The first week of fantasy football in the NFL saw some injuries play a big part in things and names like Andre Ellington, Ben Tate, Alshon Jeffery, Cam Newton, Antonio Gates, Eddie Lacy, Larry Fitzgerald, Keenan Allen and Jordan Reed are players to keep an eye on going forward for Week 1 and Week 2, as they could be hampered heading into the next matchups of the season.
Cam Newton missed the first game of the season with a rib injury and while he was a game time decision, the Panthers opted to keep him out and they still ended up winning. The team is hoping to get him back next week and another name to watch is Ellington, as he plays on Monday night and reports say he could be out for an extended period of time after injuring his foot heading into the start of the season. Ben Tate gave way to Terrance West in the loss to the Steelers, while Alshon Jeffery is a name to also watch as next week approaches.
Ellington comes in after dealing with a foot issue and he could be a game time decision for the Monday night football game. Ellington could be forced to wear a boot for a few weeks or he may have surgery and that would be a big hit for fantasy football owners, as he was expected to be the number one running back with the Cardinals and potentially a top sleeper. Last season Ellington played in 15 games and rushed for 652 yards and three touchdowns and he also added 39 catches for 371 yards.
Ben Tate was knocked out of the Week 1 game for the Browns and that gave way to Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell and they performed well with him on the sidelines. Tate was considered to be the starter for Cleveland, but if he is injured, West will be the one to watch. Tate ended up with 41 yards in the game on six carries and he has a knee injury to deal with and while it's not serious, his status moving forward could be in question for next week and now West is the top handcuff option.
The Panthers ended up winning despite Cam Newton being out and now he will be evaluated heading into Week 2. Fantasy owners were left scrambling to pick up Derek Anderson and he had a fine game and now Carolina hopes that Newton and his rib injury will be healed up in time for the next matchup against the Lions. Newton had a great season last year and he has some good weapons and they performed on Sunday, with Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen playing well and he should benefit from that once he comes back.
Crabtree and Reed are also players to watch going forward, as Crabtree was not 100 percent on Sunday and had just two catches on Sunday against the Cowboys. Jordan Reed is dealing with a hamstring and he could have issues moving forward in Week 2 and that is tough for fantasy owners, as he was expected to be a top player with the Redskins this season and in fantasy.
