Fantasy Injury Focus - Chelsea

Yes, no, maybe, no, no, yes, no, yes, maybe, maybe, yes

I want nothing more than to break down the injury situation this week in a clear and useful fashion. I'm afraid that I won't be able do it though. There are so many injuries to so many high-profile players - and so many questions hanging around the extent of some of these injuries - that I know I'm going to miss something. But bear with me as I try to sort it out for myself, by myself and with the help of some roundtable participants.

I guess we have to start with Chelsea, and specifically Drogba. He's the top scorer in the game, and on more than half our teams... at a significant discount. And he's going to be out for three weeks with a broken rib. Or will he? All the reports seem to find their source at The Sun and I'm going to wait until I hear something more official before making permanent changes to my team.

But that being said, if he's out for three weeks he could miss Wolves, @Arsenal and maybe @Citeh. Then he could play up to five relatively easy matches - Everton, Portsmouth, @West Ham, @Birmingham, Fulham - before he would miss a month of games to the African Cup of Nations. Of course this all depends on when he could play with a broken rib, if he indeed has a broken rib, and when he would be required to join up with the Ivory Coast team ahead of the competition. The uncertainty of it all is maddening, but hopefully we'll know more as the week progresses.

In all honesty, I'm leaning towards sell. If the reports are true, I'm likely to gamble that I can make up enough points to compensate for the lack of Drogba in my team. And then I'll be hoping that there are some attractive arrivals in the January transfer window - paging David Villa - that I can rebuild my team and/or buy Drogba back.

Drogba, however, isn't the only Chelsea injury. Bosingwa is out for months, Ashley Cole is suffering from a shin fracture, Lampard is out for weeks with a thigh injury... breathe... Terry and Ballack are doubts with ankle and knee injuries, respectively, and Deco came out of Portugal's playoff with a groin strain. Anelka becomes the must-have Chelsea player for fantasy, but with Wolves' struggles and the Arsenal match looming, I wouldn't be surprised to see the likes of Alex, Kalou (a potential fantasy steal!) and Malouda play this weekend. A bit more of a stretch - but not that much - would have Joe Cole (another fantasy value) at the point of the midfield. Maybe Ferreira, also around 6, at left back? Though Zhirkov played for Russia, so he may be an option as well.