I know it's hard to believe but people get hurt playing professional football. No, no, it's true. While I clearly understate this fact, it is important to know something about these injuries as well as which players you should consider carefully before putting them on your roster. This article covers the more common injuries as well as the sometimes less than helpful labels used by the NFL to denote a player's likelihood of returning to action. Be sure to head to our Member's section to get the full list of players returning from injury and our recommendations for each prior to draft day.

Here's the skinny on NFL labeling.

NFL teams are required to share player injuries each week. They are also expected to provide some idea of the player's potential return to the field for the next game.

In season injuries are one thing; injuries that can have an impact on a player's performance for the following season are another. You should have some working knowledge of the most common injuries going into this season. The most common are in bold and these are followed by how concerned you should be about that particular player injury and what you can expect in terms of a return to previous performance levels for the average player.

This type of injury is quite common and generally not season ending. Players come up with ankle sprains, both high and low, all the time and take a few plays off. More severe strains such as muscle pulls or even tears will keep a player out for several games. That earns some worry from you. We've seen an increase in pectoral tears this season (Demorrio Williams and Patrick Kerney as examples). [read on…]

Torn muscles are a concern upon first occurance. Most player hit IR immediately. But, the likelihood of a full recovery, especially if given 9-12 months is high. One MAJOR exception to the muscle injury label is the hamstring pull. My golly, I cannot emphasize enough the incredible pain you will feel if one of your IDPs comes up lame with a hammy injury. This injury is always downplayed for some reason. It should not be. I need all of you reading this right now to repeat after me: Hammy equals a baaaaaaad whammy! Year after year some WR comes up with one of these injuries. All season long he tells the media he feels better, that it doesn't bother him, and that he's totally recovered. Bull! Anyone who had Randy Moss on his team knows the hammy equals a baaaaaaad whammy rule. I liken the hammy injury to a bad high school relationship where you and your girlfriend breakup and makeup three times a week. It's great and it reeks; but both of you are completely blind to this fact. You cannot let go and the protracted relationship doesn't do anyone any good. People who had Randy on their rosters know what I mean. If an IDP reaches for his hammy start the divorce proceedings promptly.

The miracle of science phrase will be heard whenever a knee injury occurs. Be prepared to temper your expectations. I suggest rewording the phrase in your head to the promise of science. Knee injuries are quite serious and yes there are incredible methods today for putting players back onto the playing field where not long ago their career would have been over. But, expect to wait 12-18 months for players to come back from these injuries if they're labeled severe. Many of you don't have that kind of time. [read on…]

That written, you need understand that this type of injury involves ligament damage, a part of the body that reacts much less well to being strained, torn, or completely ripped away. The media has improved when reporting about recovery times. Always expect 12-18 months for full recovery if the player works hard at rehab and is young enough. Ignore all player-speak: I feel great, I'm getting stronger every day, I'll be ready for the first game. Why? Well, because no one wants to hear a 245 pound mauler say: Jeez I dunno when I'll be back, I'm worried about how I'll respond during the game, Hey bro, I get paid whether I play or not. Kellen Winslow is a good example of how far medical science has come with repairing knee injuries. He was tainted goods going into last season's fantasy drafts after several brutal knee injuries, but he still made it onto the field. They don't shoot football players with severe knee injuries anymore.

Keep it simple with these injuries. If it's generally regarded as a serious knee injury, then drop the player. Only if you're in a keeper or dynasty league should you consider keeping him. Also, strongly consider trading him for slightly less equal, but useful, talent. If the injury is 12 months removed, you may be in-line to receive a rebounding talent on the cheap.

· Expected return to previous performance levels: near full production

An abdominal and groin tears impact the body in whole because these are groups of muscles stretching across the body's pelvis down to the thighbones. A hip injury, depending on the type, is career threatening. Bo knows hip injuries and so does Roosevelt Colvin. The hip can be severely bruised and forever suspect to future injury. There can be hemorrhaging or improper alignment causing a lifelong limp; thus ending a career. [read on…]

I think of three things immediately upon hearing someone has a groin injury: 1. baseball pitchers, 2. Madden football games, and 3. how immature I am because I usually giggle when I hear the word groin. I've explained the last so here's why I'm thinking of baseball pitchers. (I'll get to Madden later.) A groin injury for a pitcher is akin to a hamstring injury for a football player. Pitchers derive velocity as much from leg drive as strength of arms. IDPs need to be similarly balanced. A guy can bench 600lbs and impress the world, but those arms are useless if he cannot drive blockers back, make near 90 degree cuts, blow off the line with the snap, and accelerate to full speed in a only a couple of steps. He needs to have a bulky, solid, and dependable trunk to do this. Anything even remotely less results in an exponential decline in performance. Studs look average and the average are soon looking for new jobs. As for my thoughts on Madden and groin injuries, it's connected to the Madden feature that allows you to build a player from scratch. There's actually a function where you can enlarge or decrease the size of a player's butt! This is a not a whimsical feature in building a star player either. A prominent butt increases the player's ability to hold his position on blocks and drive through tackles. I've already emailed EA Sports begging for them to add a "groin" feature to their player building parameters, but they keep telling me it's not appropriate. Now who's immature?

I have to write this. I'm sorry but I find it very difficult as a man to swallow the notion that our heroes of the gridiron sometimes take plays or even games off because their wittle toesies hurt. I cannot speak to how much this must hurt never having suffered the injury, so I'll believe it's really painful even as every part of me that is primordial in nature laughs at the thought. It's not the end of the world but expect production to taper some. [read on…]

Turf toe is a pain. No not for the player well yes for the player- but for you too. I recall starting Michael Strahan four years ago in a must win situation for one of my teams where his final stats read zeroes across the board because he was watching the game from the sidelines in a two-piece suit, with a black T-shirt underneath. Yes, I remember this vividly. I recall this because he had that big gapped-tooth smile of his on display just as a commentator was saying turf toe was to blame. Aaaaargh! (Side note: I love Michael Strahan. Great player. Great person. I just can't get past his big grin while my team suffered. It's my problem.) Those that had Charles Grant two seasons ago know too the pain of turf toe. He reeked because of it when the expectation was he'd wreak havoc.

If a player comes up with turf toe, keep posted to the news and IDPBlitz. We'll give you the very latest recommendation as we get it; then keep your fingers crossed. It's a minor injury that sometimes unleashes unexpectedly big results. At the least, if you hear about this injury for a few weeks you're likely seeing a player's output drop for you. Start your trading engine or consider making a dump if such is the case.

There were no reports of injury from poison arrows on or off the playing field by NFL players this past year. The same can be written for any of the preceding years. We therefore cannot offer any advice on how to weigh this type of injury when drafting a player.

When it comes to an Achilles injury, however, things change. This is a serious injury. When the Achilles tendon pops, tears, rips, you choose the description; it means certain sustained time away from football. Even upon a player's return, it can mean a different level of performance -almost always for the worse. You need to decide right off if you have 12-18 months to wait for a proper return to strength. You will almost always end up dumping these guys. Ignore, ignore, ignore what the player says as he recovers from these injuries. The human body like cars in an accident never quite function the same way again. [read on…]

Maybe it's my imagination but the Achilles injury always seems to happen to a superstar. It likely has something to do with the explosiveness of these individuals as they generate forces against their skeletal frames that the mere mortals around them cannot; and, they sometimes pay the price for it. The biggest worry about this type of injury is the potential for it to recur. It also has a negative impact on a player's mindset going into future games. The fear that "it might happen all over again" is quite real. This doubt leads to less explosiveness and more tentativeness for a player. This means more Shakespearean moment ala Hamlet and less godlike moments ala Ares. Takeo Spikes is a superb example to follow. He is now two full seasons removed from his injury. Last season was largely under whelming for a player of his experience and talent. You may blame his Achilles for that. The Achilles injury should no longer be an issue. His age, rust, need to learn a new system, and psychological makeup are separate matters. (Actually, I feel good about Takeo this coming season as a rebound player.)

This type of injury can be interpreted by anyone. If it's a strain or minor pull, then plan on seeing your player in the game soon. The shoulder area is fairly well protected and is a part of the body that recovers quickly and well. There's little need to worry about how it will affect the player's performance week in and week out. Drew Brees came back from a torn labrum in 2005. It didn't prevent San Diego from trading him though. But..

If it's a complete tear or rotator cuff injury, then it's bad. Of course, you'll know this already because the words IR (Injury Reserve) and operation will be repeated many, many times. Plan on finding someone else to...ehem…shoulder the load. One particularly worrisome factor to keep in mind is the build of your player with a torn labrum or rotator cuff. DBs of slight build recover like anyone else, but you'll often soon see those one-arm attempts to tackle disappear; and for good reason. I usually ignore these types of guys because the likelihood of a repeat injury or drop in performance is higher.

This is an injury I can feel. No seriously, my back is killing me right now. I've been at my terminal typing for 2 hours now and my lower back is killing me. The commentary: lower, upper, does it matter? Is meant to imply that a back injury --no matter where it's located- is pretty much the same in its debilitation.

The back injury is somewhat like the hammy injury written about already. It lingers, feints right and then tight. No one, including the injured player, knows what he'll be able to do on Sunday. The good news about this type of injury is two fold. One is the cortisone shot. Players can get this magical elixir injected into them and hit the field with gusto. (Yea, they'll pay for it later, but that's not your problem.) Two is the generally reliable information given by players, coaches, and the media on the potential for this player to be on the field. The dreaded "game time decision" phrase is not often invoked.

If a back injury is noted more than a few games in a season, consider trading this player away or dropping him altogether. Sometimes it's simply better to take a stand against a player than quibble endlessly every Sunday morning.

There you have it. You now know enough about key NFL injuries to make smart decisions regarding IDPs on your roster and you can bore the ladies at parties with the very best of them.