The NFL season is three weeks old and with some teams already distinguishing themselves over others, injuries could play a major role in who ends up in the playoffs and who is home for the postseason and two players to keep an eye on going forward are Andre Johnson and Reggie Bush, as both are dealing with injury issues.
According to ESPN.com, Johnson will have an MRI on his shin after getting injured in the loss on Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens on the road, as it could be a serious injury but the team is not sure yet. Johnson dealt with concussion issues earlier in the season and now he may be dealing with another injury after he was taken out of the game following a play in the second quarter by head coach Gary Kubiak.
The coaching staff felt it should be on the side of caution with Johnson, who is one of the best receivers in the league and one of the most important players for the Texans on offense. Kubiak said that Johnson had x-rays at the half in the locker room that came back clean, but after seeing how he was running after that, he decided to take him out of the game against the wishes of the wideout, who said he was trying to get his legs right on the sidelines.
Johnson has been the most important receiver for the Texans over the past decade and the emergence of rookie DeAndre Hopkins has made it easier to take the burden off Johnson. Hopkins made the winning score last week against and he ended up with six catches for 60 yards in the game and he has been a new favorite target for quarterback Matt Schaub. Johnson finished off with five catches for 36 yards and he has 25 on the season, but now he has not been able to stay on the field over the past two games and if he misses some time, fantasy owners should look to Hopkins.
Reggie Bush was held out of Sunday's win against the Washington Redskins with an injury, but he said after the game that he could have played if he needed to and that he will be on the field next week when the Lions take on the Chicago Bears in what is now a very big NFC North matchup, as the Packers and Vikings lost, leaving the Lions right behind the Bears in the division. The Bears are 3-0 this season already and could be on track to win the division with a victory over the Lions if they start off 4-0.
Bush has 115 rushing yards this season and he has been a force in the passing game, but with him out the Lions were able to give Joique Bell some carries and he proved himself, going for over 100 total yards with 63 on the ground and nearly 70 from receiving, something he has been doing for the past couple seasons. Bush has looked good while he is on the field for the Lions, but he sat out after he was injured last week when he was hit in his knee.
