Detroit Lions: Will Reggie Bush’s Knee Injury Keep Him Sidelined?
Fantasy owners everywhere were holding their collective breaths Sunday after Reggie Bush, one of Week One’s standouts, went down in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury. Fortunately, it was not as bad as it looked.
Bush did return to the game after halftime, only to fumble the exchange on a handoff from Matthew Stafford. He didn’t come back onto the field after that.
The team conducted tests on their running back’s knee on Monday, and head coach Jim Schwartz informed the media that the injury was nothing long-term. However, he also didn’t say the injury would be short-term, either, instead inventing the phrase “medium-term.”
So, if Bush’s injury is “medium-term”, can he be expected to play on Sunday when the Lions visit the Redskins? Who knows.
As mentioned above, the former Heisman winner (but not really!) was phenomenal in Week One against the Vikings, gaining nearly 200 total yards along with a touchdown. He was off to a solid start last week against Arizona, as he’d gained over 60 total yards before going down.
If Bush is rendered inactive this Sunday, then Joique Bell would seem poised to take his spot in the starting lineup. Bell, too, was fantastic against Minnesota, as he scored a pair of TDs and caught another six passes for 67 yards. In the loss to the Cardinals, Bell gained over 70 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches, including five catches.
Bush missing Week Three would also mean Mikel Leshoure, the team’s leading rusher in 2012, would likely see game action for the first time this season. Leshoure can be a solid goal-line option, but the majority of the looks would figure to go to the more versatile Bell.
So, for fantasy purposes, if Bush plays this week, then you should keep him in your fantasy lineup. But if he doesn’t, then I’d be very confident in Joique Bell do give me Flex-type production, at the very least. You can trot Leshoure out there as a Flex, if you’d like, but I’m not optimistic about his chances of making much noise.
This could be another huge day for the Lions offense, as they’re facing a Washington defense that has been absolutely gashed through the season’s first two games by both the Eagles and the Packers.
