Injuries Pile Up for Contenders in Week 1

Injury news that hits ZoneBlitz closer to the wallet came down earlier today, when Jay Glazer reported that Saints WR Marques Colston will miss 4-6 weeks after surgery to repair a ligament in his thumb.  Colston has been a mainstay on ZoneBlitz rosters this year–both auction formats, and one of our free leagues feature him on their roster (the free league also featured Tom Brady as their QB–that’ll be fun).

ZoneBlitz (and I guess the Saints) aren’t the only ones hurting, though–there were several other key injuries in week 1:

• Seahawks WR Nate Burleson, out for the season with a torn ACL, depletes an already thin WR corps.  No real good options on the fantasy front, either.
• Chargers LB Shawne Merriman, finally having surgery on his knee.  Probably shouldn’t have played anyway.
• Jaguars interior offensive line–guard Vince Manuwai is out for the year, and G Maurice Williams and C Brad Meester are expected to miss a couple of months with torn biceps’.  Might impact Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor’s production.
• Titans QB Vince Young, sprained knee and possibly messed up head–it’s never good when your mom calls the coach concerned about your mental health.  If you were relying on Young for your fantasy team, you’ve got bigger issues, though.
• Colts TE Dallas Clark, still haven’t heard how severe his knee injury is, but look for Anthony Gonzalez to get more looks.
• Cowboys RB Marion Barber III (ribs) and Chargers RB LaDanian Tomlinson (turf toe)–neither may miss time, but both warrant watching.
• Donte Stallworth, Deuce McAllister, Maurice Morris, Willis McGahee, Jeff Garcia, Albert Haynesworth – All suffered tweaks or continued tweaks that may limit them in Week 2.
• Brodie Croyle, shoulder–the one injury that may improve the fantasy outlook for some guys, like Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez.
• You may have heard, but Tom Brady is out for the year too.

As for possible replacements for these guys…well, thanks to non stop promotion at our drafts (also known as whoring ourselves for traffic), we know that there are a few of our fellow GMs who follow this site, so we’re not going to let you in on any of our secrets.  But there are plenty of “experts” who have their own opinions on who to look for–like this guy and this guy.