Injuries are a part of professional football. For the rest of us, they also become a part of getting older. I can go from "probable" to "doubtful" for an afternoon event just by sleeping wrong the night before. And I'll need a couple days to recover.

As you might have guessed, I'm not an athlete (unless you count Ms. Pac Man as an athletic game, which nobody does). We expect the pros to be more durable and bounce back quicker. And they certainly do, most of the time. But maybe we expect a little too much, and that can have an impact on drafts and auctions.

I think I know who's to blame (there always has to be someone to blame these days, right?) for these unrealistic expectations: Adrian Peterson.

Around Christmas back in 2011, Peterson was doing Peterson things in a Peterson season when he tore his ACL. That kind of injury that late in the year is bad news for any player. But Peterson's a running back, so there's no way he'd come back the next year just as good as he was in 2011.

Turns out he wasn't as good. He was much, much better. As in, the second-best season in NFL history (2,097 yards). Fantasy owners who discounted him on draft day looked silly. Owners who dismissed him altogether looked insane. And those who took a chance on him often celebrated titles, won money and were declared geniuses.

I think we're still experiencing fallout from that historic performance. Injuries don't seem like as big a deal anymore. We just assume a player will bounce back and be (at least) as good as before. And that philosophy could really cost people this season.

Look, I know that Aaron Rodgers has come back from broken clavicles before. And Deshaun Watson will turn 23 in September, so good chance he makes a full recovery. I also know that sports medicine has never been more effective. Injuries aren't necessarily fatal to fantasy teams anymore, and dynasty teams don't have to sell low when a player suffers a serious setback.

But still: Rodgers is 34, so let's say he's entering the "mature" phase of his career. And mobility is a big part of Watson's game. I'm not saying to write these guys off, but it feels like we're pretending the injuries didn't even happen.

And I'm not talking about any specific website or list. I mean that fantasy discussions all around the country don't seem to factor in injuries the way they should. So as you make your preparations over the next month, I think you should pay a little more attention to them than your opponents will.

Yes, it's a more cautious approach, and you might like to take risks. That's great. All I'm saying is that you should weigh the risks a little heavier before reaching for the reward. If it's still worth it, go for it. But don't forget that we don't really know how each person will respond to an injury. Watson might pick up right where he left off. Or it might be Robert Griffin III all over again. Or it might be something in between.

But here's the thing: Even if it's somewhere in between, you lose by selecting him as early as required. I don't think Watson's value will have "somewhere in between" baked in. And at least one owner (probably more) will discard it completely and expect to see the exact same guy they saw across six starts last season.

I'm just saying that maybe you don't want to be one of those owners. At least acknowledge when injuries are part of a player's resume. That way, if you still draft them, at least you're getting the value you're expecting with all factors taken into consideration. You might miss out on a great player that way, but you might avoid some headaches as well.

Personally, I'm not as high on David Johnson this year as many people are. But that has almost nothing to do with his wrist fracture and everything to do with a feeling that the team will struggle this season. Injuries don't always have to mean you shy away from a player.

That being said, if something happens to Johnson this season, Peterson is still a free agent. And guess who led the Cardinals in rushing last season? Food for thought.

How do you approach injuries when preparing for the upcoming season? Who makes you nervous and who has your confidence? Share your thoughts below.