Buffalo Bills starting safety, Jarius Byrd, is going to be out for a long time after he had surgery for a groin injury. He could end up missing the season opener and is currently out indefinitely. Head coach Chan Gailey is unsure if Byrd will get to play in the season opener on September 12th. "It looks like he's going to be out for a while," Gailey said. "We're hoping first game, but it may be not." This is Byrd's third surgery in just 13 months. Gailey said Byrd's groin had been bothering him as training camp progressed and it got much worse after practice.
Fantasy Analysis:
Jarius Byrd had an absolute monster rookie campaign. He ended up tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions even though he missed 2 games. He now owns Buffalo Bills franchise records with an INT in 5 consecutive games and he had the most INTs by a rookie. The Bills absolutely need Byrd to be healthy if they want to make any kind of noise in the wide open AFC East this year. Byrd is someone that the defense and the team depend on and he was rewarded last year with a Pro Bowl selection. The Bills' DEF will probably be nothing more than waiver wire material for the entire season (although Week 14 looks promising as they have a date with the Cleveland Browns). It might be wise to scoop them up later in the season as you make your playoff push if you do not land a solid DEF and end up playing match-ups.
