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There’s lots of guys that are injured every week in the NFL, it’s really just a part of the game. We’re here to help you stay on top of what’s going on with them so you can field the best possible team going into next week.

Quarterbacks

Tony Romo (Replacement: Brandon Weeden) – Tony Romo injured his collarbone while being sacked in Sunday’s contest against the Eagles. Romo is expected to be out at least 8 weeks as he has been put on the IR/return list. He cannot return to the field any earlier than week 11, and it’s a strong possibility that he isn’t back until Thanksgiving or later. This is far too long to wait for him to return – pick up the best available QB on your waiver wire asap. No, Brandon Weeden is not a sufficient replacement on your team.

Drew Brees (Replacement: Luke McCown) – Brees injured his rotator cuff in the loss to the Bucs on Sunday. Initially, it seemed like he might miss several weeks. After a second opinion, it seems that he has a shot to play this week against Carolina. We will know more about this situation once the injury reports are released on Wednesday, so make sure to pay attention. This is a short-term injury, so do not drop Brees for a backup. Also, look elsewhere for a fill-in, McCown is almost certainly not the best option on your waiver wire.

Cutler is expected to be out for two weeks.

Jay Cutler (Replacement: Jimmy Clausen) – Cutler hurt himself (hamstring) yet again while chasing down a defender who had picked him off. This seems to be something that Cutler just kind of does once per season. If we had any sort of real backup, the fans in Chicago might even be happy, however Clausen is no legit NFL starter. The year that he started, he had 3 passing TD’s in 10 games. He should have accidentally gotten to 5. Cutler will be back in a few weeks, in the meantime, just stay away from any Bears player not named Matt Forte.

Matt Stafford (Replacement: none) – Stafford has been banged up the last few weeks and the Lions don’t have any wins to show for it. Stafford had x-rays on his ribs which came back negative, but it’s clear that he’ll be playing with some pain in week 3. The Broncos defense has been outstanding in the first two weeks, and Stafford’s ineffectiveness combined with potential rib injury lead me to recommend you start anyone else in week 3, even in a 2 QB league.

Running Backs

Eddie Lacy (Replacement: James Starks) – Lacy had an early exit from Sunday night’s game as apparently everyone in Green Bay had an ankle injury. Lacy doesn’t play until Monday night in week 3, so he has an extra day to get ready. As of now, he’s probably going to play, but as always, wait for the injury report to come out. James Starks is one of the best backups in the league and can be inserted immediately into your lineup if Lacy does not start, so pick him up as an insurance policy, if he’s still available.

Tevin Coleman (Replacement: Devonta Freeman) – Coleman missed the entire second half of the game this past Sunday against the Giants after he was carted off with a broken rib. This is the kind of injury that has a lot to do with pain threshold and less to do with the body working mechanically correctly. Coleman has looked very good so far and has out-carried Devonta Freeman, so keep him on your roster until he’s healthy again. Freeman is an OK replacement, not as good as James Starks, but he’s much closer to the performance of Coleman than some of the previously mentioned backup QB’s are to their starters. Coleman should be back in a couple of weeks, keep your eyes on the injury report and if he’s been practicing.

Lamar Miller (Replacement: Damien Williams) – Miller says that he’s going to be OK after suffering an ankle injury during Sunday’s game in Washington. He’s basically day-to-day at this point, so you shouldn’t worry too much about his status for week 3. What’s more worrisome are his stats in the first two weeks – he’s only gaining just over 50 yards per game on an offense that is supposed to be improving. Damien Williams would get the start if Miller doesn’t go, but against the Buffalo defense, you might want to just find another option.

Denard Robinson (Replacement: T.J. Yeldon, Bernard Pierce) – Robinson has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain which could leave him out for 1-2 months – the timeline is not very certain this early in the injury. Robinson was already taking a backseat to Yeldon, who has been impressive in the early going of 2015. Yeldon is not likely to be available in any leagues - if he is, please take all of your opponent’s money mercilessly as that’s one easy fantasy league. Pierce is unlikely to be useful anywhere but in the deepest of leagues, and as a handcuff for Yeldon.

Wide Receivers

The Jets' dynamic duo.

Eric Decker (Replacement: Chris Owusu, Quincy Enunwa) – Decker suffered a PCL injury during Monday night’s game and wasn’t heard from for basically the entire second half (thanks Decker, couldn’t get another 1 point?). Decker has had success this season with Fitzpatrick, so if he plays, go ahead and slot him in. If he doesn’t’ play, Chris Owusu and Quincy Enunwa will probably take targets away from each other. (Note: Owusu is out for a couple weeks, but it doesn't really help Enunwa anyways) The tandem of Decker and Marshall looks to be a strong one this year, so stick with them while they play, but there’s not likely to be anyone filling their shoes if they don’t.

Davante Adams (Replacement: Ty Montgomery, James Jones) – Adams went down with an ankle injury briefly on Sunday night. Apparently, those injuries are contagious. Adams struggled during the game, but who wouldn’t struggle when you have Richard Sherman covering your every move. Since Adams was able to return, I expect him to be ready to play next Monday night. He’s definitely lost some of the work everyone thought he was going to get to James Jones, so keep that in mind if you want to start Adams. If Adams can’t go, Ty Montgomery did have an OK game, collecting 4 receptions on 4 targets. I like his potential if given an entire game.

Jerricho Cotchery (Replacement: Ted Ginn Jr.) – Cotchery suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday, an injury which typically lingers in NFL players. Cotchery may be able to tough it out and play in week 3, but seeing as he’s the only real veteran receiver they have, Carolina might be smart to let him sit a week or two. Ted Ginn Jr. and Greg Olsen will be the ones to absorb Cotchery’s targets, though that number has never been too high. The receivers in Carolina are very sketchy at best – stick to starting Cam, Greg and Jon (athan Stewart).

Tight Ends

Jordan Cameron (Replacement: Jake Stoneburner) – Cameron exited his week 2 game with a groin injury, but at least had the courtesy of putting up a few fantasy points before doing so. Cameron has suffered from so-called soft tissue injuries in the past, so this could definitely put him on the sidelines a couple weeks. As always, keep an eye on injury reports and practice status before making a final decision. Backup TE Jake Stoneburner will step into Cameron’s role, and already has caught a TD and secured both targets sent his way from Ryan Tannehill. This isn’t exactly a direct replacement you can plug in, however his TD in week 1 is intriguing, so he is worth a flyer.

Jason Witten (Replacement: Gavin Escobar) – Witten is already banged up after two weeks into the 2015 season with two bad ankles and a sprained knee. Even veterans usually don’t see this kind of wear and tear until late November or December. Witten will play through most everything he can, and even be effective while doing so. The exception to this is when Tony Romo is not out there throwing him the ball. Witten should not play this week because the Cowboys have already lost their two most important offensive players. If they lose Witten for the season because they pushed him in week 3, that will just be icing on the injury cake that Jerry Jones is currently choking on. Gavin Escobar would normally jump into a top 10 TE role right away with Witten out, however with Weeden throwing him the ball, Escobar is worth a roster spot if you’re hurting, but I’d wait a week to see if you should be starting him.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Replacement: Brandon Myers) – ASJ had an incredible week 1 and a back-to-earth week 2. I do expect him to do well in the long run with Jameis Winston, however you can chalk week 1’s performance up to a fluke (and really, garbage time points). ASJ is out for 4-6 weeks now with a strained shoulder, so drop him and look elsewhere for a TE to fill your roster. Maybe our waiver wire picks? Brandon Myers is not the answer here, so avoid him everywhere but in the deepest leagues.

We've all got one week under our belts, and probably whatever you cooked on the grill on Sunday. Football is back, which means cold beers, grilled burgers and getting up early to cook something all day long. Well, it might mean that, but right here, it really means waiver wires, who do I start, and of course, our (soon to be) world famous rankings.

Look for Peyton Manning to bounce back this week against a Chiefs defense that gave up two scoring drives to (new starter) Ryan Mallett in relief. Matt Stafford has basically fallen off of everyone's fantasy radar - he was drafted low and isn't starting material in most leagues. Maybe the time of Stafford to Johnson has passed - Calvin's numbers certainly were disappointing in week 1. Last week Danny Woodhead had 20 touches - if he has half that number this week, he should still start in your standard league flex spots. Doug Martin, meanwhile, is not the kind of back that can go out and make his own success. He'll be at the mercy of a struggling Jameis Winston for the time being.

Mike Wallace was Teddy Bridgewater's favorite target, connecting with him six times. Look for this connection to net you a TD in week 2 against the Lions. Davante Adams has taken a bit of a hit after the realization that, of course, James Jones will fit right in with his old team and will cut into Adams's workload a decent amount. Heath Miller is the clear beneficiary in the Steelers offense that's lacking two big weapons. He should have at least one more week with an increased workload.

Good luck this week, make sure to check before the games start for last minute injuries.

Week 1 is finally here. Time to stop worry about draft strategies, sleepers and boring-ass preseason games. Real football is here, and it all starts tomorrow night in Foxboro. Here at drinkfive, we'll be delivering our rankings on a weekly basis, so check out everything below, in a convenient Fantasypros box. Also, make sure to check out the sit/start advice on the right side of the page.

But first, let's take a look at a few players this week: Carson Palmer is ranked 13th this week. He's playing the Saints at home and will have a full compliment of receivers. Andrew Luck may be taking a bit hit and landing at #9, but he's still going to start if you drafted him. The Bills just have a really good defense. Mark Ingram has a very tough matchup against the Cardinals defense, don't expect him to shine just yet. Darren Sproles could be a sneaky start, especially in a PPR league.

Anquan Boldin may find his way into the top 20 this week, considering he's the only legitimate target on the team that has a past with Kaepernick. I would be hesitant to start Andre Johnson, who may need a week or two to find his groove in Indy. Starting the season against the Bills won't help any. Charles Clay is a sneaky start, especially if you drafted someone like Antonio Gates, who is out for the first four games. Maybe start him instead of Tyler Eifert.

Good luck in your first week, make sure to check before the games start for last minute injuries.

Wide receivers are everywhere. They’re the most plentiful of any position in fantasy football, and most leagues have the most WR starters than any position. Hell, some leagues are centered on a bonus that people get from catching the ball! Suffice it to say, they’re damn important. All the rankings, ECR and ADP are based on standard scoring leagues, unless specified. Check out the Quarterbacks and Running Backs that we evaluated as well.

(Listen to the Fantasy Football Podcast, 9/1/15: The Preseason WR Show!)

Undervalued Wideouts.

These are guys that we rank a lot higher than the ECR (expert consensus ranking). This doesn’t mean they need to be taken at the spot we rank them, but it does mean you should be taking them before the ECR says so.

Percy Harvin (BUF) – Rank 38, ECR 59, +21 – Harvin is a big injury risk, but he’s an interesting flier pick. With an ADP of 52, he’s not being taken in most standard leagues, but his upside is undeniable. Rex Ryan loves to use exciting players, and few are as explosive as Harvin at his best. Coach Ryan has insisted that Harvin will be starting week 1, so if Tyrod Taylor works out and Harvin stays healthy, your very late round flier could turn into an every week starter early in the season.

 Bryant is a wideout worth waiting for.

Martavis Bryant (PIT) – Rank 21, ECR 38, +17 – Bryant recently failed a series of drug tests and netted himself a 4 game suspension. Maybe he’s just trying to get traded to Denver or Seattle. He’s missing 4 games, you say, surely he cannot be ranked so high! First of all, don’t call me Shirley, secondly, Bryant is a true threat to score every time he touches the ball. We’ve been over why we like him so much, but I must reiterate – he averages 3.59 fantasy points EVERY TIME HE TOUCHES THE BALL. In just last week’s preseason game, he had 3 receptions for 138 yds and a TD. Expect lots of stat lines like this once he comes back in week 5.

Jeremy Maclin (KC) – Rank 14, ECR 25, +11 – Last year was a career season for Maclin. Don’t read too much into it that the Eagles didn't keep him. Chip Kelley is a mad genius, nobody is going to understand exactly why he makes the moves he makes. Back to KC though, where an already established offensive genius, Andy Reid, is at the helm. In the third preseason game, Maclin was force fed the ball (a theme throughout the preseason) and caught 7 of 7 targets. Maclin has scored 10 TD’s twice in his career and I expect the KC wideout TD drought to end in week 1 when Maclin finds the end zone. Charles and Kelce will provide balance in this offense that is poised to take a big step forward form last year.

Vincent Jackson (TB) – Rank 20, ECR 27, +7 – Vjax has been a stud for years (over 1000 yards in his last 6 full seasons) and at 6’5”, 241lbs, he’s still much bigger than any defensive back. He and Mike Evans will be ushering rookie Jameis Winston into the league and should be able to go up and get any jump ball he throws. His status has fallen in recent years with QB’s like Freeman and McCown throwing him the ball, but he soldiers on, catching 70 or more passes every year he’s been in Tampa Bay. His undisputed #1 status in the offense should net him a similar amount of work this season. Don’t let him slip too far. He’s a much safer and steadier option that guys with a similar ECR and ADP.

Terrance Williams (DAL) – Rank 44, ECR 51, +7 – Thus far, Williams has been a very late round draft pick, mostly someone’s afterthought for bench depth. Williams is on an offense that lost the best RB of 2014 and currently has nothing certain to fill the void. Tony Romo can make up for some of that work through passing, and Dez Bryant just isn’t going to see a huge increase in work (mostly because he’s already getting as much as he can handle). Williams is poised for a classic third year breakout and should be a relevant WR3/flex starter when lining up opposite Bryant. If Bryant happens to go down, then you’ve got a guy who could possibly finish in the top 10. Not bad for end of the bench depth!

Overvalued wide receivers.

These guys are just being hyped too much. I’m not implying with any of them that they will be bad or not worth starting, it’s just that the draft value is not worth it. Let someone else reach for these players.

Andre Johnson (IND) – Rank 35, ECR 16, -19 – Andre Johnson had his coming back to earth year last season. As people get older, we do expect them to regress a little bit. Even if you cancel out that age related regression with the bonus of moving into Andrew Luck’s offense, you still wind up with a low end WR3 at best. He’s currently being drafted as a mid-level WR2, and that’s just not happening for a guy who averaged only 11 yards per catch last season. His career numbers are on a clear 3-year downward trend and he’s always had a hard time finding the end zone. Let someone else run this experiment.

 Hopkins may be good, but he's not OBJ good.

DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) – Rank 24, ECR 12, -12 – Hopkins is replacing Johnson in Houston. He has all the talent in the world to do it, and really does have the potential to finish in the top 10…once he is on a team with a good QB. Brian Hoyer is not that QB. The hype surrounding Hopkins is simply at the point that someone is going to draft him far too high, either thinking they are clever, or smart, or both (worst case scenario, I know). If Brian Hoyer winds up being a world beater this year, fine, but are you really going to invest a 3^rd round pick on a guy that has to rely on Brian Hoyer every time he gets the ball? Someone is bound to reach for this guy anyways. Just talk him up at your draft a little bit to help drive up the value to the territory you know you won’t go into.

Davante Adams (GB) – Rank 31, ECR 23, -8 – Adams saw his value go up with Jordy Nelson going down for the season, and rightfully so. The reaction was, however, too great. His ECR places him in territory of more proven guys like DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Sammy Watkins. All of these guys are better options than Adams, a guy with pretty underwhelming stats from his rookie campaign in 2014. I expect the Packers to do a good job spreading the ball around (they have Aaron Rodgers, after all) and to lean heavily on their stellar run game. Adams will likely be a WR3, but most people are drafting him and expecting Jordy Nelson type numbers, which is just not gonna happen.

Jarvis Landry (MIA) – Rank 42, ECR 28, -14 – “But Jason”, you say, “You guys loved Jarvis Landry last year!”. Yes, we did, and we still like the guy, but the fact is that he’s a PPR darling who doesn’t find the end zone often enough. He’s a possession receiver on a team that just got a great possession guy in Jordan Cameron and a legit deep threat in Kenny Stills (which will eliminate the need for some 3^rd downs). Landry’s games where he sees the most work are when the Dolphins are losing (they only won 2 of 7 games where he was targeted 8 or more times). The Dolphins will improve, Landry will likely get the same amount of catches (he had 84 last year as a rookie) and only averaged 9 yards per catch. He’s the hot guy to take in Miami right now, but nothing in his situation tells me that he’s going to be stepping into the 1000+ yard club. Like the rest of the overvalued players, just let someone else reach for them (and then trade for him when they are disappointed!).