Week 2 of the National Football League was a tough one to watch with some of the biggest names taking the cart to the locker room with serious injuries. Unfortunately for fantasy football players, you’re number one pick might be gone for the long haul. 

Starting with one of the biggest names, Saquon Barkley, the star running back for the struggling New York Giants, went down this week and was carted off of the field in the first half against the Chicago Bears. After the game, the Giants announced that Barkley would be out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. With their best player sidelined for the season, the Giants’ hopes  for a winning season went from slim to none. 

Probably the number one pick in close to every fantasy football draft, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, took a big hit against Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The MVP candidate was injured while scoring his second touchdown of the game. Unfortunately for the Panthers, McCaffrey will miss four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain.

 The San Francisco 49ers may have had the worst week for injuries in franchise and perhaps NFL history. With star tight end George Kittle already out, the 49ers lost starting quarterback Jimmy Garappolo, running back Raheem Mostert, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, center Weston Richburg, cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive ends Joey Bosa and Dee Ford. 

The most impactful of those injuries was to Bosa, who was carted off the field with a torn ACL and will be lost to the 49ers for the remainder of the season. Garappolo went down with an ankle injury, but may very well play this weekend as he is listed as questionable. Mostert’s knee injury has him listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Barkley-less Giants. 

Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones went down early in the game with a groin injury. Jones, the former Dallas Cowboys standout who signed a hefty free agent contract with Dolphins in the off-season, was a hopeful addition to a struggling defense. Miami head coach Brian Flores of said he is not planning on keeping Jones out of tonight’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but stated that Jones has to “heal pretty quickly.” 

Drew Lock of the Denver Broncos suffered a shoulder injury Sunday and is expected to miss three to five weeks. The Broncos had hopes that the promising, young quarterback would help turn things around for the team, but Lock’s loss, combined with star edge rusher Von Miller and starting wide receiver Courtland Sutton already out for the season, has put those hopes in serious jeopardy. The Broncos picked up former Jacksonville free agent quarterback Blake Bortles to fill in while Lock heals.

The rash of serious injuries so early into the season has fans wondering if the shortened training camps and cancelled pre-season games could be a major factor in those injuries. Perhaps without the proper preparation time, players are not in their peak physical condition and are not ready for the physical punishment that comes with playing the game.