Look, A Falling Star!
Dorian “The Trashman” Colbert, Rosterwatch.com

Fantasy Drafts are not the right time to have knee jerk reactions to the plethora of breaking news blurbs pouring in as the NFL season nears. Writers are magnifying every minute instance of injury or attitude adjustment that players undergo in an effort to increase their twitter following or web presence for the months ahead. I should know.

Now there are some occasions when the proper response to a bit of news is to firmly plant a player on your DO NOT DRAFT list. Chargers WR Vincent Brown is not going to be on the field any time soon thanks to a broken ankle, and you did yourself a good deed if you forgot about him the instant you found out. But a broken ankle is a different story than a sprained one, and fantasy owners should know the difference. So here we have a list of star players whose stock is falling in drafts, but still have the ability to produce monster numbers. As Twain would say, the reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Jonathan Stewart: All hell broke loose during the draft I participated in on Sunday night when J Stew injured his ankle. He was drafted at least two rounds later than he should have been. He was spotted on crutches after the game and during this week, but the x-rays were negative. I suspect he’ll be back sooner than later, as he’s only missed two games in his entire career. DeAngelo Williams, on the other hand, will see his stock bumped so good luck getting him along with any value.

Miles Austin: A true risk vs reward situation, Austin has the potential to be a high-upside, No.1 receiver. Yet, If his hammy keeps bothering him, he could end up being the bust of the ball. Wide receiver is probably the deepest of the positions in drafts this year, so if you’re squeamish there are safer options. But, as I said, receiver is the deepest of the positions in drafts, so why not take a chance on this guy when you have plenty of guys you can draft later to make up for a bust? People are hesitant to pull the trigger on Austin right now, but you shouldn’t be. You might get him a round or two later than he’s worth.

Ryan Mathews: Yeah, his father may be a glassmaker, but Ryan Mathews has upside that few running backs in this year’s draft can compete with. The Chargers backfield is his, and when he’s healthy  he’ll show you why he was ranked so high initially. Running back depth is pretty shallow this year, so he’s worth the risk. He’s dropped at least a round in most leagues, often more. He was going as high as fourth overall prior to cracking his clavicle, and now can be acquired as late as the early third round in many cases.

Peyton Manning: Manning is successful because of his brain, not his brawn. So, he’s having trouble throwing to his right. He will find ways to make it work. That’s what he’s always done and will continue to do in the future, as long as his head doesn’t pop off like a Rock ’em Sock ’em Robot any time soon. With weapons like Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker to work with, it’s going to take a lot more than a weak arm to make Peyton fail. He could end up a top 5 quarterback, and I wouldn’t bat an eye.

Maurice Jones Drew: Yes, MJD will sit out the preseason and maybe a few games of the regular season, but look at it this way. Every year, the main concern is that he gets run down into the ground. He’ll be fresh as a daisy come time for him to suit up!

Jason Witten: I can’t even talk about the grotesqueness of Witten’s injury without wincing, but apparently it’s not too life threatening. Romo’s favorite target last year, Laurent Robinson, is with another team now. Time to get back to old faithful. Let someone else use their first pick on Graham or Gronkowski. You are not going to pay a lot for a TE1.

Kenny Britt: What suspension? Knee problem, who doesn’t have one? I was able to snatch Britt in the seventh round of a draft this weekend. That just shouldn’t be the case. When he’s on, there are only a handful of receivers who can outproduce him. He’s like Goofus to Calvin Johnson’s Gallant. If you squint you can barely tell the difference between the two.

Marshawn Lynch: Another stud with little to no disciplinary action coming his way. You can’t call him “Beast Mode” and expect him not to act a little wooly off the field. People forget about this guy, until they are trampled underfoot by him on the way to the playoffs.

Austin Collie: What, me worry? Collie isn’t. Concussions be damned. He wasn’t even drafted in my league. I plucked him off of waivers the second I heard he was coming back. This guy was Luck’s favorite target in camp, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use a flyer on him.