Hot Off The Press: Six NFL Players Suspended For Season

You know, it won't be long before the phrase "hot off the press" is meaningless to people.   What do you mean the news would be printed up? Like on a printer?    Somebody would bring it to your house?   Oh, that's silly Dad!  Did you take your medicine today?

Anyway, here's some news:

Six players, including the heart of the Minnesota Vikings' stout defensive line, were suspended for four games without pay by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's anti-doping policy.      

All six were punished for using a diuretic, which can serve as a masking agent for steroids.

The suspended players were running back Deuce McAllister and defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans; defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams of Minnesota; and long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston.

The main fantasy impact is in the next paragraph:

The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense, which ranks second in the league.

 

The McAllister suspension has probably already been factored in by fantasy owners -- both Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are already owned by somebody in your league I'm sure.   The giant hole that has been blown in the Minnesota defensive line is something new though.  The running backs the Vikes will be facing for the rest of the year are Kevin Smith (DET), JJ Arrington/Tim Hightower (ARZ), Michael Turner (ATL) and Brandon Jacobs/Derrick Ward (NYG).  Turner and Jacobs would be starts anyway, but this suspension could be the difference between a good start and a bad start for guys like Smith and Hightower.

This won't help the Saints running defense either (next four games: ATL, DET, CHI, CAR) and with the Falcons and Lions playing BOTH teams, it should mean especially big days for those offenses.