It's Fantasy Football Time!
Yes, it is just about that time of year again and if you are like us, you are excited about the prospect of the return of FOOTBALL! With the return of the NFL, it brings the return of fantasy football. Every year, I have patients asking me about who to draft and stay away from when it comes to injuries, so I would like to share some tips.
1. Not everyone is Adrian Peterson. In fact I am pretty sure he is an alien. The vast majority of human beings cannot fully recovery from ACL surgery in only 6 months. I remember telling a friend of mine that, in no way, should you draft him. No one could have predicted that he would return to such a level so quickly and not re-tear his ACL. Also, side note, if you are having ACL surgery, please do not ask your PT to recover as quick as AD. Most return to sport protocols are more like 9-12 months at a minimum. Just look at the case of Jake Butt, the Michigan-turned-Broncos tight end who is almost at 2 years post op, but looking great!
2. Some injuries can truly tank fantasy points. I had a great conversation with Dr. Mark Drakos from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, who was also a team doctor for the New York Giants, and he referred me to a very interesting 2010 study out of Duke University regarding NFL players and Achilles ruptures. Basically, it concluded that only two-thirds of players in the NFL with Achilles ruptures return to play and of those players who do, their performance was significantly affected not just in the first season back, but over the next three. How did they measure their performance? In games played and fantasy points of course! What about Michael Crabtree you ask? Well in the first years back after his 2013 injury, he was not effective at all. It took him another 3 years to be a top target for the Raiders.
3. Concussions are not to be messed with. Are you looking at players that have a history of concussions? If you are, don’t be surprised if they end up on the sideline again this year in concussion protocols. Even with the new tackle rules, I think you are still going to see quite a few this year because tackle form can’t be corrected overnight.
4. Beware of the MCL sprain. I like to refer to this one as the most painful minor injury you can have. Every time you see a player cut or pivot, you are seeing them put strain the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL). While surgery is usually not needed in this recovery, it tends to be incredibly painful and lateral movements can take your breath away. If your job is to juke and cut in order to dodge tacklers, you can imagine how painful that could be.
Obviously, every athlete recovers differently and when it is your full time job to rehab, recover, and prevent injuries, you will get better faster, but hopefully you can use one or two of these tips to avoid getting stuck on the waiver wire with no one to pick up when your star goes down. Happy drafting everyone!