecker owner, or in need of a running back in fantasy football week 8, this applies to you.

In Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, Saints running back Reggie Bush injured his meniscus in his left knee on a punt return in the second quarter. As it stands right now, Reggie Bush needs arthroscopic knee surgery that could sideline him for several weeks.

Head coach Sean Payton stated that the plan is to scope the knee, evaluate it and go from there. This injury will yield more carries for Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas and Aaron Stecker. I anticipate Aaron Stecker to be used in the same format as Reggie Bush, as he possesses the most speed out of this group. If Deuce McAllister can be productive when given the opportunity, he stands to benefit the most from the absence of Reggie Bush.

Check back with Midwestsportsfans.com on Wednesday for more insight into fantasy football week 8.

And don’t forget to get your questions in for the mailbag portion of our upcoming Week 9 Fantasy Football Sleeper Focus. If you have a roster question and want expert help, email profootballinsight@live.com and your email will either be responded to personally, or here on Midwest Sports Fans.

[tags]fantasy football, reggie bush[/tags]