Fantasy Football Challenge - Football Fanatics Articles Archive

Enclosed in this archive is every bit of the action and updates that occurred in October 2003 within the world of fantasy football. You may want to read these articles for research on players in the coming year, or just check to see if we were way off base with our reporting. Whatever the reason, it's all here for your enjoyment.

Fantasy Football Challenge - October 2003 Fantasy Football Articles

Fantasy Football Challenge - October 2003 Articles Archives

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but Harrington has accepted he probably will have to play the remaining 11 games of the season with a slightly swollen, slightly uncomfortable right forefinger.

The original damage was done when his hand connected with center Dominic Raiola''s helmet in the follow-through in the Sept. 21 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Harrington missed just one play while trainer Al Bellamy popped the finger back in place. He has practiced and played since then with an elastic wrap or tape on the finger, a factor he says has no effect on his ability to throw or complete passes.

On orders from head coach Steve Mariucci to rest the finger and also a slightly bruised shoulder, Harrington did not throw a football during the bye week last week.

"It feels good," he said. "Some of the swelling''s gone down. It''s a little looser, not quite as tight as it used to be. It''s improving."

It''s all a matter of degrees, of course, because Harrington knows he probably won''t get rid of the injury until the season ends.

"Honestly, it''s probably something I''ll wrap for most of the season," he said. "When things like this happen it''s best to rest, but when you''re in the middle of a season, you can''t rest.

"So it''s something I''ve learned to adapt to. That''s part of this game; you learn to adapt to injuries. Guys out there all day are adapting to little bumps and bruises that you pick up during the week."

Since the opening game, when he threw four touchdowns without an interception in the Lions'' 42-24 victory over Arizona, Harrington has struggled.

He was intercepted three times by Green Bay in the second game and three times by Minnesota in the third. At Denver, he completed two touchdown passes but only 45.5 percent of his throws and at San Francisco he threw a touchdown pass but was intercepted twice.

That adds up to three touchdown passes and eight interceptions in the past four games, and his completion percentage of 51.8 is only slightly better than the 50.1 percent he completed last year as a rookie.

The finger

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