NFL Fantasy Football: Week 12 injury report
By Dan Thomas
We are supplying information on the latest and most important injuries across the NFL and letting you know how it could affect your fantasy football team.
Quarterbacks
Bears QB Jay Cutler is listed as doubtful.
The Spin: With Cutler out, Matt Barkley will get the start. This is a big downgrade for every player on the Bears offense.
Running Backs
Jaguars RB T.J. Yeldon is listed as questionable.
The Spin: Yeldon did not practice on Friday and is looking extremely unlikely to play on Sunday. As a result, Chris Ivory should see around 20 touches.
Bills RB LeSean McCoy is listed as questionable.
The Spin: McCoy is going to play a full complement of snaps despite having surgery on his dislocated thumb on Monday.
Saints RB Mark Ingram is listed as questionable.
The Spin: Ingram has practiced this week but has yet to pass the league’s concussion protocol. It’s anyone’s guess if he will pass it in time for Sunday’s game . If he can’t go, Tim Hightower will see a heavy workload.
Seahawks RB C.J. Prosise is listed as out.
The Spin: He’ll be sidelined for the rest of the fantasy season. If you own him in re-draft leagues, you can safely drop him. With that said, Thomas Rawls will be a workhorse against the Buccaneers.
Raiders RB Latavius Murray is listed as questionable.
The Spin: Despite being listed as questionable, Murray will be playing. He should see somewhere around 15 touches against a banged up Panthers defense.
Eagles RB Ryan Mathews did not practice on Friday.
The Spin: The Eagles don’t play until Monday so his official game designation hasn’t been set yet. However, if he doesn’t practice again on Saturday, he’ll more than likely be out this week. If that’s the case, Wendell Smallwood should see 15-20 touches. He has a high ceiling in a good matchup against an injury-depleted Packers defense.
Wide Receivers
Bengals WR A.J. Green is listed as out.
The Spin: Everyone should know this already but if you didn’t, now you do.
Bills WR Robert Woods is listed as out.
The Spin: Woods suffered a knee injury last week and did not return to the game. It’ll also keep him out of this game as well.
Bills WR Sammy Watkins is listed as questionable.
The Spin: It looks like Watkins will return to game action this week. Yet, it’s hard to believe he’ll play anywhere near a full complement of snaps. He’s a WR3 with a lot of question marks.
Chargers WR Travis Benjamin is listed as questionable.
The Spin: He practiced in full and he’ll return to the Chargers starting lineup. Benjamin has fallen behind teammate Tyrell Williams as the team’s No.1 WR and finds himself in a tough matchup this week. He’ll be a WR3 against the Texans.
Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry is listed as questionable.
The Spin: He’s been questionable for a few weeks now but he’s going to play. The ground-and-pound offense has taken away from Landry’s productivity and he’s just a WR3.
Chiefs WR Jeremy Maclin is listed as out .
The Spin: He’ll miss another game with a groin injury.
Raiders WR Michael Crabtree is listed as questionable.
The Spin: He’s dealing with an ankle injury but there’s no reason to believe he’ll actually miss Sunday’s game. He’s a WR2/3 with a lot of upside against a young Panthers secondary.
Tight Ends
Jaguars TE Julius Thomas is listed as out.
The Spin: Thomas is a touchdown-dependent tight end who doesn’t get enough receptions or receiving yards. He shouldn’t be starting in most leagues anyways.
Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski is listed as questionable.
The Spin: There are a lot of Patriots listed as questionable (as usual) but Gronk is the only fantasy relevant player who truly is a game-time decision. More than limey, the Patriots will be cautious with their best playmaker and sit him out for the second straight week.
DFS Nuggets
The Dolphins could be without three offensive line starters (Branden Albert, Laremy Tunsil and Mike Pouncey). If you own Jay Ajayi in season-long leagues you’re probably still starting him. However, there’s a lot of risk in spending up for Ajayi in DFS.
With A.J. Green out, Tyler Boyd and Brandon LaFell will be the No.1 and No.2 wide receivers for the Bengals. The Ravens have one of the best run defenses in the NFL so if they want to move the ball it’s probably going to be through the air. If I’m picking one for a DFS lineup, I’m going with the rookie Boyd.
The Panthers defense will be without their leader Luke Kuechly and pass-rusher Mario Addison. This is a big upgrade for Derek Carr and company.
Next: NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best QB of All-Time
It was mentioned above but I’ll talk about it some more in case you missed it. The Eagles RB Ryan Mathews looks likely to miss Monday’s game against the Packers. Darren Sproles should play but will be less than 100 percent with a rib injury. Wendell Smallwood will see plenty of touches in a favorable matchup and is cheap in DFS.