The fantasy football draft is only one small part of the season, as leagues are won and lost through both good drafting and smart team management and lineup selections throughout the season.
One of the biggest headaches for a fantasy manager during the season is the fragility of their players and the tough decisions created by injuries. This is even true during Week 1, as lingering preseason ailments and long-term injuries just healing up in time for the season can create tough choices when setting a lineup.
With that in mind, let's consider a few players with injury concerns as Week 1 looms, and provide some advice and insight on how to replace them if they're unable to go.
Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
The seemingly "always hurt" told the media that he'd be on the field for Week 1 against the Dolphins.
As Dr. Dave Siebert of Bleacher Report points out, this would mean a less-than-nine-month recovery from an injury that often sidelines players for a year or more. But if Gronk has been cleared to play, it wouldn't be the first time that a fantasy football star has recovered in time for Week 1 against all odds.
And it wouldn't be the first time in recent history for a health-limited tight end to play and still be a top option. Last season, showing up to practice while going through the NFL's concussion protocol. But there's nothing we can do but wait until game day to assess Welker's status.
There's reason to be optimistic, as he's already back on the practice field and testing himself out physically. But have a backup plan in place if you're a Welker owner. Because he plays on Sunday night, if he hasn't been fully cleared by the kickoff of Sunday's first games, don't hesitate to bench him in favor of one of your backups.
The exception would be if you have Week 5 return for the Bengals' second best wideout), you do have some options who are likely available in your league.
Mike Williams of the Buffalo Bills is a starting receiver for an offense facing the Chicago Bears defense, which finished 12th last season against the pass according to our data. And while that's not a terrific matchup, he's one of a very small amount of starting receivers available on your waiver wire, and is worth a shot.
But the better lottery ticket option would be Rams starting receiver Kenny Britt, who's facing the second-worst 2013 pass defense from Minnesota. Yes, Shaun Hill will be his quarterback, but against the Minnesota pass defense, a good quarterback isn't required to get wideouts involved in the scoring.
Hold onto Marvin Jones for now, and if you need a fill-in this week, consider Williams and Britt. And if Jones is on the waiver wire in your league, grab him up and start using him a month from now when he's back on the field and producing as the target benefitting from the attention paid to A.J. Green.