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Injuries; A Fantasy Football Killer

By Wes Booth

Oct 1, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of NFL Wilson Duke football at Twickenham Stadium. The venue will play host to the NFL international Series game between the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 23, 2016. The Rams will play in International Series games in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as part of an agreement by Rams owner Stan Kroenke to move the franchise from St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; London, United Kingdom; General view of NFL Wilson Duke football at Twickenham Stadium. The venue will play host to the NFL international Series game between the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 23, 2016. The Rams will play in International Series games in 2016, 2017 and 2018 as part of an agreement by Rams owner Stan Kroenke to move the franchise from St. Louis. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the fantasy football world, injuries seem to have become much more common thus creating panic among the fans playing. 

Hidden in plain sight for the world to see, is a billion dollar industry, Fantasy football. Each year millions of fans worldwide compete online and in person gambling in one week and yearly fantasy football leagues. Though not a new tradition, the craze has exponentially grown in the midst of the millennial mobile era. 

With the ability to play at your fingertips, the casual fan can become the most addicted within moments. A definite reason for sites like DraftKings and Fanduel succeeding beyond imagination.

Also, the safety in knowing that injuries cant affect your one time fantasy team is crucial in keeping fans playing each week. 

For the hardcore fantasy footballers, the thought of a star going down is nauseating. Every season players of all skill levels fall victim to the injury bug, leaving teams scrambling to bandaid the problem.

Waiver wires become barren and destitute as armchair GMs race to fill in the empty spots. 

2016 has been anything but different from years prior. Entering week 5, NFL teams have now lost a combined 3318 weeks from their respective injured players.

This number drastically high due to the number of people already placed on season ending IR. High profile stars such as, JJ Watt, Teddy Bridgewater and Keenan Allen, to name a few, are included on that list.

Ones left to wonder if there truly is a solution to this growing issue. Long gone are the days of overweight offensive and defensive lineman, linebackers as well are agile and athletic freaks. Personal fitness is a necessity among locker rooms and not so much a secret to success as it once was.

Decades ago, fans watched out of shape defenders and athletes use brute strength to win games. Relying heavily on their run games. In the present day NFL, game plans steadily focus on the almost superhuman abilities of their oversized superstars. 

This is what makes fantasy football so highly excitable, the inability to predict any injury. Hours of studying and surfing information will leave you no further ahead than the drop in fan whom used auto pick in the draft. Don’t panic.

Thrive off the x-factors and underrated, that’s what wins leagues and truly separates the competition. The chance to go from zero to hero exists in every league at any time. 

While the style will continuously change, the constant injuries will not.

Players will visit the IR more and more as years go by, especially with a ever growing concussion protocol. Something that has been greatly scrutinized in the past few years, a completely fair concern.

As a fantasy addict and longtime NFL fan in general the last thing I want to see is a traumatic injury of any sort, let alone head/brain damage. Even if the chance to gloat while winning fictitious football leagues is in the cards.  

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