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On the podcast this week, we touched on some major and minor injuries throughout the league which I've included below. We also branched out the discussion to news, waiver wire picks, overachievers and much more. Give the show a listen to really dig into the meat and potatoes this week!

(Listen to the Fantasy Football Podcast, 9/15/15: Week 2 Preview) 

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr (OAK): What looked like a bruised hand may have been something more, but we weren’t certain. An MRI on Monday didn’t reveal any lasting damage – just a bruised thumb on Carr’s right throwing hand. They were exploring the signing of Christian Ponder, among other veteran QBs.. thankfully we should see Carr back in the saddle in week 2, or week 3 at the latest (in which case backup Matt McGloin would fill in against the Ravens). Editor's Note: Looks like Carr will in fact start in week 2 barring setbacks.

Josh McCown (CLE): A concussion sustained on a dive into the end zone has sidelined McCown for the time being, leaving Manziel the heir apparent. It remains to be seen whether or not McCown will be able to suit up for week 2’s game but believe me, the Browns would really like for that to be the case after Manziel’s performance on Sunday.

Running Backs

Andre Ellington (ARI): Grade 1 PCL sprain. Not as bad as it could have been, Ellington will likely miss all of September and most of October recovering from this injury. It does afford new Cardinals running backs Chris Johnson and David Johnson an opportunity to show their worth to the team. Expect David Johnson to continue to impress but have his carries limited, as Arians would prefer not to let a rookie shoulder the load. We already know what Chris Johnson can do..

C.J. Anderson (DEN): Anderson’s injury is being shrouded in a little bit of mystery here and that is rather concerning for fantasy owners. He was expected to produce top-10 numbers this season and so any bad news here will likely result in some butt-hurt team managers. Whispers of this injury being more than just something day-to-day have catapulted Ronnie Hillman’s stock on the waiver wire and I would be surprised if he doesn’t end up being a top pickup this week.

Wide Receivers

Dez Bryant (DAL): Suffering from a “Jones” fracture (the same injury that kept Marvin Jones and the NBA’s Kevin Durant out for a season), Bryant was a huge part of the Cowboys offense and now they may have to face being without him for at least 6-8 weeks, if not the rest of 2015. What should you do as a Bryant owner? Well, after a little light weeping, try to scoop up one of the top receivers available on the wire this week. From the Cowboys’ perspective, Terrance Williams, Gavin Escobar and Cole Beasley all benefit – this injury will also likely bring Jason Witten back up to TE1 status for the remainder of the Bryant’s recovery.

T.Y.Hilton (IND): It looks like a particularly badly bruised knee – that kind of injury could sideline a player for a few days or a few weeks depending on how it heals. Should Hilton not play in week 2, reports say that Donte Moncrief will be the guy who fills his shoes and is immediately start-able on your roster as a WR2/3.

DeSean Jackson (WAS): Alas poor Washington, it was not to be. Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed will try to lap up Jackson’s missed production so consider starting either while Jackson recovers from the this hamstring issue (he should be back sometime in October). Andre Roberts is an intriguing option here as well, but we’re shying away from the Redskins offense in general.

Tight Ends

Delanie Walker (TEN): Walker has a splint on his right hand – certainly not a good sign for a pass-catching TE that excels in PPR leagues. Looks like he has successfully avoided a major injury, though, so he may end up being on the field in week 2. If not, Anthony Fasano will fill in but he should be avoided even as a spot starter – there are better options available. Kendall Wright gets the biggest boost from this injury, should Walker be forced to sit out the game.

Injuries are a huge part of the fantasy football season. This year, they have already taken a bite out of the fantasy production of many teams with extended injuries to such players as Adrian Peterson, Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead, Ameer Abdullah, and more. The hits just keep coming! This week we’ll look at a few key injuries that may change the direction of some fantasy match-ups.

Cam Newton (QB, CAR)

Newton is in the league’s concussion protocol and has a number of tests to go through and pass before he can suit up on Monday Night Football. Still likely to play, but it puts a lot of owners in a tough spot if he ends up sitting out!

Carson Palmer (QB, ARZ)

Palmer is no ‘Spring Chicken’ and he is also in the concussion protocol for now. The difference for Palmer is that he is scheduled to play on Thursday. If he doesn’t go, Drew Stanton will fill in and likely make the Cardinals look even worse than they already have this season.

Trevor Siemian (QB, DEN)

Siemian has been one of a few surprises this season, putting up some great numbers recently. With a sprain in his non-throwing shoulder, Siemian could easily start under center on Sunday but the Broncos’ healthy new toy Paxton Lynch is also chomping at the bit to play after getting his first NFL snaps in week 4. Regardless, Kubiak has said, “Trevor is our starting Quarterback”, so as of right now we should expect him to resume active duties.

Dez Bryant (WR, DAL)

A hairline fracture (and not having Tony Romo as QB) are both keeping Bryant from being especially fantasy relevant so far this year. With only Jerry Jones speaking up on the issue, we have no idea whether or not Bryant will start against the Bengals in week 5. Even if he did start, Bryant may be a suggested sit depending on your bench depth.

Kevin White (WR, CHI)

A sprained ankle has sidelined Bears’ wide receiver Kevin White for now – watch for more news later this week. White has yet to score a TD in the NFL, but with Hoyer playing QB his stats have improved over the beginning of the season. One of these games could prove to be a breakout for White if he avoids serious injury.

Zach Ertz (TE, PHI) & Tyler Eifert (TE, CIN)

Both Ertz and Eifert are scheduled to return to fantasy rosters everywhere. Temper expectations for Eifert in what could be his first game of the season this week, but the Bengals desperately need more targets on that offense and there’s a reason why Eifert is already nowhere to be found on waiver wires. Ertz has been sidelined with a rib injury since week 1, but he’s an exciting prospect with rising star QB Carson Wentz controlling his fantasy destiny. Could be a good year for Ertz.

Chris Johnson (RB, ARZ)

Now on IR indefinitely for a sports-hernia injury, this just means more carries for David Johnson.

Dwayne Washington (RB, DET)

A sprained foot and ankle could sideline Washington for a few games. Be aware of the situation, as The Lions are rapidly losing depth at the position and may look to someone like Karlos Williams or make a trade for other talent at the position if they cannot get healthy.

Doug Martin (RB, TAM)

Looks like Martin will miss one more week (the following week is a bye for the Bucs) and so Sims will continue to fill in as the lead back in Tampa Bay. Not a great play against Carolina, however.

Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE)

News is starting to bubble up in the media about Gronkowski’s hamstring injury and subsequent lack of fantasy production. Not many people expected him to be this hampered early in the season, but if he can’t perform this week with Brady under center it’s already past time to panic.

Jordan Cameron (TE, MIA)

Cameron is out with another concussion and his past history of them means that we can’t expect him back anytime soon. Deep league? Dion Sims is not a terrible choice at the position against a Titans defense with some holes in it.

Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters. All fantasy stats are half PPR scoring unless otherwise noted.

37+ Fantasy Points

A trio of quarterbacks leads the NFL in fantasy points for week 15. At the top of the group is Eagles rookie Jalen Hurts, who had his first start last week after seeing a handful of snaps in almost every game this season. Hurts’ debut was not bad, he had over 100 yards passing and the Eagles upset the Saints, but this week showed that he’s a legit QB. Hurts threw for 338 yards with 3 TDs, adding 63 yards and another TD on the ground for a total of 37.82 fantasy points. Zero turnovers, despite the loss, is probably the most important stat to the coach, and it’s clear that this job is about to be his to lose, and Wentz might be looking for a new home next year. Meanwhile, Josh Allen and Ryan Tannehill both eclipsed 37 fantasy points while leading their teams to 48 and 46 points respectively. Between them, they threw for 632 yards, 5 TDs, and ran for 4 touchdowns – two apiece. Both Tannehill and Allen are probably on lots of teams that are going to the finals, but if you managed to start Hurts and are going to the finals, well, just exactly how do you get around with those giant brass balls of yours?

1106 Days

There were three wide receivers of note that scored their first touchdown in a year or more on Sunday, but none of them had a gap like Dez Bryant, who scored for the Ravens. It was his first touchdown in 1,106 days, more than 3 years ago on December 10^th, 2017 – which was a 50-yard strike from Dak Prescott. Bryant was joined by fellow veteran WRs Antonio Brown (462 days) and Larry Fitzgerald (364 days – ok ok not technically a year). Both of whom caught touchdowns last year and today from the same QB, though Brown (and Brady) have the distinction of both moving to a new team. Honorable mentions go to Jake Kumerow (426 days) and Marcus Mariota – 445 days since his last passing TD and 772 days since his last rushing score. While we’re at it, might as well congratulate those who have never scored before - Lil’Jordan Humphrey (NO), Quez Watkins (PHI), Darrynton Evans (TEN), and Jalen Hurts (PHI) getting his first rushing TD, the only way the bookies count a real TD scored.

1,679 Rushing Yards

Derrick Henry, or El Tractorcito if you’ll help me propagate his fantastic nickname a little bit, is absolutely crushing everyone in rushing yards this year. He’s averaging 120 yards per game (ok, 119.9, but this is about gushing here…) and only needs to average a bit over 160 yards the last 2 games in order to reach the fabled 2,000-yard season. Through 14 games this year, he’s already passed his total from last year where he led the league with 1,540 yards in 15 games. Henry has nearly doubled up the 10^th highest rushing total on the year, Jonathan Taylor’s 842 yards. Henry’s only real competition at this point is Dalvin Cook, with 1,484 rushing yards. Cook actually leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,833, on pace for 2,256 total yards on the season. Cook has now cracked 300 points on the season, Henry is third with 278 and there’s a huge gap between him and 4^th place. Both Cook and Henry have gone over 300 touches for two years in a row, so be careful drafting next year

27 Passing Touchdowns

Justin Herbert tied the rookie passing touchdowns record this past Thursday, adding two more to his season total and tying Baker Mayfield’s record of 27 he set in 2018, and hasn’t yet matched in his career. Herbert still has two games left in the season in order to assume the mantle all on his own, though it should be noted that Mayfield started only 13 games in 2018, matching Herbert’s total so far this year. Herbert’s OT win over the Raiders probably put him back firmly in the lead for offensive rookie of the year, especially with the one-yard rushing touchdown to seal the game at the end of overtime, and despite Anthony Lynn’s apparent attempts to get his quarterback killed. Herbert is truly putting together an impressive rookie year, especially when one takes into account that the plan was not for him to start much, if at all this year. He has a 27:10 TD to INT ratio, something that QBs like Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, and Matt Ryan cannot boast. His 4 rushing TDs is also something that Mayfield could not match in his rookie year – he did not find the end zone on his own until his second season.

88 Total Rushing Yards

Who says you need a running game to be balanced or have success in this league? On Sunday, the Buccaneers and Falcons combined for a whopping 88 rushing yards between the two teams. Leonard Fournette led the way with a blistering 49 yards (and 2 scores, giving him a new fantasy day in the end), and 3 players wound up with negative rushing totals on the game, keeping us below 90. Brian Hill really helped that along, with 5 attempts for -2 yards. He added 2 catches for 9 yards, meaning he averaged exactly 1 yard per touch on the day. So, what did this lack of a rushing attack mean for the game as a whole? Well, the game blew the Vegas total out of the water, with 58 total points – under bettors were counting their winnings after a whopping 17 points in the first half. 22 teams passed the 88-yard mark and 5 players did it all on their own. In fact, those 5 all went over 120 rushing yards, leaving this game in the dust.