Washington Redskins Marquee Injuries: Moss, Hightower, Fletcher All Go Down

Three of the Washington Redskins' marquee players were hampered by injury on Sunday.

Washington Redskins number one wide receiver Santana Moss broke a bone in his left hand in the Redskins' 33-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers and stud rookie quarterback Cam Newton on Sunday. Coach Mike Shanahan said Moss sustained the injury in the first half and is definitely out next week when the team travels to play the Buffalo Bills.

Coach Mike Shanahan made the announcement immediately after the game and also said that feature running back Tim Hightower (knee) and linebacker London Fletcher (hamstring) also sustained injuries and need further evaluation.

According to ESPN, X-rays on Hightower's knee were negative and the fourth-year back is scheduled to undergo an MRI. Shanahan said the severity of Hightower's injury is unclear.

Moss hurt his left hand in the first half and spent the rest of the game watching from the sideline while wearing a bulky wrap on the hand. Although Moss is the best receiver on the team, having been targeted 42 times this season, grabbing 23 receptions, and catching two touchdowns, all team highs, he is only third on the team in receiving yards (284) and has just three catches this year of 20 yards or more.

Hightower, who got the start over Ryan Torain, and had run for 88 yards on 17 carries, hurt his left knee on a four-yard carry in the third quarter. He was helped off the field, carted to the locker room from the sideline and did not return along with Moss. Hightower started the Redskins' first four games of the season and was benched in favor of Torain for the Redskins' game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 after Torain exploded off the bench for 19 carries and 135 yards in a 17-10 win over the St. Louis Rams in Week 4.

Fletcher, a tackle workhorse, has just 34 tackles so far after 10 straight seasons with at least 130.

Losing any combination of these players will put the Redskins in a bind as they continue to play against a tough crowd for the rest of the season, including three divisional games and games against the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers.