In case you hadn’t heard, there are six teams on bye this week. To say it is rough would be an understatement. There are also just a few key injuries floating around out there to monitor as well as some key players that we already know will be out of action for Week 7. And then factor in the plethora of under performing players out there, we are looking at you Allen Robinson, and it’s a great big mess. 

We aren’t here to make excuses though. We are here to dominate. 

Let’s look through the fog and see the horizon of opportunity. That’s either really corny or really inspiring depending on where you sit, but the point remains that there is still a fantasy football matchup to win this week. 

One piece of that puzzle is getting and staying up to date on the injury news of the week, so let’s take a trip around the league and see where things stand heading into the weekend. 

 

Quarterback 

For what it’s worth, Jimmy Garoppolo did open the season as the starter for San Francisco prior to injuring his calf. Trey Lance didn’t light the world on fire when he took over but the rookie has yet to practice this week with a knee injury and it looks like Garoppolo will be back under center on Sunday. The veteran practiced on a limited basis both Wednesday and Thursday and for now he does give 49ers their best chance at victory and this also benefits, at least to a small degree, their skill position players. 

Tua Tagovailoa returned to action last week and threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville, so as far as I am concerned, there is nothing to see here with the fact that he has been limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday. There is no reason for Miami to push things with Tagovailoa and his rib injury, and since it doesn’t appear that any set backs have occurred, he should be good to go for Sunday. 

After suffering a concussion prior to New Orleans’ bye week, Taysom Hill still hasn’t returned to practice. He hasn’t done much from a fantasy perspective to this point, so there shouldn’t be anything to see here. 

Tyrod Taylor got off to a good start very early in the season, but after injuring his hamstring we haven’t seen him since. While he is getting closer to practicing, Davis Mills will still be under center this week. It hasn’t been all bad for Mills, but he is still a fringe QB2 at best, even with six teams on bye.

 

Running Back

Pete Carroll said all the right things about Alex Collins and his status for this week early in the day on Thursday and then the running back failed to take part in practice. We still have Friday and Saturday left to see if Collins can practice (for better or worse the Seahawks don’t play until Monday) and for now we’ll maintain Carroll’s optimism. Collins carried the ball 20 times for 101 yards and a touchdown last week so we know what he is capable of doing. Should things take a negative turn with Collins, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas are both worth a look as the last two healthy Seattle running backs. 

Given the fact that he missed practice again on Thursday things are not looking good for Saquon Barkley to potentially return this week and I would get ready for another week of the first-round pick riding your bench and Devontae Booker being a starting running back. 

If Khalil Herbert didn’t carry the ball 19 times for 97 yards and a touchdown then Damien Williams’ COVID-19 status for this week would be more critical. Due to his unvaccinated status, the earliest we’ll get clarity on whether he can take the field this week is Saturday so I would make alternate plans and also be ready to role with Herbert once again. 

It has become commonplace to see D’Andre Swift listed on the injury report and limited in practice. However, it has been equally as common this season to see him take the field for about three quarters of Detroit’s offensive snaps each week. At this point, you can proceed with Swift for Sunday without concern; at least from a health perspective. 

Antonio Gibson’s shin injury doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon, but the Washington running back did practice on a limited basis on Thursday. It is concerning that he was out touched by J.D. McKissic last week (16 to 12) as he carried the ball 10 times for 44 yards and caught two passes for zero yards, but he is trending towards taking the field again and he has to be favored out of the Washington backfield. With that being said, both running backs do have value as we know that, at a minimum, McKissic has carved out a legit role in both the passing game and as a third down back. 

Chase Edmonds continuing to practice and play while dealing with a shoulder injury is a good thing. The results the last two weeks, a combined 84 yards, have not been nearly as good though and I would look for an alternative option if one is available. John Conner also continues to factor in here as well. 

After missing practice for the second straight day, Latavius Murray doesn’t appear to be moving in the right direction to take the field on Sunday. Murray does have four touchdowns on the season, but he has a season high of just 59 rushing yards so there isn’t too much to see here aside from the fact that every starting running back matters. If things continue to trend in the direction of Murray being inactive, get ready for more of Devonta Freeman who is coming off a nine carry, 53-yard performance last week in which he also scored a touchdown. 

The pecking order in the Rams’ backfield is clear with Darrel Henderson as the starter and Sony Michel backing him up. That has minimized the majority of Michel’s fantasy value (205 yards on 54 carries and a touchdown) but it’s still worth noting that he is trending in the right direction to play on Sunday as he practiced on a limited basis Thursday despite a shoulder injury. 

Derrick Henry is healthy (knock on wood as many times as possible) so Jeremy McNichols’ health status shouldn’t move the needle from a fantasy perspective but he did return to practice on Thursday and should be good to take the field on Sunday after leaving Monday’s game early with an ankle injury. 

As he is dealing with a hamstring injury the Bengals are being careful with Chris Evans in practice this week. However, with a healthy Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine back in action, there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of fantasy value for Evans as he comes off of a season high of seven touches last week. 

 

Wide Receiver

Two days without Tyreek Hill at practice is not a good sign but it does follow last week’s pattern and he ended up catching nine passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. At this point, it’s fair to expect a repeat performance and I’m not sure there would be much complaining about it either. 

At this point, we have to tread carefully with Antonio Brown as he hasn’t practiced Wednesday or Thursday while dealing with an ankle injury. Tampa Bay shouldn’t really need Brown this week against the Bears so they are in a good position to tread carefully and both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans would get a boost. Tyler Johnson benefits as a cheap option if Brown ultimately doesn’t suit up and I would have a contingency plan in place. 

The match-up could be better as Philadelphia has had success against opposing passing games so far this season, but it is a good thing that both Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs both practiced in full on Thursday. Edwards has just five receptions over the last three weeks (including two catches for 67 yards last week) so there isn’t much to see here, but this week you might not get to be that picky. Ruggs on the other hand has some real fantasy value as a deep threat after catching three passes for 97 yards and a touchdown last week. 

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Darnell Mooney returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday after not practicing on Wednesday. That is a pattern that has held for most of the season and also has ended with him playing on Sunday. Last week was big for Mooney as he picked up his first touchdown of the season while catching five passes for 45 yards. 

Allen Robinson has been a dirty word this season. He has been dealing with an ankle injury all season but the fact that he returned to practice on Thursday, even on a limited basis, is a good thing. Last week he is coming off a four catch, 53-yard performance and at some point, he should break through, right?

Another wide receiver situation that has proven to be a mess is in Tennessee. Julio Jones didn’t make it through the whole game on Monday with a hamstring injury, but he did return to practice on a limited basis Thursday. While we are going to have some doubts about the hamstring moving forward, at this point I do expect him to take the field again on Sunday. 

The fact that A.J. Brown didn’t practice on Thursday with the reason given as illness doesn’t give me too much cause for concern after he caught seven passes for 91 yards last week. Chester Rogers continuing to miss practice on Thursday with a groin injury does give me some pause heading into this week. 

There is a lot to keep an eye on within the Miami receiving corps, and at this point we should be getting both Preston Williams and DeVante Parker back this week. All Williams really has to show for his season is a three catch, 60-yard performance against Tampa Bay, but if he is on the field, he can be a capable option. Parker has missed the last two weeks as he deals with hamstring and shoulder injuries after catching 17 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown in the first four games of the season. He should be able slide right back into your lineups this week.  

Things aren’t looking good for the Giants’ receiving corps as Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney are slated to be out this week and Sterling Shepard took a step backwards Thursday regarding to his hamstring injury. Darius Slayton has returned to practice after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury of his own and he projects to be busy on Sunday. John Ross has been limited as well, but at this point he is shaping up to be the Giants’ number two receiver this week.

Sunday night games are never good from a roster management perspective when it comes to injuries. With that being said, we need to tread especially careful with T.Y. Hilton based on the news that it is 50/50 whether or not he will be available for action this week. What we do know is that Michael Pittman and, to a lesser degree, Zach Pascal would see a clear bump in value. 

Are we really surprised that Sammy Watkins didn’t practice on Thursday with a thigh injury? At this point it doesn’t look good for Watkins to take the field this week and that means a lot more of Marquise Brown with Rashod Bateman likely taking on a larger role after catch four of his six targets for 29 yards in his debut. 

Nico Collins seemed to be past his shoulder injury but now a foot injury appears to have popped up on our radar. Collins caught four of his six targets last week for 44 yards and there is some fringe WR3/FLEX value if he is able to take the field on Sunday. Keep an eye on what Collins does at practice on Friday, but he could be a PPR option this week. 

After suffering a concussion last week, Terrace Marshall has yet to do anything on the field this week and, based on that, I wouldn’t plan on having him available for your lineups this week. 

The fact that Deonte Harris still isn’t practicing as of Thursday with a hamstring injury isn’t a good sign for the big play threat and I wouldn’t look to rely on him. 

Hamstring injuries are never easy and Cam Sims has yet to return to practice and he is slated to miss his third straight game. Washington isn’t especially deep at receiver these days, but Sims doesn’t appear to be ready to help ease those depth concerns. Curtis Samuel missed practice once again Thursday so we can’t count on him. The main recipient of value is Dyami Brown who has been practicing on a limited basis this week after catching three of his six targets for 30 yards in Week 6. Perhaps the best sign of all is that Terry McLaurin returned to practice and while we have to be aware of his hamstring injury, he should be good to go for Week 7. 

 

Tight End

After missing practice on Thursday, it was a good sign to see Evan Engram back at practice on Friday. This lines up well for him to play on Sunday and with all of the injuries to the Giants’ receiving corps, it could shape up to busy a day for Engram. 

With Rob Gronkowski not seen at practice Friday morning, it appears we will have another week without the Tampa Bay tight end and the Buccaneers lean on Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard once again. 

It’s always scary to see a top player like Travis Kelce come in at limited in practice, but I don’t think his status for Sunday is in jeopardy. With eight receptions for 99 yards last week, it doesn’t appear that his performance will be any worse for the wear either. 

Detroit will likely be trailing all day on Sunday against the Rams so the passing game will be busy. It is a good sign that TJ Hockenson was on the field in a limited basis for Thursday’s practice as he trends towards playing on Sunday. After three down weeks, Hockenson bounced back last week with eight receptions for 74 yards and I would look for a repeat performance at a minimum this week even if a lot of the production comes in garbage time. 

Seeing Ricky Seals-Jones back at practice on Thursday was a good thing as the tight figures to busy once again this week after catching four of his six targets for 58 yards and touchdown in Week 6.