FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 6/14/2013 12:56am et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson revealed Thursday, June 13, that the back injury he suffered in March was a slight fracture in his L-5 vertebrae. He was filming a workout session for BuffaloBills.com when it happened. Johnson said he was given a cortisone shot and an epidural during his recovery.

Huddle Up: This sounds worse than it probably actually was as Johnson has been participating in offseason drills since then as he prepares for a season with a new QB, be it free-agent signee Kevin Kolb or first-round pick E.J. Manuel.

Posted: 4/17/2013 7:15pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson did not participate in the team's offseason workout because of a lower back strain.

Huddle Up: Too early to be overly worried about missed workouts, but back injuries tend to linger so keep a watchful eye on Stevie this offseason.

Posted: 4/14/2013 5:33pm et

Updating a previous report, sources deny a report that New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez would be part of a deal which would send CB Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Huddle Up: There's no shortage of dramatic twists and turns when it come to Revis trade rumors, and the Sanchez angle sounds like nothing more than just that: A juicy rumor.

Posted: 2/11/2013 12:56pm et

Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix said the team would ideally like to add a big wide receiver to line up outside allowing the offensive staff to move WR Stevie Johnson inside to the slot where Nix believes Johnson could be an even greater asset to the passing game.

Huddle Up: Johnson has been essentially flying solo the past few seasons, as neither David Nelson nor Donald Jones has stepped up to provide a true threat at WR2. Makes sense to want to give Johnson--and the Bills' new quarterback, assuming they're looking to replace Ryan Fitzpatrick--some help.

Posted: 12/7/2012 11:11pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (hamstring) was limited in practice Friday, Dec. 7, and is questionable for Week 14.

Huddle Up: The Bills' leading receiver (55-705-5 TDs) has at least been able to practice on a limited basis all week after being injured Sunday. This has all the appearances of a game-time decision so check in with The Huddle's Game Day Inactives, Injuries and Weather report Sunday.

Posted: 12/5/2012 1:41pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (hamstring) said he will not practice Wednesday, Dec. 5, but still expects to play Week 14. He said his tight hamstring feels about the same as it did when he left the team's Week 13 game with the injury.

Huddle Up: It sounds like Stevie will be just fine this weekend. He has a pretty nice matchup against the Rams at home this week; he should be a borderline WR2 in all formats.

Posted: 12/3/2012 2:21pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (hamstring) said he expects to be able to play Week 14 after dealing with a tight hamstring during the team's Week 13 game. Johnson said he will receive treatment on his hamstring this week.

Huddle Up: The dreaded hamstring comes at the worst possible time for fantasy teams. These things can linger so availabilty and workload may be affected going forward. The good news is that he expects to play week 14, but definitely a situation to monitor.

Posted: 12/2/2012 4:18pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson left late in the third quarter of Sunday's Week 13 game because of a hamstring injury and did not return.

Huddle Up: Johnson, the Bills' leading receiver, had 2 catches for 18 yards, including a 13-yard scoring reception earlier in the third quarter, before leaving the contest.

Posted: 11/15/2012 11:56pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson gained a game-high 79 yards on 6 receptions Thursday night in his team's 19-14 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Huddle Up: Johnson did his damage on 9 targets and now has hauled in at least 5 passes in 5 of his past 6 games. He did not score though and has only 1 TD catch in his past 7 contests.

Posted: 11/8/2012 7:04pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (thigh) was limited in practice Thursday, Nov. 8.

Huddle Up: With nagging injuries playing a role, Johnson has tailed off a bit as of late. He is tied with TE Scott Chandler with a team-high 4 receiving TDs, but only 1 of those has come over his past 5 games.

Posted: 11/5/2012 3:42pm et

Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey said WR Stevie Johnson (thigh) is dealing with a bad thigh bruise after being injured in Week 9. Johnson's status for Week 10 will depend on how much swelling he has and how much of it drains into his lower leg.

Huddle Up: Johnson owners will need to monitor this situation for his availability this week.

Posted: 9/8/2012 11:28pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (groin) is expected to be available for Week 1. Johnson's groin injury reportedly made a nice rebound Friday, Sept. 7, after sitting out practice Thursday, Sept. 6. He was able to participate in everything the Bills asked him to do, but he officially was listed as limited because he didn't take part in all of the team reps. 'I did everything,' Johnson said. 'I was out there, running routes and full-go with the guys. I think Coach made the right call along with the guys in the training room of sitting me. I guess it will only get better from here. I still have a couple days until game day.'

Huddle Up: If you do need to roll with Johnson in Week 1, definitely don't expect too much between the injury and the Darrelle Revis factor,

Posted: 9/7/2012 2:41pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (groin) was limited during practice Friday, Sept. 7, and is listed as questionable for Week 1.

Huddle Up: Johnson might not be a good start this week given he is also headed to Revis Island. He has gotten off the Island before, but a groin injury to Johnson should give Revis the upper hand this week. He should play, and he can always break a big one, but he may be too risky to start in Week 1.

Posted: 9/6/2012 7:49pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (groin) did not participate in practice Thursday, Sept. 6.

Huddle Up: Johnson is the Bills' only proven receiver and perhaps the one player the Buffalo offense can't do without. If he somehow can't go Sunday, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's fantasy value will take a big hit.

Posted: 9/5/2012 5:05pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (groin) was limited at practice Wednesday, Sept. 5. Johnson took a hard fall in practice, but it is unknown if that was related to him being limited.

Huddle Up: Johnson was already headed to Revis Island this week—though he has gotten off the Island before—and this injury is bound to make things worse if it persists. He was a relatively risky fantasy start because of the matchup; monitor his injury to see if he is bench-worthy.

Posted: 9/5/2012 12:03pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson said Tuesday, Sept. 4, his groin injury that required surgery in the offseason remains at only 90 percent. Johnson, however, insists he is ready for Week 1.

Huddle Up: This is shaping up to be a lingering problem all season long; after all, if Johnson is only at 90 percent right now it's tough to see the grind of the regular season helping with the healing process.

Posted: 8/23/2012 12:04pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson has spent every special teams period of practice riding a stationary bike on the sideline to keep his groin loose. Johnson hasn't missed any drills; however, he did admit to feeling soreness in his surgically repaired groin and suspected he'd be following a similar routine all season. "I'll probably be on that like maybe throughout the season because I don't want any "what if's" while I'm sitting down not doing anything and then I get out there and do something - pop, and there you go with another groin injury," Johnson said. "So I just try to stay active a little bit, walking around and stretching."

Huddle Up: It's a bit disconcerting that Johnson expects to have to deal with the groin injury throughout the season; on the other hand, that he's being proactive and trying to keep himself loose so there isn't a "pop" and another groin injury is at least somewhat reassuring. Bottom line, there's some risk involved in Johnson given the injury history but plenty of upside as the WR1 in Buffalo.

Posted: 8/10/2012 12:44pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson, who had offseason surgery on his groin, said he felt good during the team's first preseason game Thursday, Aug. 9. "The groin was good. It felt good. I didn't feel anything as far as a setback when I was running," Johnson said. Johnson was a full go during the game after being held out of some of the team's training camp workouts as a precaution.

Huddle Up: Good to see Johnson back at full go after being limited during the early part of camp. He's clearly the Bills' top target, though that still makes him only a borderline fantasy WR2.

Posted: 7/26/2012 10:08pm et

Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson (groin) said he is around 90 percent at this point but does not expect to be limited during training camp. 'I am still about the same (as OTAs),' Johnson said. 'About 90-plus (percent). I never really say a hundred because nobody is perfect here. But I feel good about it. I do not feel anything in my groin so I am pretty good.'

Huddle Up: He's fine. The groin pull is in his left leg and it was an issue last year but he played through it. Stevie is a nice value pick currently slotted in the mid-fourth to mid-fifth round, and sometimes he even falls to the early-sixth. Bargain!