Your Fantasy league's contenders are separating from the pretenders. Which side are you on? Knowing what's up with the injury report might make the difference for your team this week. Here's the latest:
Alvin Kamara is set to make his return for the Saints, though he's comfortable with the idea of sharing carries with Latavius Murray.
Jacoby Brissett (knee) was ruled out Saturday and won't play versus Miami. Brian Hoyer will start in his place and is a good streaming alternative and low-rent DFS play.
Lamar Jackson (illness), Matt Ryan (ankle), Aaron Rodgers (knee), Aaron Jones (shoulder), David Johnson (ankle), Trey Edmunds (ribs), Davante Adams (toe), Jamison Crowder (knee), Curtis Samuel (hamstring), Jarvis Landry (shoulder), Jared Cook (ankle), O.J. Howard (hamstring) and Odell Beckham (groin) all got in some practice this week and are slated to play.
Notables who will miss Week 10 include T.Y. Hilton (calf), A.J. Green (ankle), Sterling Shepard (concussion), Delanie Walker (ankle) and Brandin Cooks (concussion). Corey Davis (hip) is doubtful.
Key offensive line injuries: Not that the Giants offensive line is a strong unit to begin with, but losing two starters -- center Jon Halapio (hamstring) and right tackle Mike Remmers (back) -- will not help. The Jets aren't faring much better with center Ryan Kalil (knee) doubtful and tackle Kelvin Beachum (ankle) and guard Brian Winters (knee/shoulder) questionable. ... It looks like 49ers left tackle Joe Staley (leg) is going to make it for Monday's game against the Seahawks.
Key defensive injuries: Panthers top cornerback James Bradberry (groin) is questionable after practicing only on Friday. If he's out, the Panthers secondary will be ripe for the picking by Aaron Rodgers on his home turf on Sunday. ... A good matchup for the Bills run game gets better with Olivier Vernon (knee) out for Week 10. Devin Singletary's rise to Fantasy prominence should continue. ... Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (groin) was added to the Packers' injury report on Friday. His absence would help Kyle Allen and his receivers connect on Sunday. ... Cardinals pass rusher Terrell Suggs (hamstring) only practiced on Thursday and is questionable. Cornerback Tramaine Brock (hamstring) is out. The matchup improves for Jameis Winston & Co.
Fantasy managers have to find an alternate for Kittle when he was listed as doubtful for Monday's game against the Seahawks. You might remember Kittle hurting his knee early in last Thursday's game, then coming back, then gutting out the rest of the game while also putting up some big Fantasy points. Ross Dwelley is expected to take Kittle's reps in the game, but Fantasy managers should also be on the lookout for Gerald Everett (66% owned), Mike Gesicki (38%), Vance McDonald (45%), Irv Smith (6%), Kyle Rudolph (25%) and Dwelley (1%).
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A Saturday afternoon report by NFL Network sent some shockwaves through the Fantasy world when it was learned that Stafford is legitimately questionable for Sunday at Chicago. If he were to miss the game, Jeff Driskel would start. That would seemingly crush the Fantasy upside of all Lions receivers as Driskel was a 59.7% passer with the Bengals in 2018 with 5.7 yards per attempt. Ryan Tannehill, Ryan Fitzpatrick and even Brian Hoyer could replace Stafford in a pinch.
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Cooper got hurt last week and mostly limited this week in practice, missing a day to see a doctor about his injuries. Team owner Jerry Jones believes the injury is "workable" and won't keep his star receiver from playing. However, it is the third such ailment he's had since the summer -- Cooper overcame plantar fasciitis and a thigh bruise already. Perhaps the sell-as-high-as-possible window on Cooper is as open as it's going to get.
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Smith-Schuster was nowhere near the Steelers' practice report until Friday when he showed up with the foot issue. No word has been given to the severity of it, but it makes him an even riskier Fantasy option against a Rams pass defense that continues to build momentum as one of the league's toughest. It's worth noting Smith-Schuster hurt his toe during Week 1 and missed practice time the week after, but didn't miss any games. Fantasy managers who were planning to start Smith-Schuster should have a good backup plan in case he's made inactive for Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Some late-week emergency replacements include Bisi Johnson (5% owned), Chester Rogers (10%), Deebo Samuel (18%), Allen Hurns (0%) and real-life teammates Diontae Johnson (42%) and James Washington (9%).
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After a brief scare earlier this week, the outlook for Bell looks good following back-to-back days of limited practice. He'll take on a Giants run defense that's struggled for most of the season, so there's some hope he can help Fantasy owners in all formats and not just PPR. He'd probably have a shot to be very good if 660% of his offensive line also wasn't on the injury report.
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You probably knew earlier this week that Conner wouldn't make it to Sunday's game with the Rams. It's his second straight missed game. Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds figure to split his reps in a challenging matchup against the Rams. Samuels played 65% of the snaps last week and wowed us with 13 receptions and eight carries. A repeat of that performance would be impressive, but it's probably safer to expect fewer catches. Edmunds played under 30% of the snaps but still managed 12 carries and looked pretty bullish on a 45-yard run. He qualifies as a low-end replacement RB for Conner or any other runner missing time in Week 10.
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Engram didn't practice all week with a foot injury adding to a troubling list of injuries the third-year tight end has suffered through in his career. Rhett Ellison will replace him as the Giants' top tight end in a very nice matchup against the Jets, but he's not the only tight end who could replace Engram this week. Gerald Everett (66% owned), Mike Gesicki (38%) and Vance McDonald (45%) are all good replacements, and Irv Smith (6%) fits the bill as a PPR sleeper. Smith has delivered at least 7 PPR points in Weeks 7 and 9, both games Thielen left very early with an injury when the Vikings had to throw.
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He's back! After two weeks of practice, Mahomes will take to the field against the Titans after dislocating his kneecap in Week 7. He should be fine, though we'd prefer his return coincided with the return of a healthy offensive line. The Titans pass defense is middle-of-the-pack in terms of Fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, but without a strong pass rush and without starting cornerback Malcolm Butler, there should be some opportunities for Mahomes to make big plays. He should go right back into Fantasy lineups with top-five quarterback expectations. Just no more quarterback dives .... right, Andy Reid?
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Brown showed up on the Ravens' injury report on Friday with a new injury -- a thigh problem. He worked on a limited basis. Several Ravens beat reporters didn't seem too concerned over his availability on Sunday, but it's worth noting that the rookie speedster has seen ZERO deep-ball targets over his past three games. That's not to say he's not running deep routes, but it does suggest there's a concerted effort in Baltimore to limit the downfield shots to him, be it because of Jackson's accuracy or Brown's injuries. This latest development won't help.
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Thielen will stay on the sideline for Sunday's showdown at AT&T Stadium after missing practice all week. Though the Vikings haven't said as much, Thielen could wind up missing Week 11 against the Broncos and then chillax through the Vikings' Week 12 bye. If that's the case, and your team is in desperate need of wins, you might be better served considering a trade where you give up Thielen for someone who could help you win now. If you can't bring yourself to do such a thing, consider A.J. Brown (43% owned) as the best possible emergency replacement for Thielen at this late in the week. Bisi Johnson (5%) will replace him on the Vikings but both he and Laquon Treadwell (0% owned) could serve as Fantasy alternatives.
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So who should you sit and start this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 10 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
