Zach Collaros        QB        Cincinnati        Knee

Collaros’ injury has been reported as a contusion of the knee.  As of Tuesday’s practice time, Collaros was still on crutches with a brace on the injured knee.  The brace doesn’t make sense with a “contusion”, nor does Collaros’ alleged remark that he felt unusual movement of the knee. All the signs tend to indicate damage to the tibial collateral ligament (primary stabilizer on the medial side of the knee).  Collaros will not play this week against Syracuse, but with the bye week following, he could be ready to go, most likely wearing a brace, on November 13 against West Virginia.

MSU RB Vick Ballard: on a milk carton last week, ready to go this week (Icon SMI)

Vick Ballard        RB        Mississippi State        Ankle

Ballard, far and away the brightest spot in the Bulldog offense, will be in the starting line- up this week against Kentucky.  Ballard, recovering from an ankle sprain, was held out of last week’s contest (very late scratch)against UAB to give the ankle more rest and time to heal.  UAB was supposed to be a walk over, but without Ballard, the Bulldogs were lucky to salvage the game.  They will definitely need Ballard and his rushing abilities this week against Kentucky.

Marcus Lattimore    RB        South Carolina    Leg

Lattimore is another player that was held out against a weaker opponent to allow healing time for a sprained ankle.  Medically, this was the right move, but without him, the Gamecocks almost got embarrassed by perennial SEC cellar dweller, Vandy.  Lattimore, a freshman sensation, practiced Monday and there is no doubt that “the old ball coach” will have Lattimore in the game this week against Tennessee.  The Gamecocks still have the edge in the SEC East race, but can’t afford to drop another game. Read the rest of this entry →

First, a word about “Quick Healers”…

It has been reported by various sources that Wide Receivers Mike Floyd of Notre Dame and Ryan Broyles of Oklahoma may be “returning to action sooner than anticipated”.  Broyles was allegedly diagnosed with a “shoulder fracture” two weeks ago.  If there was in fact a fracture, there is no way in medical science for it to heal in fourteen days (fractures typically take 6-8 weeks to heal).  Since Broles is a wide receiver, his shoulder cannot be sufficiently braced or splinted without taking away his ability to raise his arms above his shoulders-an action extremely necessary for a wide receiver.  Although there has been some experimentation utilizing hyperbaric chambers to hasten bone union (primarily in professional ice hockey), two weeks is just not enough time for a fractured bone to heal.  If the original diagnosis was correct, I would expect Broles to miss a minimum of another month before being cleared to return to activity. Read the rest of this entry →

Drew and I tweeted this update earlier, but wanted to get in on the main feed as well because it is pretty rare to have a top 5 RB get injured in the pre-season.

Buffalo News reported that due to unmanageable pain that Buffalo senior RB James Starks chose shoulder surgery that has him missing this season and exhausting his elegibility.

once CFO Drew stopped swering that his Expert League roster was doomed, he immediately updated the Interactive Cheatsheets by upgrading backup Brandon Thermilius (former Cane Alonzo Highsmith’s son) and soph QB Zach Maynard while downgrading WR Naaman Roosevelt to #36.

LA Times reports that USC QB Mark Sanchez dislocated his left knee cap at Friday’s practice, sending shivers down the spines of the USC receivers and the offensive coaching staff.

FANTASY IMPACT:

No bone nor ligament damage – it was not a contact injury. Sounds like he may miss the opener, but stay tuned. Times’ Gary Klein quotes that “Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian indicated Mitch Mustain was next in line but said Aaron Corp would also compete for the spot.”

My guess is that Sanchez plays in a brace all season, but he was never a threat to waggle out of the pocket and pick up first downs with his feet anyway. Taking the next step, if Mustain does play significant time then it would be wise to upgrade his high school teammate WR Damian Williams.