Pierre Thomas Injury Update: Status Questionable for Week 1 With MCL Sprain

Pierre Thomas has been a trendy pick during fantasy football draft season as a potential first round value that can often be had in Rounds 2-4, depending on your league. Thomas played well last year over the final six weeks of the season and benefits from playing in the most explosive offense in the NFL.

He also, of course, benefits from the fact that Reggie Bush runs between the tackles about as well as Chad Pennington throws the deep out.

Yet, despite all of these positives, the latest injury updates on Pierre Thomas indicate that you may need to sit him in Week 1.

A few days ago, Thomas listed himself as questionable for Week 1 because of an MCL sprain (via Fanhouse) that has hampered him throughout the preseason. He also recently sustained a laceration “from a fence” (via the Times-Picayune) that required him to get stitches, but should not hamper him moving forward.

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The official Week 1 injury report is not out yet, but the news about Thomas is pessimistic enough that I would begin making alternate plans for your running back slots this week. He did not practice on Monday, and I’ve seen no reports yet that indicate he we will be ready to take advantage of the porous Lions’ D on Sunday.

The fact of the matter is that if you gave Sean Payton truth serum, he would probably admit that he doesn’t think he’ll need Thomas to score on and beat Detroit. Thus, if their #1 backfield horse isn’t ready to go, there is no reason for them to rush him back. This is a huge season for Payton and the Saints, and Thomas is the guy they are counting on to provide the Deuce-like thunder opposite Reggie Bush’s lightning.

That said, I wouldn’t panic yet if you are a Thomas owner (as I am).

Hopefully you have a decent option on your bench for Week 1 and his absence won’t kill you. If you own Reggie Bush, he obviously becomes a must-start, pending the reports out of Saints practice this week. Mike Bell should also see increased carries, especially around the goalline, if Thomas is out. In fact, Bell might not be a bad guy to stash on your bench as a semi-handcuff for Thomas as a hedge in case Thomas’ injuries linger.

Just be sure to keep track of the latest injury updates on Pierre Thomas throughout the week, but I’d get him out of your lineup right now — just in case you forget to check before Sunday — and then make a last minute switch on Saturday or Sunday if the news about his knee changes.

I’ll update this post if I see that anything changes.

Update: Via this tweet from Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune, it appears as if you are safe in removing Pierre Thomas from your rosters. Thomas, according to Duncan, is not dressed for Wednesday’s practice.

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* – Pierre Thomas photo credit: Ball St Journal

Monday Night Football Preview: Packers v Saints

Last week on Monday Night Football, the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills played an ugly game that was nonetheless exciting. The Browns ended up winning after the Bills missed a 47-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the game.

This week, at least on paper, we should have another thrilling matchup on Monday Night Football; and hopefully the level of play is a little bit more aesthetically pleasing.

Tomorrow night, November 24, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints take the field in New Orleans. The Packers enter the game at 5-5, and 1/2 game behind both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North standings. The Bears and Vikings were both victorious on Sunday. The Saints enter the game at 5-5 as well, but in a much more precarious position in the NFC South. They are in last place, behind Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta.

As with most games during late November and December, both teams look at this game as a virtual must-win.

Before we get into who will win, let’s take a look at the injury report:

The biggest injury news in this game is that Saints RB Reggie Bush will not play. Reggie Bush continues to suffer from an injured knee. Sean Payton and the Saints had hoped Bush could give it a go, but announced early on Sunday that he would not play. (Luckily for fantasy owners of Reggie Bush, like myself, the Saints announced this twenty minutes before the early games on Sunday started. I was able to quickly put Le’Ron McLain in my lineup and enjoy his solid day against the Eagles.) Aaron Glenn and Mike Karney are also out for the Saints. For the Packers, linebacker Nick Barnett is out. A whole slew of other players are questionable, but none are starters or key players.

Now let’s get your impression before I give you mine:

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My first impression is that I don’t like this matchup for the Saints.

I think if people were asked who has the better offense, the majority would answer the Saints. And with a healthy Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, and Jeremy Shockey, that could be true. But the truth of the matter is that the Packers have actually scored more points this season: 274-266. This, despite the fact that Brett Favre is playing in New York and running back Ryan Grant is averaging less than 4 yards per carry.

Still, the Packers have the better running game. Without Reggie Bush, the Saints have been relying on Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas to provide balance to the passing attack led by Drew Brees. Unfortunately for New Orleans, McAllister is only averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. Pierre Thomas, however, has been running well of late. He is gaining 4.4 yards per carry and should continue to get carries even when Reggie Bush returns.

The Saints are also trying to assimilate Marques Colston back into their offense. Colston was injured for a while, but it has not stopped Drew Brees from amassing a ridiculous 3,251 passing yards through 10 games. Brees has also thrown for 18 touchdowns, but has been picked off 11 times. With ball-hawking cornerbacks like Charles Woodson on the other side of the ball, Drew Brees will have to be careful not to throw to the other team.

Amazingly, Aaron Rodgers (or is it Scott Stapp from Creed?) is having almost as strong a season as Drew Brees — if not better. He does not have the yardage and touchdowns of Brees, but Rodgers has been more efficient. He has thrown only 6 INTs and has a passer rating of 94.5, nearly equal to Brees’ 95.4. Aaron Rodgers has developed a great rapport with wide receiver Greg Jennings, who is emerging as one of the most electric deep threats in the NFL. Greg Jennings has caught 48 passes, which is less then 5 per game, but he is averaging an eye-popping 18.0 yards per catch and 5 TDs. With New Orleans possessing a secondary that is more like a sieve than a last line of defense, I would expect Greg Jennings to get behind the secondary for at least one or two big plays.

The Saints are 4-1 at home this year, but three of those wins were against struggling teams such as the Raiders, 49ers, and Chargers. They did hand Tampa Bay one of their few losses this year, but the Saints’ other W was against the Chiefs. The Saints have not fared well against teams with records of .500 or above, dropping games to Minnesota, Washington, Carolina, Atlanta, and Denver.

I would say that the Packers are much closer to the second group of teams — the good ones — than the list of patsies that the Saints have beaten. And coming off last week’s dismantling of the Bears, this Packers team seems to be hitting their stride.

I am an unabashed Drew Brees fan, have him in nearly every fantasy league, and remain pissed off that the Miami Dolphins did not draft him back when he came out of Purdue. Drew Brees is an outstanding QB and I think he will play well on Monday night.

Still, I doubt it will be enough to win.

The Packers have their own solid QB to go along with a better running game, a more consistent receiving corps, and a much better defense. Without Reggie Bush to add his dynamic play-making ability to the Saints attack, and keep the Packers D off balance, I think the Saints will put up a valiant fight but ultimately fall short.

Prediction: Packers 38 | Saints 31

(Editor’s Note: For purposes of full disclosure, JRod also picked Texas Tech to beat Oklahoma, thought the Browns would go 9-7 and make the playoffs, and predicted the Chicago White Sox would beat the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s playoffs. So basically, if you are thinking of wagering money on this game, put it confidently on the Saints. The Packers have now been given the official JRod Kiss of Death.)

Week 11 Injury Update: Reggie Bush and Steven Jackson – Both Out Sunday

The news is not good for fantasy football owners of running backs Reggie Bush and Steven Jackson.

The New Orleans Saints had held out hope that Reggie Bush would be able to suit up this weekend when the desperate Saints take on the Chiefs. However, despite partial participation in practice on Wednesday, Bush is officially listed as OUT on the NFL Injury Report. Reggie Bush did not participate in Thursday’s practice. Looks like Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas will be splitting carries again; and that Drew Brees will be airing it out a lot, as always. Marques Colston is listed as probable and should play, providing a boon to the Saints, as well as fantasy owners of Colston and Drew Brees.

For fans of the St. Louis Rams and owners of Steven Jackson, you will have to do without the dreadlocked one again this weekend. Steven Jackson is staying in St. Louis when the Rams travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers. Jackson will be seeing a specialist about his injured thigh. Steven Jackson also missed last week’s game, a week after carrying only 7 times against the Arizona Cardinals.

For more fantasy football knowledge for Week 11, head over to the Fantasy Sports Blog and check out Fraschetti’s Week 11 Fantasy Football Sleeper Focus. If you have any lineup questions, ask them over that Week 11 Start Em, Sit Em Live Chat.  You can submit questions any time and we’ll be answering between 9:00 and 11:00 ET tomorrow.

[tags]fantasy football, nfl injury news, steven jackson, reggie bush[/tags]

Week 9 Fire and Ice Fantasy Football Forum | Matt Ryan-Reggie Bush

What an exciting week 8, was it not?

In taking in all week 8 had to offer, there were a few glaring issues or situations that stood out above the rest. Here’s who and what they were.

Matt Ryan, QB-Falcons. ON FIRE.

Yes, the Falcons lost, so why is he on fire. Have you seen him play? Do you remember he is only a Rookie? I cannot remember a rookie QB making this kind of an impact this fast. The Falcons were supposed to the worst team in football this year. Ryan has given the Falcons a 4-3 record, which is 4 more wins than most predicted they would have. Mike who? Yes, he has eased the pain of the loss of the Falcons entire offense going to Federal prison.

The Falcons coaches displayed their obvious comfort with Ryan throwing, as two out of every three plays were a pass against the Eagles. Ryan has had impressive outings against two defenses that are savages when it comes to applying pressure to quarterbacks, especially rookies, those being the Bears and the Eagles. Even though Matt Forte and Chris Johnson have been impressive, if Ryan continues, here is your 2008 NFL Rookie of the year! … Continue Reading

Week 8 Fantasy Football Sleeper Focus | Cedric Benson – Brad Johnson – Defenses

Follow the link to go to the most recent Fantasy Football Sleeper Focus for Week 9.

Welcome back to the Midwest Sports Fans Fantasy Football Sleeper Focus for NFL Week 8.

In a recap, two weeks ago, I recommended that you pick up and start John Carlson, the tight end from Seattle. All he has done since is score touchdowns, which propelled him to the 11th ranked fantasy tight end. I told you two weeks ago to sit all of your Patriots, and in doing so, the offense was miserable. Last week I told you to start all of your Patriots, and it appeared that Tom Brady was wearing #16 as the Patriots offense did not miss a beat.

The concept of this weekly segment is to help fantasy football owners make educated, tough decisions. I am open to your questions and will provide advice to you via email, or if received early enough, I will post your question on our weekly segment. You can also interact with me via this site by posting a question at the end of this article. Responses have grown each week, and I am encouraged by all of the positive feedback I have received. I do not address the obvious “no-brainers” for who to start in my article, but try to provide insight into deeper issues.

Now, lets get down and dirty with Week 8.

… Continue Reading

Fire and Ice Fantasy Sports Forum | Fantasy Football Week 8 | Browns – Colts

Welcome back all to yet another edition of the Fire and Ice Fantasy Sports Forum.

For those of you new to the weekly column, which began last week, I will post several players each week and rate them as being on fire or on ice. My fellow writers at Midwest Sports Fans, and our loyal readers as well, will then chime in with their own thoughts on the selected players. Keep in mind this is evaluated from a fantasy football perspective.

So, who is on fire or on ice for Week 8?

… Continue Reading

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]