Early No. 1 Wide Receiver Injuries

Its been a tough training camp for a few number one wide receivers. St. Louis Rams' deep threat Donnie Avery has been ruled our 4 to 6 weeks with a foot sprain. Now the Bucs and Panthers will be without Antonio Bryant and Steve Smith respectively.

Smith, who finished third in the NFL last season with 1,421 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, was carted to the locker room with a right shoulder strain after colliding with cornerback Chris Gamble in Monday's workouts. Even though X-rays were negative, Smith was reportedly in a lot of pain and the Panthers are uncertain how long he would be out.

It's possible that Smith will miss the entire preseason, and he's considering undergoing an MRI to provide more details on the injury. Smith's agent, Derrick Fox, told the Charlotte Observer that "Steve has a high threshold of pain, and he's in a lot of pain, so something's off-kilter," said Fox.

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The Buccaneers lost Antonio Bryant for a month of action. Bucs coach Raheem Morris told reporters that Bryant has a torn meniscus in his left knee and will undergo arthroscopic surgery. It was six months ago that the Bucs placed the franchise tag on Bryant, assuring him a salary of $9.98 million this season. Bryant had a breakout season last year with 1248 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.

While he's expected to be ready to play in the regular-season opener against Dallas on Sept. 13, there's no guarantee Tampa Bay will get the same explosiveness out of Bryant as soon as he returns. The injury originally occurred against the Panthers in December, when Bryant tore it up for nine catches, 200 yards and two touchdowns, including this ridiculous highlight-reel catch.

With these injuries you may be able to get the players a few picks later in your fantasy football draft, but until you hear anything else Avery, Smith and Bryant should be ready for a full season.