Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita tries to bring down running back Trent Richardson. AP photo by Tony Dejak
If you haven’t had your fantasy football draft yet, you might want to re-think your
Trent Richardson philosophy.
After sitting out of practice Tuesday and riding a stationary bike on the sidelines because of what the team termed “a sore knee,” Richardson was scheduled to go see
Dr. James Andrews. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweeted on Wednesday that she thinks Richardson will need “minor cleanup on left knee.”
According to ESPN, Richardson is actually having surgery today to remove a "hang nail particle" of loose cartilage that is irritating his left knee, but the rookie is expected to return before the regular-season opener, according to sources. The small particle, which has caused swelling, will be "cleaned up" by Andrews after it was detected in an MRI. Andrews will do a final evaluation before he is expected to perform the minor surgery.
Andrews, from Birmingham, Ala., performed the original arthroscopic surgery on Richardson's left knee on Feb. 3 to repair a torn meniscus and has been Richardson's surgeon since he was in high school.
ESPN, according to a team source, described Richardson's scheduled surgery and recovery as a "two-week deal."
No matter what the recovery time, this should change where you should draft Trent Richardson. This will be his second knee procedure in the last year. Again, I’m not a doctor, but knee procedures of any kind aren’t good for running backs.
I’m taking a wait and see approach with this. I’m a big fan of Richardson and I think he can help the Browns a bunch this season (and my fantasy football team). If he rebounds quickly from the surgery and show good movement later in the pre-season, he’s worth considering in the middle rounds of a draft.
The Browns running game was nonexistent last year with
Peyton Hillis out with strep throat, a lingering hamstring injury and difficult contract negotiations. So anything that Richardson can provide on the ground would be an improvement and help rookie quarterback
Brandon Weeden.
Again, if you have your fantasy draft closer to the beginning of the season, keep an eye on reports coming from Cleveland on Richardson. No matter what happens, drafting Richardson in the early rounds could be a risk.
