Edwin Encarnacion’s finger injury aggravation makes him a tricky start in the fantasy playoffs

While the rest of your league mates might overlook their rosters on the first week of NFL action, don’t make the mistake of ignoring your roster. Here are the injuries to know about as the 2015 season winds down. Success at this point of the year could come down to one player who sits due to an injury. Don’t be that fantasy owner who forgot to take an injured player out of your active roster.

• Billy Burns (OAK OF) missed the entire weekend because of a strained right hamstring. He is scheduled to run the bases on Monday and could be back in the Athletics’ lineup on Tuesday. While he has been a good source of stolen bases this season, along with helping in the runs and batting average categories, Burns is a risky play this week because the effects of hamstring injuries can linger.

• Carl Crawford (LAD OF) left Saturday’s game early because of tightness in his right hamstring. Consider him day-to-day for now. Crawford can’t shake the “injury-prone” label, and I would not own him in any format because of his inability to stay healthy and on the field.

• Edwin Encarnacion (TOR DH) aggravated a finger injury that has been plaguing him since the All-Star break. He left Saturday’s contest early and did not start on Sunday. Consider him day-to-day for now and monitor his progress before setting your rosters for this week.

• Nathan Eovaldi (NYY SP) turned into the Yankees’ ace. But the team’s playoff hopes took a hit when they announced that Eovaldi could be out for the season because of inflammation in his right elbow. In keeper leagues, if he can be kept cheaply, he is a good player to stash heading into 2016.

• Josh Hamilton (TEX OF) has been dealing with a left knee injury since early in August. On Friday, he had a minor surgical procedure to clean up a small meniscus tear. While Texas is reporting that he could return this season, I believe it is safe to drop him in all formats.

• Matt Holliday (STL OF) could return from his grade 2 quadriceps strain this week, as early as Tuesday against the Brewers. When he does, he will be a full-time player, per general manager John Mozeliak. Holliday suffered the initial injury in early June and reinjured the leg later in July. At this point, I am concerned about Holliday and his risk of re-injury. For the remainder of the season, I would only count on him as a fourth outfielder.

• Corey Kluber (CLE SP) is still being bothered by symptoms from a right hamstring strain. Cleveland’s ace has not pitched since August 29 but, when running sprints on Friday, manager Terry Francona reported that Kluber “still feels it a little bit.” Keep him inactive this week.

• Mat Latos (LAD SP) was scratched from his last start because of neck stiffness. With manager Don Mattingly naming the starting pitchers for the Dodgers’ next five games, it’s unknown where Latos now fits into the rotation, if at all.
  

• Jonathan Lucroy (MIL C) took a foul tip to his catcher’s mask on Tuesday. While he initially passed the cognitive concussion tests, he reported increased symptoms on Wednesday. He has been out of action since and was ultimately diagnosed with a concussion on Saturday. Because of the unpredictability in the recovery from a concussion, and with the Brewers out of the playoff picture, expect Lucroy to see limited, if any, action for the remainder of the season.

• Starling Marte (PIT OF) has been out of action because of a stomach illness. Consider him day-to-day and watch for updates before locking in your rosters in weekly leagues.

• Cameron Maybin (ATL OF) continues to be out of action with an abrasion of his left cornea though he could return to action soon. “I went today (Saturday) and got good news — he said my eyes are good, the spots are clearing up. I actually see pretty well right now. I want to (play) today, but they said to take it easy. But I’m looking at Tuesday. I’ll go back (to the doctor) Tuesday morning one more time, but he gave me some pretty good eye drops and it’s been clearing up pretty quickly.” Maybin will be limited in how long he can wear his contact lenses on a daily basis so expect Atlanta to give him extra time off every week.

• Joe Panik (SF 2B) left Wednesday’s game because of tightness and pain in his lower back. Remember he spent more than a month on the disabled list because of back issues. Keep him benched this week but expect him to be limited for the rest of the season.

• Jose Reyes (COL SS) has been out of the lineup for Colorado because of a strained left Achilles tendon. I expect the Rockies to be very cautious with Reyes for the rest of the season, especially since he is their most valuable trading chip. Consider him day-to-day but don’t look for him to play every day over the last three weeks.

• Drew Storen (WAS RP) took out his frustrations over Washington’s disappointing season and, in the process of slamming his locker, fractured his right thumb. He is out for the remainder of 2015 and can be dropped in all formats.

• Mark Teixeira (NYY 1B) can be dropped in all formats after it was revealed that he was, in fact, dealing with a fracture in his right shin.

• Troy Tulowitzki (TOR SS) collided with teammate Kevin Pillar while trying to catch a pop-up during Saturday’s contest against the Yankees. In addition to bruises, Tulowitzki has a small crack in his left scapula (shoulder blade). “It’s a very small crack,” Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Sunday. “Just talking with the doctors, if they had to guess, and really it’s only a guess at this point, it could be two to three weeks, and then he could be back for October.” At this point, Toronto is looking to have Tulowitzki ready for the playoffs so, in redraft leagues, he can safely be dropped.

• Stephen Vogt (OAK C) has been out of action since taking a foul ball to the groin during last Sunday’s game against Seattle. “I’ve taken so many shots to the cup,” Vogt said. “This one was 93 (mph) if not harder with the redirection. I’ve never been hit that directly with that much velocity. The pain is indescribable. I’m on pain medication and I’m still not comfortable. This has been miserable the past couple of days. I’m lucky no surgery was required, nothing removable kind-of-surgery.” Consider Vogt to be day-to-day but don’t expect Oakland to rush him back into action.

• Ryan Zimmerman (WAS 1B) has been battling soreness in his left oblique and is considered day-to-day. He suffered the initial injury last week, on Monday, and has not swung a bat since. “We know there’s something wrong,” Zimmerman said. “It’s one of those things where I really don’t have an answer. I wish I did. It’s about as day-to-day as it can get.” If you need the roster spot to add a player who could help you down the stretch, I think you can drop Zimmerman.

Jeremy Tiermini is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jeremy follow him on Twitter at @JeremyTiermini.