I don’t have a lot of injury analysis for you in this one. Just some quick hits and an amazing Tyler Eifert update. Tyler Eifert missed last week’s game with a neck injury… Perhaps he was malingering so he could do this instead of playing on Sunday:
I'd like a Super Bowl ring #Santa #NiceList pic.twitter.com/2CDBiPVsdq
— Tyler Eifert (@EiferTy85) December 9, 2015
Okay, not that the picture was taken on Sunday. I don’t think it was. But look, this picture is just.. weird. A grown man probably shouldn’t be sitting on Santa. So I hope this had some tie in to an official appearance or some kind of charity benefit. I wonder if his #NiceList refers to what he’s done for fantasy owners this year? Jay, maybe you need to get in the holiday spirit and come out with a “Naughty/Nice” list for fantasy football this year. You know, the list more commonly known as Bust/MVP. I’m not saying it’s a good idea, I’m just saying it’s an idea. Anyway… Tyler Eifert (neck) was “limited” for practice Wednesday after he missed last week’s game. So that makes me think he’ll play this Sunday. But they’ll probably want to be certain on this one so I wouldn’t be completely surprised if he missed. But I think he’ll play.
I don’t remember any big injury news this week, so I’m just looking at the practice reports, seeing who’s dinged and given some very brief thoughts. Matt Schaub (chest) missed practice and I’m struggling to find a way that Jimmy Clausen starting over Schaub is fantasy relevant but I can’t. Maybe you, the reader, can?
As John Harbaugh said, Ravens QB Matt Schaub is not practicing. Jimmy Clausen working with first team.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) December 9, 2015
And speaking of injured Ravens (what a brutal season they’ve had for injuries), here’s two more:
Ravens needed two TEs with Crockett Gillmore sidelined with a back injury, Nick Boyle suspended and Maxx Williams dealing w/concussion
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) December 8, 2015
According to other reports, there is a realistic chance that both Gillmore and Williams will be able to go Sunday.
Marquess Wilson (foot) is a player that’s looking highly questionable at this point. However, his teammate Eddie Royal (knee) returned to practice, which is something that could cloud Wilson’s value even if he were healthy.
Travis Benjamin (shoulder) is another player with a minor injury. He’s considered likely to play according to the initial report (below) but he missed practice completely Wednesday so there’s certainly a chance he misses the game. I think he’s been one of the biggest surprises of the fantasy season (#NiceList), hopefully he’ll return to health soon.
Some (positive) #Browns news: WR Travis Benjamin, who injured his shoulder, checked out OK, I'm told. Unlikely to miss time.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 7, 2015
C.J. Anderson‘s (ankle) injury may qualify as one of the biggest injuries of the week. It’s an injury that forced him to miss much of last weeks’ game against San Diego. The initial report on him was that he might have been able to return to the game on Sunday had they needed him to. So him missing Wednesday’s practice completely could be along the same lines (precautionary) or it could mean the injury was slightly more serious than was let on initially.
Stevie Johnson (groin) is in a similar situation. Left the game, missed practice. To some it was like he was never even in the game..
So @ChrisHarrisJr just said "I don't think Stevie Johnson even played today" to me on @YSportsRadio. Well he did. Zero catches. Lol #broncos
— Matt Perrault (@sportstalkmatt) December 7, 2015
The truth is Stevie Johnson could make a significant impact in 12+ teams leagues over the course of the fantasy playoffs so he will in fact be missed by us.
Where are these QBs: Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck don’t seem to be nearing a return yet.
On The Mend: Karlos Williams is looking somewhat unlikely to play against Philadelphia this week but should be back next week. Allen Hurns (concussion) missed last week but was already practicing in full this week, so he’s good to go. Ryan Mathews (concussion) returned to practice in a limited fashion he seems irrelevant except for deeper leagues yet if you have a roster spot to spare and he’s available I think he can be considered for an acquisition in case DeMarco Murray gets injured. And because last week I mentioned the possibility of stashing Carlos Hyde in case he returns, that’s looking even less likely now (and it was unlikely then) I’ll clarify that I’d rather own Mathews as a stash than Hyde.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins came back, played in less than half the snaps, but put up 3.1 standard fantasy points. He has a very intriguing outlook going forward. He’s worth considering for rosters with a questionable tight end.
Non-Injury Advice Alert: It’s now the time of year where we know what to expect week in and week out for about 90% of the player pool. The other 10% (ish) is still a mystery (Seferien-Jenkins is in this group, Devante Parker would be another example). If you own an unspectacular 5th/6th WR that falls into the group of 90%, the odds of you playing him these last few weeks must be quite low. Why not instead handcuff your stud RB (if there is a relatively clear cut handcuff, if not don’t bother) or pick up a RB (perhaps Ryan Mathews or someone else’s handcuff) as a stash? I think that’s the way to go this time of year. The difference from earlier in the year is we now know (and have probably known for a week or more already) exactly what we have in most of our 5th/6th WRs, and if we know that what we have is just another guy, it’s time to drop that guy for a stash with upside.
So now I leave you with the practice reports for week 14 of the NFL season. These are the same reports that each team is required to give the league after every day of practice. Teams that play Thursday have a full injury report with the “Out/Doubtful/Questionable/Probable” designations due by Wednesday. Teams that play Sunday (or Saturday) only have a practice report due Wednesday and teams that play Monday have nothing at all due by Wednesday, which is when this post is written.
Arizona Cardinals
John Brown – WR – Full Participation
Andre Ellington – RB – No Participation
Larry Fitzgerald – WR – Full Participation
Michael Floyd – WR – Full Participation
Jermaine Gresham – TE – No Participation
Mike Leach – TE – Full Participation
Stepfan Taylor – RB – Full Participation
Atlanta Falcons
Devin Hester – WR – Limited Participation
Julio Jones – WR – Limited Participation
Tony Moeaki – TE – No Participation
Jacob Tamme – TE – Limited Participation
Baltimore Ravens
Marlon Brown – WR – No Participation
Crockett Gillmore – TE – No Participation
Matt Schaub – QB – No Participation
Maxx Williams – TE – Limited Participation
Buffalo Bills
Charles Clay – TE – Limited Participation
Chris Hogan – WR – Limited Participation
Karlos Williams – RB – No Participation
Carolina Panthers
Brenton Bersin – WR – No Participation
Jerricho Cotchery – WR – No Participation
Ted Ginn Jr. – WR – No Participation
Greg Olsen – TE – No Participation
Jonathan Stewart – RB – No Participation
Chicago Bears
Zach Miller – TE – Limited Participation
Eddie Royal – WR – Limited Participation
Marquess Wilson – WR – No Participation
Cincinnati Bengals
Mario Alford – WR – No Participation
Tyler Eifert – TE – Limited Participation
Ryan Hewitt – TE – Limited Participation
Cleveland Browns
Gary Barnidge – TE – Limited Participation
Travis Benjamin – WR – No Participation
Dwayne Bowe – WR – No Participation
Taylor Gabriel – WR – No Participation
Brian Hartline – WR – Limited Participation
Andrew Hawkins – WR – No Participation
Johnny Manziel – QB – Full Participation
Marlon Moore – WR – Limited Participation
Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant – WR – Full Participation
Tony Romo – QB – No Participation
Denver Broncos
C.J. Anderson – RB – No Participation
Andre Caldwell – WR – Limited Participation
Owen Daniels – TE – Limited Participation
Vernon Davis – TE – No Participation
Bennie Fowler – WR – Limited Participation
Ronnie Hillman – RB – No Participation
Peyton Manning – QB – No Participation
Emmanuel Sanders – WR – Full Participation
Detroit Lions
Calvin Johnson – WR – Limited Participation
Lance Moore – WR – Limited Participation
Green Bay Packers
Ty Montgomery – WR – Limited Participation
Houston Texans
Alfred Blue – RB – Full Participation
Chris Polk – RB – Full Participation
Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck – QB – No Participation
Griff Whalen – WR – No Participation
Jacksonville Jaguars
Allen Hurns – WR – Full Participation
Nic Jacobs – TE – Limited Participation
Bryan Walters – WR – No Participation
Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce – TE – Full Participation
De’Anthony Thomas – WR – No Participation
Miami Dolphins
No Practice Information Reported (Monday Night Football)
Minnesota Vikings
None
New England Patriots
Danny Amendola – WR – Limited Participation
Scott Chandler – TE – Limited Participation
Julian Edelman – WR – No Participation
Rob Gronkowski – TE – No Participation
Matthew Slater – WR – Limited Participation
Michael Williams – TE – Full Participation
New Orleans Saints
Marques Colston – WR – No Participation
Willie Snead – WR – Limited Participation
New York Giants
No Practice Information Reported (Monday Night Football)
New York Jets
Kellen Davis – TE – Full Participation
Eric Decker – WR – Full Participation
Ryan Fitzpatrick – QB – Full Participation
Jeremy Kerley – WR – Full Participation
Brandon Marshall – WR – Full Participation
Oakland Raiders
Taiwan Jones – RB – No Participation
Philadelphia Eagles
Kenjon Barner – RB – Full Participation
Sam Bradford – QB – Full Participation
Zach Ertz – TE – Full Participation
Ryan Mathews – RB – Limited Participation
Pittsburgh Steelers
Sammie Coates – WR – No Participation
Heath Miller – TE – No Participation
Matt Spaeth – TE – No Participation
San Diego Chargers
Dontrelle Inman – WR – No Participation
Stevie Johnson – WR – No Participation
Philip Rivers – QB – Limited Participation
Seattle Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch – RB – No Participation
San Francisco 49ers
Anquan Boldin – WR – Full Participation
Kendall Gaskins – RB – Full Participation
Carlos Hyde – RB – No Participation
Vance McDonald – TE – No Participation
St. Louis Rams
Case Keenum – QB – Full Participation
Lance Kendricks – TE – Limited Participation
Wes Welker – WR – Limited Participation
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vincent Jackson – WR – Limited Participation
Tennessee Titans
Anthony Fasano – TE – Limited Participation
Dexter McCluster – RB – Full Participation
Kendall Wright – WR – No Participation
Washington Football Team
Derek Carrier – TE – Limited Participation
Andre Roberts – WR – No Participation
Chris Thompson – RB – No Participation
Every week I either forget something or leave something out due to time constraints. I’m happy to discuss situations I missed or anything else in the Comments section below. Thanks for reading!
