Doc is back and has another room full of patients after last week’s spate of  season-ending injuries.
Rob Gronkowski was lost for the season after tearing two ligaments in his knee. Arizona lost safety Tyrann Mathieu to a torn ACL and LCL which ends his strong rookie season. Baltimore wide receiver Brandon Stokely suffered a concussion and is done for the season. Green Bay put seldom-used receiver Myles White on IR with a knee injury and it leaves the Packers few options in the passing game. Brandon Jacobs of the Giants is done after getting a cartilage graft in his left knee.
You get the idea. People are dropping like flies at the end of the season but most of them aren’t fantasy-relevant which makes it easier to sift through the impacts of said injuries.
Gronkowski being done makes Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman better options, especially in PPR formats. When you factor in Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) being questionable for this week, it makes both of those wide receivers Tom Brady’s top targets. Shane Vereen is also back there too but when it comes to deep passes he really has two choices.
The Cardinals are beat up but able to play against the Titans. Carson Palmer (elbow) certainly looked fine last week against the Rams. Michael Floyd makes a nice flex play this week but double-check his status after being limited with an ankle injury the last two days. Running back Andre Ellington (knee) was limited but expects to play this week.
In Minnesota, Adrian Peterson (foot sprain) is likely to keep him out this week. His foot has been in a boot and he’s seen specialist about his foot. Optimism is higher for Toby Gerhart this week and he filled in nicely with a 15-89-1 line on the ground. Gerhart might be the only option for an AP owner this late in the season when the Vikes host the Eagles. If neither play, Matt Asiata would go and would be the ultimate desperation play. With the Vikes at 3-9-1, there’s no real reason to risk further injury to AP in a meaningless game.
Jay Cutler of the Bears is going to start this week and it’s a bad decision. Josh McCown has kept the Bears afloat this season with solid play despite the wins not always being there. You have to ride the hot hand in football and with Chicago at 7-6 McCown might give them a better chance to win. Of course they would be winning if their defense would do anything. I’d still play Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey but you might want to tamper expectations a bit against Cleveland.
Eddie Lacy (ankle) missed practice yesterday but is still on track to play this week against Dallas. With the White injury mentioned earlier, Green Bay is down to Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Jarrett Boykin as its receivers with Chris Harper as the fourth one on the depth chart. Lacy should get plenty of carries against the Cowboys and looks to be a good play this week. The Green Bay wide receivers also have a solid matchup ahead of them.
Let’s finish this up with some speed rounds.
Roddy White (knee) expected to play and makes a good WR2 this week…Greg Olsen of the Panthers is likely to play despite a foot injury; he’s a good tight end play this week against the Jets…Jacksonville running back Jordan Todman (shoulder) is expected to play and could get a start this week. Keep an eye on this if you’re looking to go for a last-minute gamble in your game…Emmanuel Sanders (foot) and Jerricho Cotchery (shoulder) are both expected to play for the Steelers this week on Sunday night against the Bengals…Seattle tight end Zach Miller (ribs) hasn’t practiced the last two days so his status is up in the air for this week. That’s not good news for owners who were trying to use Miller as a replacement for Gronk, especially if they missed out on Dennis Pitta…Washington TE Jordan Reed has been shut down for the season (concussion)..Michael Crabtree is expected to play this week for the 49ers and makes a good start after last week’s debut game… Rashad Jennings (concussion) is expected to play this week for Oakland.
Leave your questions below and good luck in the playoffs!
