Fantasy Football: No "surprise" if New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski is ruled out

FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Many fantasy football owners were disappointed last week when they were forced to play without their top draft pick in Week 1 match-ups.

Now, ESPN New England Patriots reporter Mike Reiss says "it wouldn't be a surprise" if tight end Rob Gronkowski sits out against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 action. 'Gronk' is currently dealing with a hamstring issue.

The All-Pro pass catcher is officially questionable for Sunday's contest. He has been limited in practice this week.

"...my feeling is that it wouldn't be a surprise if Gronkowski remains sidelined," Reiss wrote.

Former Patriots assistant Michal Lombardi gave interesting comments regarding the team's procedure for injured players when he was on the Kirk and Callahan Show.

"I've been around Bill [Bellichick] since going back to 1991, and this has always been Bill's philosophy: If a player is injured, you're better off playing the backup than you are playing the starter," Lombardi said on the show.

This week at Patriots practice, Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reported that Gronkowski "doesn't look up to speed."

"From the looks of Thursday's practice, Rob Gronkowski certainly isn't 100 percent," Daniels wrote. "At this point, with one practice left in the week, it appears that the Patriots could be without their star tight end for the second week in a row."

If Gronkowski doesn't suit up Sunday, it will be the first time since 2013 that he has played fewer than 15 games in a season. Last season, Gronkowski racked up 72 receptions for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Gronkowski owners should definitely be on the lookout for alternatives. I like Oakland's Zach Miller, Denver's Virgil Green, and Pittsburgh's Jesse James this week. For very deep leagues, I like Atlanta's Jacob Tamme and Cincinnati's C.J. Uzomah, if the previously listed options are unavailable.