The news today out of Indy today wasn't good for fantasy owners of two of their top point scorers. Tight end Dallas Clark has suffered a possibly season ending hand/wrist injury. Clark is seeking a second and third opinion on the injury. Regardless Clark will be out for an extended period of time. The other injury news was from running back Joseph Addai. Addai suffered a shoulder injury in Week 4 and now he could miss a few weeks due to nerve damage. The nerve damage is reportedly not in the shoulder he hurt in Week 4. So with now that we know about these injures how will it affect the Colts offense and how should fantasy owners go about dealing with these injuries.
Lets look at how Dallas Clark's injury will impact the Colts from a fantasy prospective. First off it won't hurt Peyton Manning. Manning is a top flight fantasy QB no matter to whom he is throwing to at this point in his career. The player that probably gets the biggest boost from Clark's injury is Austin Collie. Collie so far has been the top fantasy WR this season. With Clark out Collie will see more playing time that he lost when Pierre Garcon returned to the lineup. Look for Collie to lineup in the slot in certain formations that would have previously been held by Clark. Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon will continue to work the outside for the Colts and their fantasy value will also get a small boost. But overall I see this benefiting Collie the most since his stock was beginning to slip some with Garcon's return.
Now with Joseph Addai it isn't as clear of a picture as Clark since Addai could be back after the bye or miss a fews weeks. Donald Brown has been battling a hamstring injury for a few weeks but is reportedly going to be good to go when the Colts return from their Week 7 bye. Brown should be the first in line to start for the Colts at RB and Mike Hart will also have a role in the running game. But in my opinion Brown will be the more productive back from a fantasy view. Look for Brown to put up just as good as numbers that Addai would have if he was playing making him a solid RB2. Mike Hart could possibly see some limited duty and could even start if Brown isn't fully healthy and Hart would make a good spot start for owners with bye week problems.
UPDATE!!!! Reports out of Indy are now saying that Austin Collie will be also sidelined for a few weeks after having surgery on his hand. Collie could miss 2 weeks up to 6 weeks according to some reports. Anthony Gonzalez is set to return after the bye from an ankle injury. He makes an immediate pick up in all leagues. Look for Reggie Wayne to see an increase in receptions and the same goes for Pierre Garcon
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