Fantasy Football Injuries

Have you noticed some key players on your fantasy football team ending the week with no points at all?  What about some weird short hand or single red letters next their name when you are setting your lineup?  These clues are signs that your player may be injured.  For rookie fantasy football team owners catching an injury may not be as straight forward as you think- and not paying attention to injuries can cost you a win.  The 2012 NFL season is still young yet the injury count of key fantasy players is pretty high.  Factor in the amount of questionable or probable players and the list of injured players becomes staggering.  If you are an expert or seasoned vet making changes to your lineup comes second nature, but for people new to fantasy football this simple task can be overwhelming.

Once you’ve determined you have an injured player it’s time to start making moves.  The first step is to research the player’s injury and see if you can project if and how long they will be out.  If the injury is severe and they are going to be out for the season it’s time to drop the player.   If the projection is only a handful of games and they are a key player then consider moving them to your bench.  If you used our NFL draft guide or just paid attention during your draft your bench should include a substitute that may score a little less but still keep your team competitive.  If your depth is not where it should be you have only a handful of options to fill the void your injured fantasy player has left.

The quick way to search for fantasy team replacements due to an injury is to hit the free agent market.  On most online formats you select add player, look through a list with some stats, choose a player, and then be prompted to drop someone from your lineup.  If your league is made up of several newbies and it’s not a big league then you should be able to find some decent talent here and your season is saved.  If the pickings are slim your only option is to get trading.

To refresh your memory on trading I suggest you take a look at our How to Trade Fantasy Football article.  This will guide you step by step and help you locate a key substitution for your injured fantasy football player.  If you’d like some personal help from one of our experts than you are in luck!  Trade Fantasy Football include a trade submission form on the homepage and dealing with injuries is their specialty.   This will give you a second opinion and a push in the right direction, and best of all it’s completely free!

When you encounter an injury for the first time on your fantasy football team it’s easy to panic.  Hopefully these simple steps will help you calm down and get to work on saving your team.  The experience of dealing with an injury on your team is unfortunate for the athlete, but with a little preparation and understanding it doesn’t have to be a serious problem for you and your fantasy team.