2013 Fantasy Football: Analyzing Robert Griffin III’s Knee Injury
My, how the new fantasy football year starts early. With the news that Washington Redskins star quarterback tore his ACL and LCL, that’s especially true for those fantasy owners who operate out of Keeper and Dynasty leagues.
RG3 has reportedly suffered complete tears to his ACL and LCL ligaments, and is facing a 6-8 month recovery time table. That actually stills puts him at pretty good odds to start the 2013 regular season, but that’s also with the built-in hope that the surgery goes swimmingly and that there are no set-backs.
Then, of course, there is the notion that RG3 as we know him won’t look quite the same. Generally quarterbacks suffering knee injuries isn’t such a huge concern compared to a running back or wide receiver. They have to plant and scramble, but mostly the biggest obstacle is the mental aspect.
Unfortunately, Robert Griffin III isn’t your normal quarterback. In fact, Washington’s entire offense is built around his elite athleticism, and they’ll have to make drastic changes if his knee isn’t up to snuff when next season rolls around.
While there is plenty of reason to be concerned about RG3′s immediate future, there is also a lot of room for optimism. After all, RG3 suffered a torn ACL at Baylor back in 2009, and returned the next year to crush the competition. He’s been here and got back from it and was at an elite level despite it. That makes us think he can do it again.
Despite the positive thinking, this has to be regarded as a devastating blow to RG’s NFL and fantasy football value, and owners can’t be pleased with it. There is major risk here in the fact that there’s a chance he may not be ready to start 2013, while there is always the possibility of either set-backs setting his return date back even further, lingering affects contributing to a shaky second season, or even flat-out re-injury.
One thing is for sure: RG3 never looked like himself when he tried playing with sprained knee ligaments. It’s worth wondering what he’ll look like and how effective he’ll be after tearing his knee up for a second time.
Ultimately, with surgery and rehab, I think Robert Griffin III will be fine. Dynasty owners will feel the need to panic and make a trade, but they’ll only be prisoners of the moment and in the end will lose one of the best talents in the league.
For regular re-draft owners, this could actually be a blessing in disguise. Considering we probably won’t know RG3′s full status until preseason, if not closer to the beginning of the new year, he could slip considerably in fantasy drafts and become a major value pick. Considering RG3 was a lock to be in the top three rounds prior to this injury, you could be looking at a real steal come 2013.
But for now, let’s do it the RG3 way and read and react. It’s a long off-season, after all.
