WR Vincent Brown, San Diego State – Thumb

Brown (pictured left, thanks Icon SMI) was struck on the end of his thumb with the football while attempting to make a catch against Colorado State last week. There was some initial swelling and Brown was held out of the second half. Since then, x-ray has been negative for fracture, which makes the diagnosis either a strain (muscle or tendon) or a sprain (ligament) dependent upon the structure involved. Reports from San Diego list him at Probable Plus for this week’s game against New Mexico. There may need to be some taping done on the thumb to support it, but Brown will have gotten used to that in practice this week, so expect him to be not only on the field, but also very close to the form that has yielded over 100 yards of receptions per game.

UPDATE: Late Thursday, Brown will go into surgery and miss two weeks minimum.

WR Eric Decker, Minnesota – Foot

Decker, a two-sport athlete at Minnesota and finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, is out for the season with a sprained medial longitudinal arch-the concave structure on the bottom of the foot, which supports proper weight bearing. Barring surgery, and that decision has not yet been made by the Gopher medical staff, Decker could possibly be available for a Bowl Game, but he will be sorely missed by the Gophers as they search for 2 more wins to become Bowl eligible with Michigan State, Iowa and and Illinois remaining on the schedule. Look for no better than a 50/50 chance of Decker being able to avoid surgery and no better than a 50/50 chance of the Gophers becoming Bowl eligible without his services available.

WR James Rodgers, Oregon State – Knee

Rogers, the Beavers’ leading receiver, suffered a contusion to his knee during the USC game, but continued to play. Tests performed after the game by the OSU medical staff confirmed the diagnosis as a contusion with no structural damage noted. This injury should not hamper the speedy receiver in any way this weekend when the Beavers face UCLA. There should be no additional padding or bracing needed that would slow Rodgers and he should continue as the team’s best long reception threat.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State – Ankle

It was a lucky day injury-wise last week for the Rodgers brothers against USC. Although they both sustained injuries, both injuries proved to be minor. Jacquizz’s injury has been diagnosed as an inversion ankle sprain with a grade of approximately 1+, which means that, with a secure taping or bracing, he should be able to play without any problem this week against UCLA. Reports from Corvallis are that Jacquizz is able to walk and run without a limp and should be able to practice on Wednesday and Thursday. On straight ahead runs, Rodgers will not be hindered, but may have some minor difficulty in rapidly changing directions and in quick stop and start movements.

QB Ricky Dodds, Navy – Knee

Dodd’s suffered a sprain of the MCL (ligament on the medial aspect of the knee) and is his status is doubtful for the Temple game this week. He still has some swelling in the joint at this time and has not regained full pain-free range of motion. The Midshipmen’s medical staff is making the intelligent decision to withhold Dodd’s this week and allow the injury more healing time. It is possible that Dodd’s could return wearing a brace on the injured knee the following week against Notre Dame. Since Dodd’s is a pure passer who is unlikely to run on a regular basis, he should be able to perform with minimal limitations while wearing the brace at that time.

SB Marcus Curry, Navy – Quad

It’s a good thing Navy is playing Temple this week because not only is their quarterback probably missing from the line-up, their top slot back, Curry, will most likely miss the game with a quadriceps strain. Again, this is an intelligent decision by the Navy medical staff to give this injury time to heal rather than put him back in too early and risk further injury to the quadriceps (muscles on the front of the thigh), which could become chronic. Another week of healing and Curry could be ready to perform at his pre-injury level and only have to wear a neoprene sleeve to protect and support the thigh, which should not hamper him next week against Notre Dame.

RB Roy Helu, Nebraska – Shoulder

Helu tends to aggravate his injured should every time he returns to game action. This tends to indicate that perhaps he is returning to play before he is physically able. A-C (ligament that attaches the clavicle to the scapula) sprains take time to heal and getting the shoulder banged around in game action does not allow that healing to occur. Helu is a tough young man, but, unless the injury is allowed to rest and heal, his performance could be hampered for the remainder of the season. Nebraska has him listed as probable for this week, but his shoulder should be telling him “probably not”.

RB DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma – Ankle

Murray’s injury riddled career at Oklahoma continues with an ankle sprain that could easily keep him out of the Kansas St. match up this weekend. He did not play last week against Kansas and has not practiced yet this week. Oklahoma basically changed their offense to accommodate Murray’s vast skills, so his absence will be a definite disadvantage for the Sooners. Look for Murray to not play at all, or be available for only limited service. The fact that he has not practiced this week means he is still missing either full range of motion or strength in the ankle area. If he plays, he will need to be securely taped or braced which could limit his mobility to change directions quickly.

WR Randall Cobb, Kentucky – Knee

Cobb felt some stiffness in his knee after the Louisiana-Monroe game last week and everyone though it might be his former knee injury acting up again. The Wildcat medical team examined Cobb closely after the game and diagnosed the injury as just a contusion. Cobb has practiced this week and although the “Probable” tag has been assigned to him, expect him to be full tilt against Mississippi State this week. The injury should not effect either his speed or mobility and should not require any special padding or bracing. Look for Cobb to have a big game against the Bulldogs.

RB Dimitri Nance, Arizona State – Shoulder

Dimitri Nance suffered a Grade 1 (mild) AC sprain last week, but is probable for this week’s game against California. He has practiced this week, but has been held out of contact. The Sun Devils’ medical staff will pad the AC area, which should give Nance the opportunity to again provide the bulk of the running game for Arizona State. While a direct hit to the shoulder area could cause some pain, there is very little danger of any further structural damage occurring. Nance would not be my favorite fantasy player for productivity this week, but he should do a creditable job if the offensive coordinator is able to utilize him more on wide plays than through the middle of the line.

RB Ike Nduke, Buffalo – Ankle

Nduke is coming off of one of his best games of his career in the loss to Western Michigan last week amassing over 170 yards of rushing. His ankle injury is not new, but rather something the Bulls’ medical staff has been managing for several weeks with obvious request. His ankle is securely taped for games and practices-he has not missed any practice this week-and his mobility, speed and ability to maneuver seems totally unaffected at this point. Look for Nduke to not only be in the line-up against Bowling Green this week, look for him to continue to be the Bulls’ leading rusher.

RB Jeff Demps, Florida – Neck

Demps suffered a strain of his neck muscles during the Mississippi State game last week. He was placed in a cervical collar strictly as a precautionary measure, but has been able to return to practice and is probably against Georgia this week. Look for the Gator medical staff to equip Demps with a neck roll type of protective equipment to limit forced motion of the neck. Florida is looking at the Big Picture and would not put Demps on the field if they didn’t feel that he was medically ready. If Georgia decides to key on stopping Tebow’s passing this week, look for Demps running and ability to catch passes out of the backfield to be a major factor in the game.

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1. Triage Time: Top Picks are a Falling…
2. Triage Time: “Fast” Healers
3. Triage Time: Take One for the Team
4. Triage Time: Running Men
5. Triage Time: Cutting to the Chase

Tags: Injuries