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Injuries are the bane of a fantasy football owner’s existence. The NFL does such an amazingly poor job at reporting and acknowledging injuries and thus it makes it incredibly difficult to find useful information.
But on Friday’s the NFL has an obligation to report the true status of each player on every roster. It’s the closest we’ll get to knowing who is in or out for this week in the NFL. So the thing to do is to use this information along with the daily practice reports to sort out who is likely to play and sit this week. Only after the status reports come out on Friday does the rest of the week’s activity really make sense.
So, every Friday I will be sending you reports of all at risk players across the NFL. I’ll include the players who are definitely OUT for the week as well as those who are definitely playing. So the focus will be on the questionable players for the week. These reports will tell you whether or not you can relax or wait for the NFL inactive reports on Sunday morning.
Let’s take a look at the Week 12 Practice Reports:
IN
, WR, Falcons – Illness
Steven Jackson, RB, Falcons – Illness
Giovani Bernard, RB, Bengals – Hip
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Vikings – Back
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Vikings – Abdomen
Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions – Ankle
Joique Bell, RB, Lions – Ankle
Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots – Thigh
Delanie Walker, TE, Titans – Concussion
Philip Rivers, QB, Chest – Chest
Andre Ellington, RB, Cardinals – Hip
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Broncos – Concussion
Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys – Back
OUT
, TE, Browns – Concussion
Dwayne Allen, TE, Colts – Ankle
Brandon Bostick, TE, Packers – Hip
Matt Asiata, RB, Vikings – Concussion
Nick Foles, QB, Eagles – Collarbone
Damian Williams, WR, Rams – Hamstring
Charles Clay, TE, Dolphins – Knee
Montee Ball, RB, Broncos – Foot
Ronnie Hillman, RB, Broncos – Foot
Jordan Reed, TE, Redskins – Hamstring
Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints – Finger
Khiry Robinson, RB, Saints – Arm
UP IN THE AIR
, RB, Buccaneers – Ankle
Doug Martin returned to practice this week and got in a limited session each day. It appears that Martin will return to face the Bears this week but his role is unclear. With Charles Sims also questionable, Martin could wind up as anything from the feature RB to just a handful of snaps.
Charles Sims, RB, Buccaneers – Ankle
Sims rolled his ankle during practice on Thursday and only was able to do minimal activity on Friday. Midweek injuries are usually bad news for a players availability on gameday. Sims will be a game time decision this week and is all of a sudden off the fantasy radar for week 12.
Greg Jennings, WR, Vikings – Ribs
Jennings appeared to be a long shot until he made it through a full practice on Friday afternoon. It looks like he’ll give it a go against his former team (Packers) this week.
Jarius Wright, WR, Vikings – Hamstring
Wright made the progression from out on Wednesday to limited participation on Thursday and finally a full practice on Friday. He should be able to play against the Packers on Sunday.
, RB, Lions – Ankle
Bush was able to practice on a limited basis all week and is expected to be back on the field this week. I don’t think that Bush will be nearly as limited as most people are saying and he could very well end up having a solid game against the Patriots in week 12.
Justin Hunter, WR, Titans – Knee
Hunter has a knee contusion but was able to practice in full on both Thursday and Friday. He will play on Sunday and maybe some day he might actually do something.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals – Knee
There is just no way that the Cardinals risk Larry Fitzgerald against the Seahawks this week. Fitzgerald has a grade two MCL sprain which means there is a partial tear. That tear could get much worse very easily and shouldn’t be risked on a 9-1 team.
, RB, Dolphins – Shoulder, Knee
It’s the knee injury that really concerns me. Miller tweaked his knee during practice on Thursday after suffering a shoulder separation a few weeks ago. Midweek injuries are the worst and there is a very good chance that Miller won’t be able to go on Sunday afternoon. Have a backup plan in place!
Julius Thomas, TE, Broncos – Ankle
I do not think that Thomas is going to play in week 12. He hasn’t practiced since leaving week 11 against the Rams with a severe ankle sprain. From what I am hearing this is very likely a high ankle sprain that will keep Thomas out for multiple weeks. He isn’t going to suit up this week.
Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints – Shoulder
Unfortunately the Saints play on Monday Night and that makes Thomas too risky to play in fantasy this week. My hunch is that he gives it a go but unless you have another option to pivot to if he is inactive, you just can’t take that risk.
Player News
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Dolphins released LS Blake Ferguson.
The team also waived CB Ryan Cooper Jr., DT Neil Farrell and OL Chasen Hines. Ferguson has been the team’s long snapper for five seasons and earned a three-year contract extension just before the 2023 season. He should be able to find work snapping footballs farther than the average snap elsewhere in the league.
DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman believes rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa “could make his earliest impact on special teams.”
It’s not much of a surprise, as most rookies cut their teeth with special teams duties. Twentyman mentioned return duties as a possibility, though the former Razorback never returned kicks or punts in college. At 6'4/212 with 4.43 wheels, TeSlaa is an explosive athlete who never translated his physical traits to on-field production at Arkansas. The Lions clearly saw potential for him to do so in the pros and traded two future third-round picks to move up to No. 70 overall for him. It’s going to be a slow burn for TeSlaa in the pros, making him a dynasty-only fantasy option.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.