The New Orleans Saints suffered a tough blow in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Drew Brees slammed his hand against Aaron Donald’s mammoth hand during a passing attempt, and tore a ligament in his thumb. He immediately left the game and was replaced by backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Brees had surgery on Wednesday, September 18th, and has begun a rehab process that has been estimated to take between six and eight weeks. The Saints did not place Brees on injured reserve, which means they think he could be back before the eight week period that is required if a player is placed on IR. Their Week 9 bye provides some wiggle room in that regard.
There are extensive fantasy football and sports betting implications to consider. Bridgewater has been a solid quarterback, but he is a downgrade from Brees for the various fantasy options on the Saints roster. They can remain competitive in a shaky NFC South division, so their Super Bowl odds did not tank like the Steelers did after Ben Roethlisberger’s injury, but it impacts those odds and week-to-week point spreads.
We’ll be breaking it all down during Brees’ absence.