Another week of football means another week of injuries. Each Friday, I’ll break down the NFL practice reports by matchup. That’s when teams release two key pieces of information: first, a player’s status (full-go, limited, no-go) in practice that week; second, their injury designation (questionable, doubtful, out). It’s vital stuff to follow for your fantasy matchups, and I’ll walk you through the important things to know.
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Bills at Broncos (Saturday, 4:30 PM EST)
Bills: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Broncos: RB Melvin Gordon (shoulder) QUESTIONABLE, RB Phillip Lindsay (hip) QUESTIONABLE.
The Bills don’t have any big names on their formal injury report, but wide receiver John Brown won’t be activated from injured reserve before Buffalo’s visit to Denver. Gabriel Davis has been working on the perimeter throughout his absence, and he’s been a rock-solid lower-end starter.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are dealing with some injuries in the backfield. Both Gordon and Lindsay are questionable for Saturday’s matchup, but it’s worth noting that the two of them were able to practice for most of the week. Gordon logged limited sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, while Lindsay did the same from Tuesday through Thursday. However, I think both of them should suit up, so I wouldn’t worry too much if you’re a Gordon manager.
Panthers at Packers (Saturday, 8:15 PM EST)
Panthers: RB Christian McCaffrey (thigh) DOUBTFUL, WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
Packers: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
The Panthers probably won’t have Christian McCaffrey this week, and his absence will thrust Mike Davis into an absolute smash spot. The Packers surrender the fourth-most half-PPR points per game to opposing rushers, so managers lucky enough to have Davis should be able to trust him for another big day.
At wide receiver, both D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel have been dealing with injuries. Moore is confirmed for Saturday’s matchup, however, as Matt Rhule said on Wednesday. Samuel is iffier; he picked up a hamstring injury late in the week and was limited on Friday. There’s a chance that Samuel can’t go this week due to how late his injury occurred, so if you were planning to start him, I’d have a backup plan in place.
49ers at Cowboys (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
49ers: WR Deebo Samuel (hamstring) OUT.
Cowboys: RB Ezekiel Elliott (calf) QUESTIONABLE.
The 49ers also won’t have George Kittle this Sunday. He returned to practice this week, but Shanahan decided not to activate him from injured reserve in advance of the Week 15 matchup.
Without both Samuel and Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk is the team’s de-facto leading pass-catcher, and he’s looked great in the high-volume role he’s had to play. He caught 10 of 16 targets for 119 yards last week, and you can trust him as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2 against the Cowboys.
There had been speculation earlier in the week about Raheem Mostert’s availability, but the 49ers didn’t give him an injury designation after practicing fully on Friday. You should have no qualms about throwing Mostert into your lineup this weekend, as the Cowboys field a run-funnel defense.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys didn’t have Ezekiel Elliott at practice all week, but they still gave him a questionable tag. Head coach Mike McCarthy said that Elliott is “a little further away this week than he was last week,” but added, “I still pla[n] on him playing on Sunday.” Even if Zeke does play, it’s hard to get excited about him in fantasy, and Tony Pollard could be in for a lot of the work.
Seahawks at Washington (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Seahawks: OL Jamarco Jones (groin) OUT, OG Phil Haynes (groin) OUT, OT Brandon Shell (ankle) QUESTIONABLE.
Washington: QB Alex Smith (calf) OUT, RB Antonio Gibson (toe) DOUBTFUL.
The Seahawks have some troubling injuries along their offensive line. Sure, both Jones and Haynes are backups. They’d also have been able to prevent Seattle from using Cedric Ogbuehi at right tackle against Washington’s pass rush, which ranks fourth in sacks per game. Ogbuehi has been a liability throughout his career; he’s started only one game for the Seahawks so far, during which he allowed a sack. His ProFootballFocus grade is currently 46.6. Watch out, Russell Wilson!
Washington will have to trust Dwayne Haskins under center this week, as Smith won’t be able to suit up. While Haskins isn’t a great quarterback, Seattle’s defense is terrible against the pass, and they’ve given up the fourth-most fantasy points per game to the position. As a result, Haskins isn’t a bad punt play in 2QB leagues or DFS, although we did see Sam Darnold bust against Seattle last week.
The Football Team will also likely be without Antonio Gibson. That means they should turn to J.D. McKissic (revenge game!) more frequently, as he totaled 11 rushes and a pair of catches for the team last week. Peyton Barber will also get some short-yardage work, too.
Bears at Vikings (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Bears: CB Buster Skrine (concussion) OUT, CB Jaylon Johnson (shoulder) QUESTIONABLE, TE Jimmy Graham (hip) QUESTIONABLE.
Vikings: TE Kyle Rudolph (foot) OUT, RB Alexander Mattison (illness) QUESTIONABLE.
The Bears could be hard-pressed at cornerback against the Vikings. Buster Skrine, their slot corner, won’t be able to play, and one of their starting men on the perimeter, Jaylon Johnson, failed to practice all week. Sure, he earned a questionable tag, but I don’t expect him to play. That’s good news for Justin Jefferson, as he drew Johnson in coverage the last time these teams met.
Jimmy Graham also earned a questionable tag, but with Chicago’s late-season focus on getting the ball to Cole Kmet, he shouldn’t have been on your streaming radar anyway.
The Vikings won’t have Kyle Rudolph this week, and that makes Irv Smith a fantastic streamer. He is a value play in DFS, and he should be a decent option in redraft, too.
Patriots at Dolphins (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Patriots: RB James White (neck) QUESTIONABLE, RB Damien Harris (ankle) QUESTIONABLE.
Dolphins: WR DeVante Parker (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE, TE Mike Gesicki (shoulder) QUESTIONABLE, RB Salvon Ahmed (shoulder) QUESTIONABLE, WR Jakeem Grant (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
Not listed on Miami’s injury report is Myles Gaskin, who will miss the game while on the COVID-19/reserve list. It’s still TBD who will get the start in the backfield, but the Dolphins will have Matt Breida back this week, and they could get Ahmed back, too. However, I would avoid this backfield for fantasy purposes, as it’s just too unclear as to who will get the most work.
It’s also unclear who will catch passes from Tua Tagovailoa, as three of the Dolphins’ best pass-catchers are all questionable for Sunday. After last week’s game, it seemed unlikely that both Gesicki and Grant would be good to go, but Grant has been practicing all week, and Gesicki returned on Thursday. These guys are all trending in the right direction, but if one of them misses time, expect a decent showing from Lynn Bowden.
The Patriots listed 14 players as questionable, but Bill Belichick over-assigns questionable tags, and you can expect both Harris and White to suit up on Sunday.
Jaguars at Ravens (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Jaguars: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Ravens: CB Jimmy Smith (rib/shoulder) OUT, CB Marcus Peters (calf) QUESTIONABLE, S/LB Anthony Levine (abdomen) QUESTIONABLE, CB Anthony Averett (ankle) QUESTIONABLE.
The Ravens have a bunch of banged-up cornerbacks and three wide receivers on the COVID-19 reserve list, but aside from that, they’re in pretty good shape. All three of those wideouts (Marquise Brown, James Proche, and Miles Boykin) are on-track to play, and the injuries in Baltimore’s secondary don’t benefit any specific Jacksonville wideout. That said, the Ravens have been using Marlon Humphrey in the slot, so the fact that their options on the perimeter are banged-up gives a small boost in value to Chark.
Buccaneers at Falcons (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Buccaneers: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Falcons: WR Julio Jones (hamstring) OUT.
With Jones out again, Calvin Ridley is in for a ton of targets against the Buccaneers, as is Russell Gage. The Buccaneers give up the 12th-most half-PPR points per game to the position, and I’d feel comfortable about starting both of the receivers. Although Matt Ryan is statistically worse without Jones in the lineup (he is yet to top 250 yards in a game without him), the duo should still see enough volume to help them post fantasy-relevant numbers.
The story here is Ronald Jones. While he isn’t on the team’s injury report due to his COVID-19/reserve designation, he also just underwent pinkie surgery, so his status is up in the air for Sunday. If he can’t go, Leonard Fournette will get the start, and he should be a strong fantasy option as a result.
Lions at Titans (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Lions: WR Kenny Golladay (hip) OUT, QB Matthew Stafford (rib/hand) QUESTIONABLE, RB Adrian Peterson (forearm) QUESTIONABLE.
Titans: TE Geoff Swaim (ankle) QUESTIONABLE.
I don’t think Golladay is coming back this year, and his absence will allow Marvin Jones and T.J. Hockenson to dominate this team’s passing offense. While that wouldn’t matter much if Chase Daniel were starting, Matthew Stafford practiced enough on Friday to earn a questionable tag. If he plays, Jones should be a strong starting option against Tennessee’s defense, as they give up the sixth-most half-PPR points to wideouts. If Stafford can’t play, expect Daniel to lean on shorter-yardage weapons like Hockenson and Danny Amendola.
The Titans have turned to a committee approach at tight end. That strategy has rendered Jonnu Smith droppable in most formats due to his low-volume role, but since Swaim missed practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, he could be in for more usage than normal this week. Sure, MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser will still have roles, but Smith and Swaim have led the way in recent weeks, so a limited Swaim could help Smith get back into the end zone.
Texans at Colts (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Texans: RB Duke Johnson (neck) QUESTIONABLE, RB C.J. Prosise (ankle) QUESTIONABLE.
Colts: TE Mo Alie-Cox (knee) QUESTIONABLE.
The Texans will have David Johnson back this week, and that’s great news for them, as neither Duke Johnson nor C.J. Prosise was healthy enough to practice on either Thursday or Friday. David should be in for lead-back duties against the Colts, who he posted 68 yards and a score against two weeks ago.
Alie-Cox failed to practice on either Wednesday or Thursday for the Colts, but you shouldn’t have been planning to stream him anyway. Alie-Cox’s absence would give both Trey Burton and Jack Doyle a small boost as streaming options, but you’d have to be seriously hard-pressed at the position to roll with either of them.
Eagles at Cardinals (Sunday, 4:05 PM EST)
Eagles: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Cardinals: RB Chase Edmonds (ankle) QUESTIONABLE.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said that Edmonds would be a game-day call earlier in the week, and his questionable tag confirms that heading into the weekend. If Edmonds can’t play, Kenyan Drake would be in for some additional passing-game work that would give him a boost in value. However, the Eagles give up the 10th-fewest half-PPR points per game to opposing rushers, so that may not mean much on game day. If Edmonds does play, I wouldn’t start him.
Jets at Rams (Sunday, 4:05 PM EST)
Jets: WR Jamison Crowder (calf) QUESTIONABLE.
Rams: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Crowder earned a questionable tag after missing Wednesday’s practice and only logging limited reps on Thursday and Friday. You shouldn’t be thinking about starting him, however, as he (and every other Jets wideout) busted against Seattle’s league-worst wide receiver defense last week. Since the Rams give up the fewest half-PPR points to wideouts, Crowder, Breshad Perriman, and Denzel Mims should come nowhere near your lineup.
Chiefs at Saints (Sunday, 4:25 PM EST)
Chiefs: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Saints: WR Michael Thomas (ankle) OUT.
Good news, Saints fans: Drew Brees is back! Unfortunately, he won’t have his favorite weapon, Michael Thomas. Look for Emmanuel Sanders, Alvin Kamara, and Jared Cook to have strong performances with Brees back in the lineup and Thomas sidelined.
Browns at Giants (Sunday, 8:20 PM EST)
Browns: TE Austin Hooper (neck) QUESTIONABLE, TE David Njoku (knee) QUESTIONABLE, WR KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
Giants: QB Daniel Jones (hamstring/ankle) QUESTIONABLE, TE Evan Engram (knee) QUESTIONABLE.
Both of these teams have some banged-up players in their passing attacks. For the Browns, Hooper was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but he practiced fully on Friday, so he should be available this week. He’s a low-end streamer at best, however. Njoku popped up on Friday’s injury report with a knee injury, but head coach Kevin Stefanski called the move precautionary and is optimistic that he’ll play through it. Njoku’s availability would lower Hooper’s value even further.
The Browns could also get KhaDarel Hodge back this week, and the speedy deep-threat would immediately sap some of Rashard Higgins’ upside. If Hodge and Higgins both play, it’s hard to justify starting either of them. It’s worth noting that the Giants won’t have shutdown perimeter cornerback James Bradberry, as he’s on the COVID-19/reserve list, which gives me some more faith in this passing offense. Baker Mayfield should be a decent option at QB2 this week.
Meanwhile, Jones looks “unlikely to play” for the Giants, but his absence shouldn’t affect New York’s offense too much; they should continue to rely on their running game more than their passing attack. Evan Engram picked up a knee injury and was limited on Friday after practicing fully all week. He should be good to play on Sunday, but he caught only four passes for 32 yards the last time that McCoy started.
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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
