Thursday Injury Report, Thanksgiving Edition

Will Play:

Wes Welker: Don’t let the questionable tag fool you. He’ll be out there, despite his limited participation.

Brandon Lloyd: Minor knee soreness, hasn’t really slowed him down at this point, Pats will go with many more 3 WR sets.

Calvin Johnson: Don’t get cute. His leg needs to be cut off for him not to produce.

Owen Daniels: He’ll definitely be out there, may still be a tad limited by this hip injury, could cause some difficulty with driving off the line of scrimmage, but he should be a full go this week.

Logan Paulsen: Minor hip injury, in better shape than Daniels, should be 100%.

Should Play, but won’t be 100% for sure:

Pierre Garcon: Repeat after me: Instability, hypo mobility (lack of motion), and weakness in the foot are not good things for a WR who relies on separation and speed. He’ll more than likely play, but he’s not in my lineup if I own him.

Game Time Decisions:

Felix Jones: Shoulder sprain and lingering knee soreness have really limited him this week. He supposedly had a setback this past Sunday in terms of his knee, with the shoulder injury being new. Expect him to test it out pre game tomorrow and if he doesn’t look good, he may sit.

Aaron Hernandez: I think this is a game time decision that will turn out well, honestly. I think he’s ready, with 7 straight practices under his belt to test that high ankle sprain of his. He instantly becomes a #1 TE on the best offense in football, so get him in your lineup if he’s announced as active prior to the 8:20pm ET kickoff.

Jeremy Kerley: He’s dealing with a heel injury and a hamstring strain. Depending on the severity of the hamstring strain, it’s hard to say how limited he’ll be unless we knew the extent of the injury. I would not expect him to be at full strength, and he’s a speed-type receiver who needs all the burst he can get, so you may want to look elsewhere this week.

Not Playing:

DeMarco Murray: Week 12 appears to be one week too early. He didn’t practice hardly at all this week (some minor side stuff with the training staff), so keep him on that bench of yours.

Kevin Ogletree: Ruled out with a concussion. Bench time.

Ben Tate: This is no guarantee yet, but the fact that he’s had this hamstring injury for over 4 weeks tells you the severity of the injury. Don’t put him in your lineup until he can play a game without a setback.

Setting Your Week 11 Lineup

Sorry kids, it’s been a busy week. Check out my Week 11 Injury Report over at FFLockerRoom.com for all the insights for the week. They also do a fantastic job of putting together weekly rankings and analyzing add/drop trends. Click the link below for all the details. Be back next week with a weekend recap and to get you ready for a Thanksgiving Thursday chalk full of games!

http://fflockerroom.com/2012/11/17/fantasy-football-week-11-injury-report/

 

Setting Your Week 9 Lineup: Friday Injury Updates, Twitter-style

Jordy Nelson (Q): Didn’t practice today, still dealing with hamstring strain, will test Sunday before game, hammy’s are tricky, so have a backup just in case

Issac Redman (P): Will play, but same can’t be said for Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer, who are both doubtful. Look for Redman to get most of the work, tough matchup with the Giants, but he’s the guy this week

Adrian Peterson (Q): He didn’t practice, but did do some rehab work on the side to test that ankle of his. Looks like he’ll play, but monitor just in case. Remember, ankle/hip injuries on same side as post-ACL reconstruction is never positive (RE: Mendenhall). Scares me a bit moving forward, may be a nice sell-high guy. But word is he will play this week.

Calvin Johnson (Q): Didn’t practice at all this week, knee soreness is really becoming a problem. I think he still plays through it, but he just hasn’t looked the same, as I stated earlier this week (https://ziaddahdul.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/wednesday-injury-report-megatron-dez-tannehill-more/). You just can’t bench him unless he’s ruled out, so he’s in your lineup if he plays.

Felix Jones (P):  Probable to play, dealing with a shoulder injury in addition to his knee. I just don’t like the way he’s run these last two games, doesn’t look like he has any burst or explosiveness. And Atlanta is pretty solid against the run. He’s a flex at best.

Donald Brown (P): He participated fully today, which is great news for his likelihood of playing on Sunday. He’s got a few things working against him: Tough Dolphins run D, split carries with Vick Ballard, and still finding his rhythm after knee surgery. I think he’ll be involved, but it’s hard to tell how much with time shares. He’s probably more of a flex guy at this point.

Ryan Tannehill (Q): Limited all week with thigh injury, my guess is he plays, but they’ll evaluate him this weekend and make a firm decision at that point. Matt Moore is listed as probable, so know that option is there just in case Tannehill can’t go. With Brian Hartline also questionable and looking like a game-time type decision, Miami may be running the ball quite a bit this week. I like Tannehill’s chances of playing, but can’t imagine you’d want to start either of these guys this week.

Dez Bryant (Q): Limited all week with a hip injury, the extent or specifics of which has not been released. It seems like he’s questionable with the idea that he’s going to play, but he did take a nasty tumble on that play at the end of the Giants’ game. Looks like it could have been a hip pointer type of injury, but if he suits up, you probably have to play him, especially since they play the Sunday night game. Maybe a Kevin Ogletree pick up is in line just in case you need a quick change.

Darren Sproles (O): Out indefinitely with a fractured hand (not sure the specifics, usually means the long bones in the hand that connects the small wrist bones to the fingers) that also required surgery. I’d say, if pressed, that he’ll be out at least 3 weeks, especially since he’s so important to the passing game, which clearly requires healthy hands (you know, to catch the ball). Pierre Thomas is an immediate pick up and you can even think of targeting a guy like Chris Ivory, who will now get some more run with Sproles out.

Ben Tate (O): Already ruled out with a hamstring issue. Seems to be lingering pretty good for him, as he’s been ruled out pretty quickly each week. Justin Forsett becomes the backup this week against a really bad Buffalo run D. Looks as if Arian Foster will continue to get run into the ground.

Victor Cruz, Ahmad Bradshaw, Aaron Rodgers, Percy Harvin, Lance Briggs, Jermichael Finley: All listed on their teams’ respective injury reports to some extent (Bradshaw is the only one not Probable, he’s questionable), but all will play. Get them in your lineup.

Week 7 Reactions

What an amazing weekend of games, with close games throughout the day that either came down to the last second or were decided in OT. I wanted to share some general musings and reactions from some of the games I watched this weekend in terms of guys coming back from injuries or suffering injuries during Sunday’s games.

• Hakeem Nicks looked pretty solid overall. He continues to be second fiddle at this point to Victor Cruz, but in terms of his foot, he didn’t show any signs of hobbling and wasn’t restricted by his knee issue as well. And he was targeted 10 times, which is a nice number, even though he only connected on 5. I think it’ll be more a matter of shaking off the rust from missing a few weeks, but he should be fine moving forward. I really think he’d be a great guy to target in trade discussions as his owners might be a little down on him. I think next week against the Cowboys will be a great test for him, but it seems like he’s getting close to fully healthy.
• Aaron Hernandez looked fantastic overall. I didn’t see any signs of setbacks or him hobbling around on that injured ankle throughout the game. He appears to be just a hint of a step slow coming out of his breaks, which is very common and normal following a high ankle sprain. Remember, he can go full bore this week against the Rams in London, then have the bye week to rest after 3 straight games played. I think he’ll be active in Week 8 against the Rams, but barring any setbacks, he’ll be 100% coming out of the bye.
• The Cowboys’ backfield is a mess. DeMarco Murray is slated for more tests this week to see how that injured foot is holding up. Felix Jones had to sit out the final two drives on Sunday after bruising his knee in the 4th. Phillip Tanner seems to be next in line, but it looks like the Cowboys are hopeful Murray can play this week against the Giants. I don’t think he’ll necessarily play this week, as I think it’s tough for an RB to bounce back that quickly from a sprained foot (I’m assuming it’s just a sprain, haven’t heard anything in the contrary). Jones, on the other hand, is what he is. He can’t stay healthy, and even when given a golden opportunity like this, can’t manage to stay on the field. I wouldn’t fault you for dropping him, because unless you absolutely have no other option, do you really feel comfortable with him as your RB2 or Flex option.
• Keep an eye on MJD’s foot injury. I thought it was funny that he hurt his foot, but they decided to tape his ankle and see if he could get back out there. Lo and behold, he couldn’t stay on the field and had to be carted off, possibly because he hurt his FOOT, not his ANKLE! MJD has already been ruled out for Week 8, so that much we know. However, Coach Mularkey gave no indication what exactly happened with the foot, just to say that the “midfoot” was involved. Could be joint, could be ligamentous, could be both. They haven’t ruled out a Lisfranc injury at this point, which would be worst case scenario (check out my previous post on Lisfranc Injuries https://ziaddahdul.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/lisfranc-injuries-what-they-are-and-why-we-care-about-them/). Beyond that, we won’t know until the exact diagnosis is given and the extent of the injury is made more aware. Obviously, Rashard Jennings is the pickup to replace MJD, but in all honesty, I’m not clamoring to get him because the Jags’ offense is a mess and they’re playing the Packers on the road, who’s defense is improving on a week to week basis.
• Ben Tate looked pretty solid coming back from a toe/foot sprain…until he developed a hamstring issue. Luckily for him, the Texans are on their bye week, so he’ll have plenty of time to rest. Watch him for any setbacks, but it’s a little disconcerting because the less Tate plays, the more Arian Foster gets beat up, which will make it difficult for him to last the entire season without developing his own nagging injury. Tate should be fine, but watch for any developments early next week.
• What did I tell you about Lance Moore?? He came back from that hamstring issue this week and didn’t look like he lost a step. With Jimmy Graham out, Drew Brees looked for his slot receiver a ton, which is something you’d expect when you lose a guy like Graham. The star TE should be back next week, so we’ll monitor how that affects Moore’s targets, but Brees clearly looks his way and with as many points as the Saints’ D gives up, there should be plenty to go around. Moore will definitely continue to be a part of the offense so long as he stays on the field.
• I was critical of Terrell Suggs’ return to action this week just 5 months after tearing his Achilles tendon and, although he had a good statistical game, he didn’t look right. He didn’t have any of his quick bursts off the line or that same power when barreling past linemen on passing downs. I think it was very admirable that he came back and tried to be that leader for the defensive unit, but at what risk? I think he’s going to play out the rest of the season looking like he’s clearly not 100%, which can have an effect on his ability to prepare for next season as well. Like I said before, I have seen it take as little as 6-7 months or as much as 10-11 months to come back from this injury, and those guys weren’t playing in the NFL. The demands on the body are so great for these elite athletes, I think it’s doing them a disservice to rush them back so quickly.
• Trent Richardson didn’t look right, and although reports said that he had no setbacks during the game, he clearly did not look like he was fully there. Rib injuries are tough, as they require quite a bit of pain tolerance and if you get hit/knocked down the wrong way at any point, it may make it difficult to focus/run hard that next time out. Monitor him week to week, but it should get easier for him to tolerate as each week wears on.

Week 6 Injury Round Up

Let’s take a look at some key injuries for the upcoming week and some possible solutions for your lineup issues:

Jermichael Finley: He suffered a slightly separated AC joint on Sunday (based on the term slightly, I’d imagine it’s a grade 1) that he feels he can play through. He won’t attempt to practice until tomorrow, so we won’t know for sure whether he can even take the contact until then. I’m thinking there’s a chance he plays on Sunday, but my only issue is that when someone doesn’t even try to practice all week, it normally means there’s something they’re concerned about. I see him becoming a game time decision, which is no bueno considering they play the Texans on Sunday night. Make sure you have a backup plan, but I’d just as well roll with another guy because of the risk.

Greg Jennings: Another guy who won’t practice until tomorrow, who knows how this guy’s groin is feeling. It’s been a frustrating start for Jennings’ owners and this lingering groin strain is a real issue. He’s had a lot of time to rest, so that bodes well. If he can participate tomorrow pretty fully and not have any setbacks, I like his chances to play. Just know these muscular injuries can rear their ugly heads at any time, so be prepared. He basically needs to come through one full game without a “tweak” to feel better about things.

Alex Smith: The middle finger on his throwing hand seems like it’s not a factor, so he should be good to go. The only concern would be if he took another shot to the hand during the game, but that can happen at any time. There haven’t been any reports of swelling or range of motion issues, so if you normally play him, he should be good.

Hakeem Nicks: Today’s a big day for Nicks, as he’s supposed to give practice a go. He did some running and rehab type things on Wednesday, which is a great sign. Look for him to be limited today, with the possibility of ramping up to full participation on Friday. If he comes through today’s practice without issue in the foot or knee, I like his chances. More will be known tomorrow.

Brandon Jacobs: He practiced fully on Wednesday, but he also practiced every freakin day last week and was still inactive. I don’t know if it’s more a numbers issue in terms of his spot on the depth chart than anything else, but you probably shouldn’t be relying on him this week anyways. I still think he can be a valuable stash for later in the year, but if you’re like me and have injury/bye week issues, you may not have the luxury of a stash.

William Powell: He suffered a head injury, which could means tons of things, but he has practiced fully all week so far and hasn’t been reported as being limited at all. I actually think Powell is a better overall back than LaRod Stephens-Howling, only because Stephens-Howling is built more like a change of pace back. I can envision Powell playing on 1st and 2nd downs while Stephens-Howling is the 3rd down guy. But who knows. Either way, they both have a fantastic matchup this week against Buffalo, so they are both solid bye week fill-ins.

Marshawn Lynch: The sore back is back! Lunch was limited in practice on Wednesday and continues to be plagued by his balky back. It’s beginning to get a little sticky for Lynch, as he rested all last week and still came out of it with sore back this week. We’ll take a look at his participation this week and see where it takes him. He has a decent matchup, as the Pats are more of a bend-but-don’t-break type of defense, which lends itself to gaudy yardage totals. We’ll keep posted on his situation.

Wes Welker/Rob Gronkowski: Both were limited participants, Welker with an ankle issue and Gronk with a hip issue, but 1/2 the Pats roster was limited, so I wouldn’t worry. Both should be good to go Sunday.

Miles Austin: Coming off the bye week, Austin appears to be pretty healthy overall. He practiced fully yesterday and hasn’t had any setbacks yet after being plagued with hamstring issues. He seems like he’s finally rounding into form, and if you know anything from reading my posts, muscular injuries respond very well to rest and rehab, which Austin was able to do all week during the bye. I expect him to come out the gates strong and have a big game this Sunday.

Darrius Heyward-Bey: He practiced fully yesterday and seems to be on track to play this weekend. His concussion did look bad when it happened, but coming off a bye week and having a few weeks to recuperate, it looks like he should be fine. I’m sure they’ll monitor him well this week, but barring a setback, he should be out there.

Robert Griffin III: Although he did practice on Wednesday, taking part in team drills, he still has not been cleared for contact. Once cleared, he will probably need at least 1 day of full practice to be ready to go. I expect that day to be Friday. Look for him to take it slow, but barring any new issues popping up, he seems on track to play this Sunday.

LaRod Stephens-Howling: I talked about the Cards RB situation above with William Powell, but I think LSH (I got tired of typing his whole name, sorry) should be  good to go this week coming off a hip injury. I was not able to find out exactly what the injury was, but it appeared that he was moving around well at practice yesterday and didn’t look limited. In terms of the backfield timeshare, I think both will get chances, but LSH is much better catching the ball out of the backfield as a change of pace, so I like Powell to be the lead guy and LSH to be the 3rd down/end of half guy. I think both have value and we’ll know more after Sunday’s game, but I project Powell’s value slightly higher than LSH.

Ben Tate: Still limited in practice by turf toe, he is looking like another game time decision, which doesn’t bode well because he is involved in the Sunday night game. Same thing happened this past week with the Texans playing on Monday night, but there appears to be more optimism that he plays this week. Risky if you don’t have a backup plan playing for the Packers or on Monday night, so it may not be worth the risk. Foster is still the guy anyways, so another option may be better.

Andre Johnson: While he hasn’t been quite the same this season, I can’t say it looks like it’s because of his groin issue. He seems to be drawing a ton of attention from opposing defenses due to a lack of WR threat on the opposite side. He was limited yesterday in practice, but that’s very normal with guys who have nagging injuries, as Wednesday seems to be rest day. Friday will tell us more, as I expect him to progress his way to full participation by end of week if he’s good to go on Sunday.

AJ Green: He seems to be dealing with a bit of a knee issue, which is interesting considering he had his ankle re-taped on Sunday in the 2nd half of the game against the Dolphins. Although the ankle was the issue, he seems to have developed a bit of a knee problem, which is not uncommon considering he did continue to play through the ankle issue on Sunday. When we play through pain and injury, we tend to place more stress and strain on other regions of our body to make up for the injured region, in this case Green’s ankle. I can’t see this being any more than some knee soreness, so I don’t think he’s in any danger of missing this week. But just in case, check out his status on Friday.

Ryan Mathews: He didn’t practice Wednesday, but took “mental reps” instead. Ya, not sure what that means either. But with the Chargers playing on Monday night this week, Thursday-Saturday will be the important days. Look for him to ramp up participation this week and be fully active by Saturday.

Aaron Hernandez: He practiced again on Wednesday and has been out there for 3 straight days now (2 last week, 1 this week). He’s looking good for this Sunday against Seattle and should blend back in seamlessly to his hybrid role in the Pats offense. With high ankle sprains, rest is a big factor early on, and I think the Pats did a fantastic job of not trying to rush him back (Having another TE like Gronk helps). He has been reported as looking quick and sharp with all cutting and mobility, so there’s not reason to believe he won’t suit up this week. Barring a set back, I’d put him in your lineup this week.

Friday Injury News

Friday is typically the most important day in terms of a player’s likelihood to play on Sunday (Saturday is the day for Monday night games). So practice participation today is key, so let’s take a look at some key injuries and the chance of them playing in Week 5 (designation in parentheses:

Brandon Jacobs (Q): He hasn’t played all season after injuring his knee in the preseason, but the specifics are not well known. MRI showed that he had no structural damage, which likely means a bone bruise of some sort or maybe ligament sprain. The Niners weren’t going to let Jacobs come back until he practiced fully the whole week, and this week appears to be it. He’s 3rd in the backfield pecking order, but he was signed to be Frank Gore’s change-of-pace backup, which Kendall Hunter is not. So I think he’s a good speculative pickup this week as he looks healthy, doing wind sprints and practicing fully in pads. I wouldn’t play him this week, but he may be a nice deep league add if you need RB help.

Kenny Britt (Q): Britt sprained his ankle initially a few weeks ago, but seemed to tweak it again yesterday in practice. The thought is he won’t play this week, but he’s leaving the door open. Put it this way: He’s coming back from ACL reconstruction, he’s sprained the ankle on that same side, and now he reinjured the ankle at practice speeds. What does this tell you? There’s still something going on that’s causing him to compensate at other joints, but now he’s compromised at two joints in the leg, which could lead to a significant amount of instability up the kinetic chain (this is the link between all the joints from the ground up the leg, into the hip, etc). You should be sitting him this week and for all upcoming weeks until he can actually play a game and come out of it looking healthy.

Jared Cook (P): He practiced fully today, which is great news for his chances of being 100% this Sunday. I think he actually has a shot to have a big game now that Chris Johnson finally showed up and with one less mouth to feed (Britt) in the WR corp. Look for him to be unrestricted and ready to go.

Rashard Mendenhall (P): Practiced fully again, which means he’s looking like a go for this week. Play him at your own risk, but I’d still bench him until he shows me something out on the field. My rule of thumb is always to sit a guy their first week back and proceed according to how they look in that first game. Mendenhall is no different.

Torrey Smith (P): Practiced fully all week, sprained ankle looks good. He’s good to go.

Pierre Garcon (P): He looks like he’s on track to play this weekend against the Falcons, who despite being 4-0 are not playing a ton of D. He’s slowly played more snaps each game he’s been out there, but he himself acknowledged that he was not 100% yet, even though he can play at 100% during each play (not sure how much sense that makes). I think he’ll be more productive this weekend as he and RGIII have developed a good chemistry so far. He looks to be a solid WR3 this week.

Aaron Hernandez (Q): He practiced today and has looked pretty good, based on reports, cutting and moving more freely than anyone expected. This week would be his 3rd missed game, so I’m still skeptical that someone can be 100% in 3 weeks coming back from a high ankle sprain. I still think he sits this week, but it’s encouraging that he has gotten better so quickly. Week 6 seems much more realistic, so he should be on your bench this week (he’ll be on mine).

Marshawn Lynch (P): He was a full participant today, with his injury being described as Rest. Seems like the Seahawks were just buying him some time and that his back spasms didn’t flare up. Play him confidently.

Ryan Tannehill (P): He was a late add to the injury report with a right thumb sprain (throwing hand). It appears that he practiced fully, but may have hit his hand on a helmet or something of that nature. I think the injury report is more of a precaution, but he should be out there this week coming off a career game. Play him if you normally would.

Reggie Bush (P): His knee is reportedly fine and his hip has been pain-free all week, so he looks ready to go. He actually looked fine this past week, not missing any time after than knee injury scare. He was running well and looked like his dynamic self, so I’d feel good playing him this week. Nothing that I’ve heard or seen leads me to believe that he’ll be restricted at all, so have at it.

Ben Tate (Q): His sprained toe kept him out of practice today, and missing a Friday practice is never a good sign. I’d be suspicious about his probability of playing this week, but since they play Monday, wait until tomorrow and see if he participates. If he’s limited or doesn’t practice, I’d sit him since it’s pretty risky to wait on a Monday nighter since you won’t have many options otherwise. I don’t think the risk matches the reward, so I’d bench him.

Stephen Hill (Q): Well, not the rookie season we were hoping for. He came out like gangbusters in Week 1 and hasn’t played since. He has a hamstring strain that’s been plaguing him all season, and it doesn’t really seem like it’s going away anytime soon. I’ve stated numerous times how tricky these hamstring injuries are, and sometimes, depending on the location of the strain, the severity of the strain, and whether there was a prior history of hamstring pathology. Not sure in Hill’s case if there is a past history of hamstring issues, but this one seems to be a doozy. He was a non-participant again in practice, and even though he plays Monday night, put him in the same category as Ben Tate above: not worth the risk of waiting.

Hakeem Nicks (O): We know Nicks is out this week, that’s for sure. Just wanted to update to say that he had very limited participation, riding the bike and doing some stretching and participating in some team activities. While this is a good sign, one observation I wanted to mention was that the stationary bike for his kind of injury makes me think they’re just trying to limit his amount of weight bearing as much as possible, which leads me to believe that there’s some sort of bony pathology going on. I don’t like the sound of it, but the activity level is promising. Obviously, plan B needs to be in effect this week, but next week is still a possibility.

Lance Moore (O): My, how much things can change in one week. At first, reports were he had a mild hamstring strain. 4 days later, he’s labeled out. Maybe he had a setback during the week while trying to practice, or maybe they underestimated the extent and severity of the strain. Who knows? The fact of the matter is these hamstring strains are hard to predict, but hopefully one full week of rest and rehab will do him some good.

That’s it for today. I’ll make more updates via my Twitter feed @z_dahdul as more news becomes available. Good luck with Week 5 and beyond!