Broken Ribs Knock McGahee Out
New York's injury-ravaged season continued Wednesday, as the Giants lost
Amani Toomer for the remainder of the year with a partially torn ACL. Toomer leads the team in receptions (32) and ranks second in receiving yards (360), but most of that is due to one huge game (12 catches, 137 yards, two touchdowns) way back in Week 2. In the six games since then, Toomer averaged just 2.5 catches and 30 yards.
However, while his loss isn't actually as devastating as it might first appear, losing Toomer does put the Giants' receiver depth to the rest.
Plaxico Burress sat out Week 9 with back problems and had to skip practice Wednesday when the injury flared up again, and
Sinorice Moss is still trying to recover from a groin injury that has limited the first-round pick to a grand total of one catch as a rookie.
With Toomer out, Moss still a non-factor, and Burress iffy to play in Week 10,
Tim Carter could get an awful lot of
Eli Manning's targets against Chicago. Of course, the Giants' passing game is anything but "normal" in that
Jeremy Shockey and
Tiki Barber may simply take up the lack with more touches, meaning Carter's value could remain limited regardless of how many receivers are sidelined. Keep an eye on Moss if he ever gets healthy, but otherwise it figures to remain the Burress-Shockey-Barber show.
While Manning tries to figure out exactly how many times he can dump the ball off to Barber out of the backfield before the Bears make him look downfield to
someone, here are some other notes from around football …
* The news on
Willis McGahee got worse Wednesday, as it was revealed that he has two "cracked" ribs in addition to the "broken" rib that was already expected to keep him sidelined in Week 10. Now McGahee is likely out for several weeks and reportedly could miss up to a month of action, potentially putting him out of commission into the all-important fantasy postseason.
McGahee's fantasy stock obviously plummets, but the news does make
Anthony Thomas more than a one-week fill-in pickup. Thomas figures to be Buffalo's every-down back until McGahee returns, simply because the Bills don't have any other legitimate options for touches beyond
Shaud Williams in some third-down situations. That makes Thomas a must-grab in all leagues and a decent RB2 option with a favorable matchup against Houston in Week 11.
* Earlier this week coach Dennis Green hinted that
Larry Fitzgerald would have his snaps limited this week even if he returns after missing three games with hamstring problems. However, after watching Fitzgerald get through a pain-free practice Wednesday—which Green said included several great catches—he seems to have backed off that stance considerably.
Instead, Fitzgerald now seems likely to suit up against Dallas and resume his role as co-No. 1 receiver alongside
Anquan Boldin. That's bad news for
Bryant Johnson, who loses whatever limited fantasy value he had while not fully taking advantage of Fitzgerald's injury. However, it's good news for Boldin, who has faced increased defensive attention with Fitzgerald out, and for
Matt Leinart, who has struggled quite a bit after a quick start.
* It's baby steps, but the Seahawks are creeping closer and closer to a healthy offense. Coach Mike Holmgren said Wednesday that he hopes to have both
Matt Hasselbeck and
Shaun Alexander participating in individual drills at practice Friday, even telling reporters to "get there early." Both players remain doubtful for Week 10, but their chances of returning together in Week 11 against San Francisco remain intact … for now at least.
Two-Minute Drill: Through eight ganes,
Chad Johnson is on pace to be targeted 30 fewer times than he was in 2005, which explains most of his decreased production …
Joseph Addai has quietly taken over as the clear No. 1 back in Indianapolis, with 35 carries over the past two weeks compared just seven for
Dominic Rhodes … With
Bernard Berrian (rib) out for several weeks,
Mark Bradley's window of opportunity has finally opened up again in Chicago …
Steve Smith's absence from practice Wednesday was due to a death in the family rather than an injury … Being questionable to suit up didn't stop Burress from ripping the Bears' secondary: "We can throw the ball on these guys and make some big plays … I don't know why everyone is acting like they are exceptional corners."
Red Zone: Chester Taylor (calf) is listed as questionable, but said Wednesday that he'll "certainly play" in Week 10 …
Shawne Merriman is serving his suspension, but the Chargers appear likely to have pass-rushing bookend
Shaun Phillips (calf) back in the lineup this week …
Ray Lewis (knee) is far from guaranteed to play in Week 10 after coach Brian Billick called him the Ravens' "biggest question mark" … Despite being listed as questionable, the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Thursday that
Bobby Engram (thyroid) "will not play" Sunday …
Ashley Lelie (groin) didn't sound overly concerned about leaving practice early Wednesday, saying it was done as a precaution …
Laveranues Coles (calf) is questionable, but had the bye week to get healthy and has yet to miss any time with the season-long injury …
Jerious Norwood's (knee) chances of playing Sunday look iffy after the Falcons activated
Marlion Jackson from the practice squad for backfield depth.