Ready to win a Fantasy championship? Or if you play into Week 17, are you ready to make your Fantasy league's final? The answer is NO! You're not ready ... not until you're up on all of the significant injuries around the NFL. Here we go!
The good news: Joe Mixon (calf), Adrian Peterson (toe), Julio Jones (shoulder), DeVante Parker (hip), Mike Williams (knee), Jarvis Landry (hip), Odell Beckham (groin), T.Y. Hilton (calf), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Greg Olsen (concussion), Mike Gesicki (hip), Gerald Everett (knee) and Jared Goff (right thumb) all got in some practice this week and are slated to play. Jameis Winston (right thumb, knee) is listed as questionable but is expected to play. He practiced all week.
The bad news: Notable Fantasy players who won't start this week include Josh Jacobs (shoulder), Chris Godwin (hamstring), Demaryius Thomas (hamstring, knee) and A.J. Green (ankle).
Fringe Fantasy starters who are questionable include Robby Anderson (illness), Bo Scarbrough (ribs), Carlos Hyde (ankle) and Nelson Agholor (knee)
Key offensive line injuries: Lane Johnson (ankle) won't play for the Eagles, a problem that the team worked through last week (Carson Wentz had just two sacks). Here's hoping the Eagles keep protecting Wentz against the Cowboys. ... Richie Incognito is one of the Raiders' top run-blocking guards, but an ankle injury will keep him sidelined. That's rough news for DeAndre Washington, who will replace Josh Jacobs as the Raiders' lead running back.
Key defensive injuries: The Patriots have a deep secondary, but playing without slot specialist Jonathan Jones (groin) will sting a little bit. It could be enough to give Cole Beasley a shot at a bounce-back game. Fellow cornerback Jason McCourty (groin) is also questionable. ... The 49ers secondary will be back at full strength with Richard Sherman (hamstring) and K'Waun Williams (concussion) no longer on the injury docket. That's bad news for the Rams receivers and quarterback Jared Goff. ... The Bears could be without cornerback Prince Amukamara (hamstring) and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks (elbow). Both are questionable, though Hicks practiced in full on Friday. The Bears need all the help they can get against the Chiefs.
The Lions were already without linebacker Jarrad Davis, but fellow linebacker Christian Jones (shoulder) is out and Devon Kennard (hamstring) is questionable. Detroit's run defense has played up-and-down all year, but it could be in serious trouble against the Broncos. ... Washington's secondary is a mess with Quinton Dunbar (hamstring) out and Fabian Moreau (hamstring) doubtful.
Mattison, Minnesota's rookie backup, practiced on a limited basis on Saturday and is listed as questionable for Monday's game. If he were active he would presumably start but likely share with Ameer Abdullah and/or Mike Boone. If Mattison sits out, then it's Boone who would be the assumed rusher on rushing downs work against the Packers. But he'd wind up sharing with Abdullah, who is better skilled to handle passing situations for the Vikings since he seems to have a better grip on that role (he's run a route on 64% of his snaps this season; Boone's run a route on 23% of his snaps). Boone played well in place of Cook and Mattison last week, but his reps and touchdowns came when the Vikings were finishing up their blowout win over the Chargers.
It makes Boone an interesting-but-risky No. 2 Fantasy running back if he takes the field with Mattison inactive. Will he be? We won't know that until Monday, which makes planning on starting Boone without having Mattison on your roster a risky proposition. I think we'd all prefer for Mattison to get sat down for Monday's game, but there's no assurance it's going to happen, not at least as of Saturday evening.
Ruh roh. Henry was added to the Titans injury report on Saturday with a hamstring injury. That's never a good thing. Henry practiced in full on Friday and wasn't even on their initial release. So, there's probably a chance he'll be unavailable for Sunday's game against the Saints. If that happens, Dion Lewis figures to be the primary running back for the Titans. Henry's absence would also significantly impact the rest of the Titans offense, which is based on Henry's powerful running. Fortunately, the game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, so we will know Henry's status before kickoff of all of Sunday's games.
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Edelman's been listed on the injury report practically all season, but his latest knee injury bears watching. Not only did he not look like his old self against the Bengals last week, but reports from Patriots practice suggested Edelman was struggling to run. This issue coincides with a tough matchup against a Bills defense that plays a lot of zone coverage to keep receivers from gaining chunks of yardage. Edelman's going to need a bunch of receptions to even have a chance of being helpful in Fantasy this week. If you find yourself unable to sit him, that's fine, just know you're using a receiver who appears to be battling something serious. If he's inactive come Saturday afternoon, instant replacements on his own team include Mohamed Sanu (62% owned), Jakobi Meyers (3%) and N'Keal Harry (19%). You may be able to find someone better off waivers from another NFL team.
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Despite being limited all week in practice, and not even throwing too much according to reports, Prescott was left off the Cowboys' injury report. He's expected to start on Sunday at Philadelphia in what basically amounts to a playoff game for the NFC East title. Prescott's Fantasy production has sagged over his past few games, and adding a shoulder injury will further lower expectations. But the biggest fear of all is that the Cowboys lean on Ezekiel Elliott to handle much of the offense, taking pass attempts off of Prescott's plate. There's too much working against him to call him a must-start Fantasy quarterback -- guys like Carson Wentz, Ryan Tannehill and Philip Rivers have more upside. You may even choose to go with Ryan Fitzpatrick or Andy Dalton ahead of Prescott.
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Here's some good news! Williams practiced in full on Friday and wasn't even on the Chiefs' injury report. That should mean he will play at Chicago. When he's been healthy, Williams has dominated playing time in Kansas City's backfield. He's even come through for at least eight non-PPR Fantasy points in his last three games he's finished with some modest reception totals. There's a chance he could be useful as a flex if you're needy, but expectations shouldn't be too high unless the Bears take the field without defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who is questionable.
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Samuel popped up on the injury report on Thursday with a knee issue and did not practice on Friday, but Panthers interim coach Perry Fewell said he expects him to play. Samuel is an interesting flex option this week because the Colts have allowed a slew of touchdowns to wide receivers and Samuel has been a touchdown-reliant wideout. If he misses the game, guys like Chris Hogan and Jarius Wright would replace him, but Fantasy managers should aim for someone better off waivers.
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Fuller played last week and didn't miss a day of practice this week, so he should be OK to play against the Buccaneers. When the Texans face a tough run defense, or when they're expected to be in a high-scoring game, Fuller becomes a more interesting starting option. Both of those factors are in play this week, which makes Fuller a high-end flex with great potential to have a big game. In 10 games this season, he has eight or more PPR points seven times.
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Chark practiced all week and appears on track to play against the Falcons. He's been on quite a skid over his past three games, posting seven or fewer non-PPR Fantasy points in each (but 10-plus PPR points in two of them). Working with Gardner Minshew has worked out well for Chark, and despite a tricky matchup against the Falcons, he's got enough potential to carry some PPR flex potential.
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'Greg the leg' didn't practice all week. Even though Sean McVay expressed optimism about him playing on Saturday, it's probably too risky to trust him, especially when there are plenty of other reliable kickers on the waiver wire. Mike Badgley (45% owned), Josh Lambo (52%) and Kai Forbath (5%) would work as replacements.
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