With the start of the 2013 NFL season only days away, the Oakland Raiders are already licking their wounds with plenty of injuries on both sides of the football.
Two of those injured players that may prove to be costly heading into the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts are David Ausberry and Menelik Watson.
According to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com, Ausberry and Watson have been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Colts:
As expected, left tackle Menelik Watson (knee) and tight end David Ausberry (shoulder) were both ruled out of the Raiders’ season opener Sunday at Indianapolis.
Over the past few weeks, Watson’s playing status has been up in the air after tweaking his knee in practice. Although uncertainty surrounded Watson’s playing status, the consensus was that he wouldn’t be able to go in Week 1. Khalif Barnes will make the move to left tackle in order to fill the void for Week 1.
As for Ausberry, the USC product has been dealing with a shoulder injury since training camp came to a close. Ausberry appeared to have locked up the starting tight end until suffering the shoulder injury. Jeron Mastrud will replace Ausberry at tight end on Sunday.
Along with Ausberry and Watson, rookie linebacker Sio Moore is listed as questionable for Week 1. Moore is currently dealing with a toe injury that may force Kaluka Maiava into a starting role against the Colts.
