Patriots QB Tom Brady has cracked bone in foot?

September 3, 2008 @ 10:39:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

WEEI 850AM Sports Radio in Boston reports sources have indicated that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (foot) has a cracked bone in his foot. Brady is still expected to play Sunday, Sept. 7.

Fantasy owners should not be in full-blown panic mode, but they won't be sleeping easy after this news. The Patriots are notoriously secretive with their injury reports, so not much is known of the injury. An MRI reportedly showed a cracked bone, which is why Brady did not play in the preseason. The cracked bone could mean a hairline fracture or a stress fracture, but all of that is purely speculation at this point. The good news is it could heal on its own during the season, though aggravating it is a strong possibility.

One promising sign is the Patriots have not made any moves to sign a veteran quarterback. The backup remains quarterback Matt Cassel, which could mean Brady's injury is not that serious. We would be a little surprised if Brady's injury was serious and the team didn't bring in a veteran backup. However, anything is speculation with so little known.

For fantasy owners, losing Brady would be a blow to their fantasy seasons. He likely was a first- or second-round draft pick. Those owners in late drafts might consider letting Brady pass them by in the second round with this news. Wide receiver Randy Moss might not be worth late first-round consideration if you were looking at him there, though he should not drop much.

If Brady misses time, it would hurt the value of all those surrounding him. His backup, Cassel, has completed nine out of just a total 15 attempts the last two years. He has not thrown a touchdown in that span and has one interception.

Wide receivers Moss, Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney all have a rapport with Brady, which would take a hit if Cassel is throwing to them. As well, defenses would be able to key on the run without Brady behind center, hurting the running game.

To summarize, losing Brady would be disastrous for the Patriots and fantasy owners. However, do not panic and be aware that New England probably will play games with the injury report all season long, just like they have for the past three seasons with Brady's phantom shoulder injury.

The bottom line is: Expect Brady to play through the injury, barring a major setback, and anticipate the injury to, at times, affect his throws if he is experiencing pain. Should the Pats come out firing early in contests like they did last year, Brady is more likely to sit once the team earns a lead to avoid further injury to the foot.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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