Kenny Britt Torn ACL, Out For Season

It's official. Sorry for all of those smart enough to draft WR Kenny Britt and were riding his massive upside in the first two weeks of the season, but the former-Scarlet Knight has torn ligaments in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.

If you're looking for someone that may capitalize on this injury it would have to be Nate Washington, but he will never be the player that Britt is. Perhaps with even more pressure on Chris Johnson's back now, he will finally preform for his struggling owners.

Scour the waiver wire and pick up who you can. I'm still high on Jordy Nelson if he is available, and Sidney Rice had a great first game back from a shoulder injury in his debut with the Seahawks.

The Art of the "Handcuff"

Steven Jackson’s fantasy owners got to watch the St. Louis running back burst through the Philadelphia defense on a 49-yard touchdown pass on his first run of the season. Instead of happily cheering and texting all their friends that passed on drafting him, they watched him hobble off the field with an injured quad. He returned for just one more play and is out for at least a week. Former Tampa Bay running back Cadillac Williams took his place and produced 140 total yards from scrimmage, though few fantasy owners likely profited from it.

At least Jackson got owners 50 yards and a touchdown before he left the game. Arian Foster, the 2010 top fantasy football player, didn’t even play the first game of the season. He was sidelined with a hamstring injury. This was reported early enough on Sunday morning for owners to start his substitute, Ben Tate, who ran for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Coming into the season Tate was a highly coveted “handcuff” for Foster owners. A handcuff is a matter of insurance for a top draft pick. If he goes down with an injury and you have his handcuff, then you wont have to panic and scour the waiver wire looking for a replacement.

This season, handcuffing top running backs may be essential to success. Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden, and Frank Gore are all top-drafted injury-prone running backs that join Jackson and Foster as players needing to be handcuffed.

Handcuffing one’s own players isn’t the only way to utilize this technique though. “In my drafts, I stole other people’s handcuffs,” says senior Syracuse University communication and rhetorical studies major John Griffin. “James Starks, Delone Carter, I know the value of having the backup to injury prone players.” Green Bay’s Starks, backs up the oft-injured Ryan Grant and actually led the team in carries in their first game. Indianapolis’s Carter is second on the depth chart to Joseph Addai, who hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year in ’06. “If you have an injury-prone guy then you should have a backup. It keeps you away from the waiver wire,” continues Griffin, who plans to start Starks next week.

With week one in mind, here are five handcuffs worth picking up if they are still available (starter in parentheses):

1. Ben Tate (Arian Foster)

2. Cadillac Williams (Steven Jackson)

3. James Starks (Ryan Grant)

4. Michael Bush (Darren McFadden)

5. Pierre Thomas (Mark Ingram)

Note: Brandon Jacobs (Ahmad Bradshaw), Jonathan Stewart (Deangelo Williams), and Mike Tolbert (Ryan Matthews) are not on this list because they have value without being a handcuff.

For a more comprehensive list of handcuffs, check out the fantasy sports website, Rotoworld.

Jamaal Charles Out for the Season

And you thought Peyton Manning was bad. High first round draft pick (#1 in some leagues) Jamaal Charles is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Owners may be quick to pick up Cheifs backup RB Thomas Jones, but I would recommend the other available RB, Dexter McCluster, an up-and-coming player who can be slotted in both RB and WR in most leagues. In just 12 carries this season he is averaging 7.8 yards per carry, and looks to get around that many touches per game with Charles now out. This guy has Charles-like upside.

Other notable injuries: Michael Vick suffered a concussion Sunday night in Atlanta and may miss next week's game against the division rival Giants. Owners may want to look into picking up Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatick, who is likely still available, but with the way he's been playing (7 TD 1 INT), won't be for long.

Week 1 Fantasy Leaders (Standard Leagues)

QB

Tom Brady - 42

Chad Henne - 37

Drew Brees - 34

Cam Newton - 33

Ryan Fitzpatrick - 32

(I'm guessing nobody benefitted from three of those)

RB

Ray Rice - 26

Mike Tolbert - 26

LeSean McCoy - 25

Matt Forte - 21

Cedric Benson - 18

WR

Steve Smith - 29

Wes Welker - 28

Kenny Brit - 25

Calvin Johnson - 20

DeSean Jackson, Reggie Wayne, Early Doucet, Devery Henderson - 16

TE

Scott Chandler - 18

Aaron Hernandez - 16

Rob Gronkowski - 14

Jeff King - 12

Dustin Keller - 12

What we've learned: Newton and Fitzpatrick are viable backups in any league, Steve Smith should once again be a starter, and Scott Chandler is a great TE pickup.

Note: San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding injured his knee and is out for the season. This is one of many reasons not to reach on a kicker in drafts.

Quick Hits: Foster, Colston

Saints WR Marques Colston broke his collar bone in Thursday's game against the Packers. He is expected to miss at least a month.

RB Arian Foster, once the consensus #1 fantasy pick this year, is out for week 1 with a hamstring injury. Derrick Ward will start for the Texans, but Ben Tate looks to be the Houston RB worth picking up if still available.

Manning Out 2-3 Months

EPSN 's Chris Mortensen is reporting that Peyton Manning had a 3rd neck surgery today and will be out 2-3 months. So any fantasy owners hoping he would be starting for their teams in a few weeks should hit the waiver wire as soon as possible. If you're lucky Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco or even Josh Freeman may still be available. In deep 1QB leagues, look for Jay Cutler or even new Colts starter Kerry Collins.

Any specific questions suited to your team? Post them in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them.

Week 1 Has Finally Arrived!

We almost didn't have a season, which makes Opening Day even more special this year. Enjoy the game (I'm picking the Packers) and let's hope Rodgers can avoid another concussion on his way to another productive fantasy football season.

Welcome!

Welcome to “Red Zone Audible,” the place to go when your fantasy football team gets hit with a devastating injury. I’ll do the research so you don’t have to, and find out the best move to make. Maybe there’s a hot waiver pickup, or a trade that your friend just can’t refuse. Together, we will get teams back on track.

What makes me qualified to run this blog? I have played in dozens of fantasy football leagues over the years, and nearly every single league had a critical injury that decided the champion. I have won some, and lost some too, but firmly believe that any team can make it to the playoffs with good in-season management. Injuries are a part of the game and sometimes it takes a big play, a red zone audible, to get ahead.