Fantasy, betting implications of Drew Brees thumb injury in Week 2 [UPDATE]

Editor’s update, 10:35 a.m. 9/16: Drew Brees has a torn ligament in the thumb of his throwing hand, according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. He will have surgery on the thumb and an initial estimate has him out six weeks. The Saints do not have their bye until Week 9, which means we might not see Brees again until early November. If the six weeks holds, he will miss games at Seattle, vs. Dallas and Tampa Bay, at Jacksonville and Chicago, and then at home against Arizona.

Editor’s update, 9:30 a.m. 9/16: Drew Brees is dealing with a ligament issue in the thumb of his throwing hand, according to NFL Network. He visited a specialist after the team’s Week 2 loss to the Rams, and the time will find out the extent of his injury on Monday. Ian Rapoport said it looks like he will miss some game time. After the game, he said it is the toughest time he’s had gripping a football in his career, per NFL Network’s Omar Ruiz.

The New Orleans Saints find themselves in an unwelcome position. Quarterback Drew Brees suffered an injury to his right thumb, and he has been sidelined in Week 2 vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Brees injured his thumb when he hit Aaron Donald’s hand on the follow-through of a pass. Teddy Bridgewater replaced Brees with the Saints trailing the Rams 3-0.

Fantasy impact: The loss of Brees would downgrade everybody on the Saints. You’re still starting guys like Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Jared Cook, but you have to lower expectations a little bit. As for Bridgewater? He’s worth an add as a backup option, and would have some favorable matchups as a streaming option. But this also depends on the status of Brees, so it’s safe to take a wait-and-see approach the next couple days before waivers runs.

Betting impact: This will cost the Saints several points in future point spreads. The Saints travel to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3, and the Westgate SuperBook lookahead line had them as a one-point favorite. If Brees is a question mark for the game, the line will swing to the Seahawks. If he ends up unavailable for the game, it will move a little bit more. Bridgewater is a talented quarterback, but he’s no Brees, so we’ll get to see just where sportsbooks value the sixth-year quarterback.