Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson broke his arm in a car accident early Tuesday morning. As first reported by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Burleson broke his arm in two places and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday.
Birkett also added that he was told no alcohol was involved with the crash. Burleson was returning home after watching Monday Night Football with some friends. The accident only involved the car he was in, and fortunately the only injury he suffered was the broken arm.
According to CBS Detroit, police said Burleson was trying to catch a box of pizza from falling off his passenger seat when he hit the median wall. The air bags deployed in his 2009 GMC Yukon and he was at fault for the accident, but no ticket was issued.
From a football standpoint, this is a major blow for the Lions. The 32-year-old veteran was off to a tremendous start this season, leading the team with 19 receptions in three games. Second-year receiver Ryan Broyles appeared in his first game of the season against the Washington Redskins on Sunday and caught three passes for 34 yards. He will be thrust into a much larger role going forward with Burleson out.
While we wish Burleson a speedy recovery and are glad he avoided any serious injury other than to his arm, we did want to point out to our readers that Broyles has become a must-add now in all fantasy formats. The Lions love throwing the ball, and he’s the best bet to see a significant increase in targets.
