Hey gang! Reid here to drop the injury report that you need for setting your lineup properly this week. This post is so prescient, somewhere, Danny Amendola sprained an ACL by the mere release of this post. Just kidding, Danny Amendola sprains his ACL just by eating breakfast everyday…
Jordan Matthews is out a month with a broken hand. I might catch some flak for this one, but if Zay Jones is available, I would consider the flyer on him. Yeah, he had trouble catching the ball so far this year, but he’s the only healthy WR left in Buffalo. Rest of the offense in Buffalo is healthy (For you LeSean McCoy and Charles Clay owners).
Rob Gronkowski shows up on the injury report and he’s scheduled to play on Thursday Night Football. He’s listed as questionable and the Patriots are known to be a hot mess for fantasy owners. This one will come down to the wire, so make sure you have a backup plan in place. Hunter Henry seems to be available in a lot of leagues and could be a quality emergency plan if things with Gronkaraurus don’t work out.
Tyler Eifert and John Ross both did not participate in practice on Wednesday. My best guess is that neither of them dress or have any impact on Sunday. It’s safe to keep Eifert on the bench this week. I would also say it is acceptable to just drop Ross.
Kelvin Benjamin is on the injury report and didn’t practice on Wednesday, but I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. This is a pain issue for him and we have the technology to pump these players with enough drugs to where they can withstand pain during a game. If you own him, you are probably starting him.
What feels like the entire Detroit Lions: Kenny Golladay and Ameer Abdullah are both on the injury report. Golladay you weren’t starting this week regardless based on the matchup and sheer volume of targets. Abdullah has maybe possibly come to live up to part of the offseason hype we have given him for the past 2 seasons. It’s a pain issue for him and he should be good to go regardless. Keep an eye on it though Sunday morning.
Carlos Hyde was limited in practice and he is quite old. My best guess based on the reporting done is that he dresses and plays, but will bleed carries to Matthew Breida. It is an interesting matchup since they play the crappy Colts.
Andrew Luck had a video taken of him at practice throwing some weak ass passes and everyone on social media got excited. Let’s pump the brakes a little people. The absolute earliest you’ll see him back in the lineup is Week 7 but I think Week 10 is a closer estimate. Still not worth stashing on your roster yet unless you have the space to waste.
Marcus Mariota with a hamstring strain is “day-to-day”. He’s a mobile quarterback in a system that has been adapted to his ability to run. Clearly Brandon Fucking Wheedon was the only QB on the Free Agent market who can fit into a system like that (read this with all of the sarcasm you can muster). If Mariota can’t go, I would sit every Titan minus DeMarco Murray this week since Cassell sucks as well and is not mobile either.
Jay Ajayi has posted some pretty brutal numbers the last two weeks. He was a full participant in practice this week but the matchup is not the best. Tennessee is going to be angry and this could be a 10-3 score. You have to start Ajayi if you own him but you should have a 12-pack on hand to stomach his production.
The Giants (everything). The RB’s. The WR’s. The Fans. The trust in Ben McAdoo and his ridiculous hair. Everything. OBJ and Brandon Marshall were limited in practice. Paul Perkins and Orleans Darkwa were limited as well. Evan Engram and Wayne Gallman are interesting names. Eli Manning has no time to throw the ball and the TE and RB positions are what you rely on when that is the case. The Chargers have a pretty good front 7 and should exploit the sorry excuse of an offensive line for the Giants. Gallman is also by far the best RB on this roster and if McAdoo had a brain, he would be riding Gallman on at least 75% of the snaps.
JJ Nelson and John Brown were both limited in practice but expected to play. This is a bad matchup and I would look elsewhere for my WR3/Flex spots.
Leonard Fournette is the only Jags player even worth considering starting because this might be the worst matchup he faces. The Steelers should sit 9 defenders in the box and just focus on him since Blake Bortles isn’t going to beat them.
Seattle 12ers. First of all, it’s a dumb name for a fan base and was taken from Texas A&M. Doug Baldwin didn’t practice and this could be a theme the rest of the season. I expect him to dress considering how big of a game this is. C.J. Prosise is interesting because he’s injured and Pete Carroll has already come out and stated that Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls will handle the lions’ share. Something to keep an eye on for sure. I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting any Seattle RB this week, despite the Rams not being all that amazing against the run.
Sammy Watkins didn’t practice on Wednesday. Keep an eye on this as it could be a game-time decision. I think he’s worth starting if he dresses. Seattle has sucked against the pass this year and Sean McVay is making miracles happen in LA with the passing attack.
Viewers of the Ravens @ Raiders game. Good god is this game going to be a fucking nightmare to watch. Derek Carr is out 2-6 weeks so as a member of the #BillsMafia, I wish Raider Nation all the best in witnessing starting QB EJ Manuel work. Amari Cooper has the football version of the yips and Joe Flacco is ending the debate whether he is elite or not. Alex Collins is a player you should have picked up already. He’s been running the ball better than anybody else in the Baltimore backfield.
Ty Montgomery is a game-time decision with broken ribs and it’s a pain issue at this point. He sees a ton of carries and snaps, leading me to be worried about how much he’ll actually play. Jamaal Williams should be good to go this week. You’re starting Montgomery if you own him and he plays, but keep expectations tempered. Davante Adams shouldn’t be able to play but somehow hasn’t been ruled out. If Green Bay actually cared about his health, they would keep him in street clothes for this game. Another game-time decision for Adams that you’ll have to keep an eye on.
Dalvin Cook is out for the year and Jerrick McKinnon is the better back, but that would make too much sense. Expect Latavious Murray to get the load of 1st and 2nd down carries for this game. I expect Minnesota to throw the ball most of the game. Sam Bradford is a game-time decision for this week. In similar news, water is wet.
Thanks for reading everyone and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to post in the comments section below.
