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Triage Time: Camping Casualties
By Will Carroll | August 13, 2008
QB Mark Sanchez USC
The Trojans may have dodged a bullet when QB Mark Sanchez went down with a freak patellar dislocation. Sanchez made a casual throw during warmups and his knee dislocated. There was no contact and no reported loss of traction, so this is just one of those weird injuries that can break a season. Sanchez was tested, but there appears to be no associated damage besides some pain and swelling. The problem is that no one knows whether this is a symptom of a bigger problem or just a one-time incident that means nothing. Pete Carroll’s team has options at QB — depth is not an issue at any position — with Mitch Mustain, a transfer from Arkansas at the ready. Sanchez is expected to be ready for the late August opener, but keep Mustain’s name close in the late rounds of your drafts, especially if you’re taking Sanchez.
TE Cornelius Ingram FLORIDA
A torn ACL can ruin a season. Now the question is - is it just Cornelius Ingram who’s headed for surgery, or the Gators, who are down a man and facing a tough schedule without one of their prime weapons? With Percy Harvin’s health also still in question, Urban Meyer might have to turn the dial down on his aerial show and go to a more conventional offense to keep Tim Tebow from being keyed. Ingram’s career is over and he’ll head to the NFL with some question marks, as well as being an object lesson in why some players do declare early, even before they’re “ready.”
QB Pat White WEST VIRGINIA
The one knock on Pat White is his size and durability. He was knocked out of a couple games last year, but given his size and the nature of the Rodriguez spread offense, that’s hardly a surprise. He’s still very shifty and doesn’t take a lot of big hits, but when he does, you can tell he feels it. With an adjusted scheme this year, White is going to get a bit more protection and seems less inclined to run first this season. Aside from his ability to take a big hit, there’s little question that the Eastern Shore star is ready to put up huge rushing and passing numbers. You’ve got to be willing to take a bit of risk for the stats that White can light up.
QB Ben Olson UCLA
It seems a bit odd that a broken foot might only cost Ben Olson eight weeks, which would put him back for the heart of the Bruins’ PAC-10 schedule. At least that’s the company line. Olson broke the fifth metatarsal, the bone at the outside edge of his foot and where much of the pressure is centered on any throw, for the second time in just a few months, raising questions about the party line from Rick Neuheisel about Olson’s return. Given the location and the assumption that Neuheisel will be pass happy, Olson’s return may end up keyed off his replacement - there’s a competition now - and whether or not the offense is productive. Olson’s career has been marred by injury, so he’s a late season injury replacement, at best.
RB Knowshon Moreno GEORGIA
Don’t panic. At least not yet. Heisman candidate Moreno was held out of contact drills due to sore shoulders, but sources tell me this was a precaution more than a problem. Moreno is a hard, low-COG runner who takes a beating on his shoulders, even in camp, so the coaching staff is smartly taking some of that load off. The question for fantasy players is whether he’ll also lose some touches in games or whether keeping the load off in practice is enough. Moreno is a no-doubt top tier RB and the shoulder issue shouldn’t move him down on any boards, but combined with the history of ankle injuries, I’m at least going to glance at the other options I have given where Moreno is going to go.
WR A.J. Green GEORGIA
Georgia isn’t going to be a pass-first team and true freshmen don’t often contribute in the SEC, but Green could be an exception … if he can stay healthy. The young speedster adds a dimension to the Bulldogs offense that’s lacked, but with his speed has come some injury problems. In camp, it’s been a hip flexor, but he has a long history of hamstring problems in high school. If his speed can stretch the field a bit, Knowshon Moreno is going to have more room to rumble, which then gives Green matchups he can exploit. It’s one of those vicious cycle things, except the vicious part is on the defenses facing the top ranked Dawgs. Green has managed to minimize his issues in camp and should see lots of looks, especially early in the Georgia schedule.
RB DeMarco Murray OKLAHOMA
Ankle sprains are going to happen, but for a top RB like Murray, they can be worse for him than for most. Murray’s got what scouts call “quick feet”, an ability to shift and move, changing directions and accelerating out of those cuts. If his ankles are weak or painful, those quick feet are going to slow down quickly, costing him touches, yardage, and points. He sat out this weekend’s scrimmage, but sources say that Murray is expected to be completely healed soon and ready well before the Sooners kick off their season.
WR Danario Alexander MIZZOU
Chase Daniels is going to need someone besides Jeremy Machlin to throw it to and by the time the Tigers get to conference play, it could be Danario Alexander. Alexander is jogging, which is of course a long way from Big 12 football, but after his knee surgery late last year, this is solid progress. The timetable for his return is still a month off, but there should be plenty of warning. To me, Alexander’s known timetable and abilities make him a nice late round “stash” pick, especially in deeper leagues or those that use some form of IR. If you’re going to watch him on the waiver wire, look for the point where he’s back in pads for the signal to pick him up.
RB Cam Montgomery NORTH TEXAS
I won’t even pretend to be objective about the Mean Green. I *love* the Todd Dodge wide-open offense and what it can do to a game. Having watched it for years at Southlake Carroll (no relation, I’m sure), I was excited to see Dodge bring it to North Texas and think that in time, he might compete with Mike Leach for yardage produced. With Cam Montgomery appearing fully healthy in camp, people were expecting him to put up some big numbers due to his ability to be a “three down back”. Instead, he’s lost a camp battle to Micah Mosely. Montgomery will still factor heavily into the offense, but until he can beat out Mosely, he’s not worth a draft pick, even healthy. I still think the September 13 game at LSU could end up one of the most entertaining of the year.
QB Nick Graziano NEVADA
Fantasy college football really takes you off the beaten path. I guess there’s some paths to Reno, but few lead to football. The Wolfpack have a nice camp battle going between Nick Graziano, who missed much of last season after tearing a tendon in his foot. Colin Koepernick did a nice job running the offense in his absence and appears to have the lead in camp. Graziano has, at least, proven he’s an option and the Wolfpack like options. Either QB is capable of putting up big passing numbers, so keep both on your watch list.
Topics: College Football, Triage Time, Will Carroll |
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