Wes Welker will finally have knee surgery Tuesday

New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker became the poster child for why playoff teams should rest their starters in meaningless games when his left knee blew up in Houston during the team's week 17 game against the Texans. Immediately, his status for the start of the 2010 season was put in doubt. He tore the MCL and ACL in that knee. But now, it's looking less and less likely that Welker will be healthy enough to play at the start of next season. That's because he still has yet to go under the knife. Welker has had to wait for his MCL to heal before having the procedure in order to protect against an infection. He will undergo the operation Tuesday at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to an NFL source. The surgery will come roughly one full month after the injury. Depending on his recovery, Welker could miss 6-12 months, according to the Boston Globe. While unlikely, some doctors have said that it's possible Welker could play in week one next year.

Fantasy Analysis:
Obviously, worse-case scenario would mean that Welker misses the entire season. But for the sake of argument, let's play it safe and say he misses the first two weeks of the season. Without the injury, he would be a top-10 fantasy WR and probably top-5 in PPR leagues. But if he misses the first couple of games I would probably drop him down to the 15-to-20 range in standard leagues. You would also have to factor in the rust he would have to shake off -- if any -- when he returns.