Jason Witten is out for the preseason and possibly some of the regular season after being injured against the Raiders. (Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE)
Recently, I wrote a column about the NFL preseason and how it’s a complete waste of time for guys that are established in the league, but not for rookies looking to make a quick impression on their teams — and fantasy players.
After the second week of preseason games concluded on Monday, my point was well-made considering Philadelphia starting quarterback Michael Vick and Dallas tight end Jason Witten, two perennial stars in the league, were injured in their games against New England and Oakland in the span of a week.
Vick left Monday’s game against the Patriots (Aug. 20) with injured ribs after he was drilled by New England linebacker Jermaine Cunningham in the first quarter. It was the second straight game that Vick had to leave prematurely. He also had to exit early in Philadelphia’s preseason opener against the Steelers after he injured his thumb. Although Vick should be fine for the regular season opener, you can’t help but wonder why in the heck Andy Reid keeps running his star player out to play in games that mean absolutely nothing.
The same goes for Witten, who had his spleen lacerated in the Cowboys’ 3-0 Monday night win over Oakland on Aug. 13 and could be out for the team’s opener on Sept. 5 at New York.
Here’s a guy that’s been one of the top tight ends in the league over the past decade or so and is a vital part of the Cowboys’ offense. What in the world does he need to do in the preseason? I understand guys want/need reps, but it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to have star players playing when the games mean nothing.
And don’t think for a second that Witten’s preseason injury won’t linger into the regular season. Any time a person has an internal injury, it’s serious. But the Cowboys rolled the dice by playing their Pro Bowl tight end and it backfired big-time. As a result, they’ll likely be without their leading pass-catcher when they take on NFC East divisional foe New York to kick off the NFL season. That’s not a good thing for Dallas considering the Giants are the defending world champions and a major road block to capturing the division crown.
As far as fantasy value goes, Vick should be fine to start the season barring another injury in another preseason game. He’s still one of the top QB options available and he’s got the offensive weapons to post big numbers. However, I would be concerned about the offensive line protection he is receiving considering he’s been banged up quite a bit in a brief amount of work.
Witten, on the other hand, is another story. He will not return for the preseason and could miss the opener against the Giants. If you are in a league in which you have to start a tight end and have Witten on your roster, you might need to look for some help at that spot immediately if you don’t have a quality backup. Denver’s Jacob Tamme or Tennessee’s Jared Cook could be backup options if you need to go that route for Week 1.
New Denver quarterback Peyton Manning is familiar with Tamme from their playing days in Indianapolis so there is a rapport there. Tamme is known more as a receiver than a blocker, but he could post some surprising numbers in Denver this season.
