Another week of football means another week of injuries. Each Friday, I’ll break down the NFL practice reports by matchup. That’s when teams release two key pieces of information: first, a player’s status (full-go, limited, no-go) in practice that week; second, their injury designation (questionable, doubtful, out). It’s vital stuff to follow for your fantasy matchups, and I’ll walk you through the important things to know.
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Giants at Football Team (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Giants: RB Devonta Freeman (ankle) OUT.
Football Team: WR Dontrelle Inman (hamstring) DOUBTFUL.
The Devonta Freeman experiment hasn’t worked out in New York, and Wayne Gallman, Alfred Morris, and Dion Lewis will continue to split snaps in his absence.
Gallman looked pretty good without Freeman against the Buccaneers — he turned his 12 carries into 44 yards and a score, and he added 18 yards through the air. He’s a very low-end RB2/flex option in what should be a low-scoring, run-heavy game against the Football Team. I would avoid both Morris and Lewis; even though the latter scored a touchdown last week, he only caught two total passes, and that’s not enough volume for him to be a consistent option.
Although they might be without Inman this week, the Football Team’s receiving corps has gotten healthier. Steven Sims will return from injured reserve to play in his first game since Week 3, while slot receiver Isaiah Wright, who saw five targets the last time these two teams met, will be back as well. Sims is a very low-end WR5 option here, but he could be worth a stash for Washington’s Week 10 visit to Detroit.
Bears at Titans (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Bears: OT Bobby Massie (knee) IR, OC Cody Whitehair (COVID, calf) IR, OT Jason Spriggs (COVID) OUT, TE Cole Kmet (groin) QUESTIONABLE.
Titans: WR Adam Humphries (concussion) OUT.
Chicago has an ugly situation brewing along their offensive line. They had already lost left guard James Daniels for the year, right tackle Bobby Massie had just landed on injured reserve, and center Cody Whitehair was going to keep sitting due to his calf injury — but now they have positive COVID-19 cases to deal with. Reserve tackle Spriggs won’t be able to play, and they’ll be down to just two of their opening day starters against the Titans — barring further positive tests. The absences will make David Montgomery’s job that much more difficult, but I don’t plan on fading him.
Cole Kmet is struggling through a groin issue that he picked up between Wednesday’s practice and Thursday’s injury report. Fellow tight end Jimmy Graham could be in for more work as a result, and he’s a decent low-end streaming option. That said, Graham is dealing with a hamstring issue of his own, although he didn’t earn an injury designation.
A nasty helmet-to-helmet hit will keep Humphries out of this game, and that should a few more targets will go toward Corey Davis and A.J. Brown. They get a small boost, but not much of one.
Lions at Vikings (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Lions: WR Kenny Golladay (hip) OUT, QB Matthew Stafford (COVID) RES.
Vikings: CB Holton Hill (foot) OUT, CB Cameron Dantzler (concussion) OUT, CB Mark Fields III (chest) OUT, CB Harrison Hand (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
This is a smash spot for the Lions receivers. The Vikings won’t have any of their Week 1 starters at cornerback — Mike Hughes is still on injured reserve, while both Hill and Dantzler will miss this game. Behind them, Minnesota will feature Jeff Gladney and Kris Boyd. That’s not a winning combination.
So with Golladay unable to take advantage of this sweet matchup, who will? Marvin Jones should benefit a lot, although Danny Amendola led this team in air yards and targets before Golladay’s return in Week 3. Jones is a smart start at WR3, while I think Amendola has some utility as a WR4, especially in PPR formats. Marvin Hall and Quintez Cephus will be boom-or-bust downfield burners.
That said, there’s a big asterisk next to all of those wideouts — I’m assuming that Matthew Stafford will return from the COVID-19/reserve list in time. If he doesn’t, Chase Daniel will get the start. Daniel isn’t as much of a gunslinger as Stafford, and he’d be likelier to favor Amendola in the passing game over Jones and others.
Panthers at Chiefs (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Panthers: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Chiefs: WR Sammy Watkins (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
The biggest story here is who’s healthy: Christian McCaffrey. The Panthers expect him to suit up this weekend, and he should immediately return to the RB1 conversation now that he’s back. Unfortunately for Mike Davis managers, the backup’s impressive performances with McCaffrey sidelined probably won’t boost his usage long-term. He’s still a high-value handcuff, but he won’t be much more than that.
For the Chiefs, Sammy Watkins could make his return here. The wideout was limited in practice all week, and the fact that Kansas City never sent him to injured reserve suggests that they believed his injury would hold him out for less than three weeks. If he misses this game, it would be his third absence, so I’m optimistic about his status for Sunday. He’s a volume-based, low-end WR4 in this matchup.
Texans at Jaguars (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Texans: No fantasy-relevant injuries.
Jaguars: QB Gardner Minshew (thumb) OUT, RB Devine Ozigbo (hamstring) OUT.
The Texans don’t have much to report here, but they are dealing with a positive COVID-19 case on defense, as linebacker Jacob Martin tested positive. As a result, Martin, Whitney Mercilus, and Dylan Cole all won’t play.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, have a pair of notable injuries. Ozigbo’s hamstring injury continues to limit him even now that he’s been activated from injured reserve, while Minshew will miss some time with a fractured throwing hand (that he hid from the team for weeks).
With Minshew down, the Jaguars will turn to sixth-round rookie Jake Luton at quarterback. The coaching staff has hyped up Luton’s arm strength, and as a result, I won’t fade Jacksonville’s speedy receivers like D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault, especially not in what should be a high-scoring matchup. That said, I would not advise starting Luton in any format unless you have no other options.
Ravens at Colts (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Ravens: CB Marlon Humphrey (COVID) OUT, RB Mark Ingram (ankle) DOUBTFUL, WR Devin Duvernay (thigh) QUESTIONABLE.
Colts: WR T.Y. Hilton (groin) DOUBTFUL, TE Mo Alie-Cox (knee) QUESTIONABLE, WR Marcus Johnson (knee) QUESTIONABLE.
In Baltimore, a positive test from Marlon Humphrey sent a bunch of plays onto the COVID-19/reserve list. The names included inside linebacker Patrick Queen and safety DeShon Elliott, but head coach John Harbaugh is optimistic that they will all be able to return in time.
Even if they all can play, the Ravens won’t be at full capacity. Ingram’s ankle injury should continue to sideline him, and if they split up the snaps like they did last week, J.K. Dobbins looks like an interesting play at RB2. They also may not have Devin Duvernay, who picked up a thigh injury late in the week and was limited on Friday’s practice. He shouldn’t be on anyone’s fantasy radars, but his absence could give Marquise Brown a higher floor this week.
For the Colts, Hilton was the next receiver to go down in a tough season for them at the position. Zach Pascal and Michael Pittman are the next men up — Pascal has a solid WR4 floor in PPR formats, while we’ll need to see more from Pittman before he can be considered startable. The second-round pick isn’t a bad stash, though, especially since the Colts will play the Titans twice in three weeks after this game.
Alie-Cox and Johnson should both play, but neither should be starters in fantasy. The Colts have a confusing, three-headed monster at tight end, and Trey Burton looks like the most startable option out of them all.
Seahawks at Bills (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Seahawks: RB Chris Carson (foot) OUT, RB Carlos Hyde (hamstring) OUT.
Bills: TE Dawson Knox (calf) QUESTIONABLE.
Seattle was polite enough to give us some clarity on Carson before Sunday this week. This is now his second-straight absence, and Seattle will (probably) turn to DeeJay Dallas in his stead. The team has Travis Homer on the roster, too, and they signed Alex Collins to their practice squad, so it’s still unclear how this will play out. That’s especially true because head coach Pete Carroll said that he would be “very comfortable” with giving Collins some playing time.
I’m cautiously leaving Dallas as a shaky RB3 play for now, but I would avoid this backfield if possible.
Knox picked up a calf injury halfway through the week and logged limited reps on Thursday and Friday. It’s been a disappointing season for the once-decent streaming option, and you should leave him on waivers.
Broncos at Falcons (Sunday, 1:00 PM EST)
Broncos: RB Phillip Lindsay (foot) QUESTIONABLE, WR Tim Patrick (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
Falcons: WR Calvin Ridley (foot) QUESTIONABLE.
Calvin Ridley has to be the week’s biggest question mark heading into Sunday. The talented third-year wideout is having a breakout season, but a nasty foot injury held him out of practice all week — even though he had a few extra days to recuperate after last Thursday night. Julio Jones missed every practice and still earned a questionable tag twice this season, and both times, the star wideout failed to play. As a result, you shouldn’t expect Ridley to suit up.
For the Broncos, Lindsay has struggled to stay healthy this season. He’s clearly the better back in this offense, and while he’s been forced to split the work with Melvin Gordon, he’s still a viable fantasy asset. Lindsay was able to practice fully on Friday, so I’m optimistic about his status heading into Sunday.
Patrick missed every practice last week, so the fact that he logged three limited sessions this week is good news. I expect him to play, and his return will dilute Jerry Jeudy’s value by a decent margin.
Raiders at Chargers (Sunday, 4:05 PM EST)
Raiders: RB Josh Jacobs (knee) QUESTIONABLE.
Chargers: RB Troymaine Pope (concussion) DOUBTFUL.
Josh Jacobs had a weird week of practice. He practiced fully on Wednesday, but then he got sick and missed Thursday’s practice. He logged a limited session on Friday, so I’m pretty confident that he’ll play, but it’s an odd situation and one to monitor.
For the Chargers, Pope probably won’t get to play a week after he out-carried Joshua Kelley. Kelley has been a big disappointment this season, and he’s the second-worst eligible running back in yards created over expected. Justin Jackson is the back to roster (and play) in a smash spot against the Raiders, although Kelley could luck out and get a short-yardage touchdown due to his athletic profile.
Steelers at Cowboys (Sunday, 4:25 PM EST)
Steelers: TE Vance McDonald (illness) QUESTIONABLE.
Cowboys: QB Andy Dalton (COVID) OUT, RB Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE
McDonald first graced the injury report on Friday, as he failed to practice due to an illness. Although McDonald probably isn’t on your fantasy radar (and rightfully so), his absence would probably mean more snaps for Eric Ebron, who would get a boost as a result.
Things look quite grim for the Dallas Cowboys. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton missed last week’s game due to a concussion, and he’ll have to miss this one since he’s been sent to the COVID-19/reserve list. The Cowboys will turn to either Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush this week, not Ben DiNucci, and it’s easy to fade any Dallas skill-position player as a result.
Lastly, Elliott’s supporting cast has evaporated due to injuries, and now they’re affecting him, too. The star running back logged limited practice sessions all week and is expected to play, but I’d keep an eye on his status just if anything changes.
Dolphins at Cardinals (Sunday, 4:25 PM EST)
Dolphins: RB Myles Gaskin (knee) IR, RB Matt Breida (hamstring) OUT.
Cardinals: RB Kenyan Drake (ankle) OUT.
The Dolphins won’t have two of their best running backs this week. Gaskin injured his knee and will be out for at least three weeks, and Breida failed to practice at all this week due to an ailing hamstring. The Dolphins will roll out some combination of Jordan Howard and Patrick Laird as they wait for newly-acquired DeAndre Washington to gain playing eligibility in Week 10.
Like the Dolphins, the Cardinals also won’t have their starting rusher. Drake’s absence opens up lots of opportunities for electric backup Chase Edmonds — Drake was getting 18 touches per game before his injury, and Edmonds was already seeing 8.7 of them per game. He’s now on track for 20-plus touches each week, and that’s more than enough volume to vault him into the low-end RB1 conversation. He’s a fantastic starting option against Miami’s defense this week.
Saints at Buccaneers (Sunday, 8:20 PM EST)
Saints: WR Michael Thomas (ankle/hamstring) QUESTIONABLE.
Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin (finger) QUESTIONABLE.
We’ll get a battle of diva receivers on Sunday Night Football — Michael Thomas is expected to play, as is Antonio Brown. It took Thomas quite a while to recover from this injury, and he hadn’t yet carved out a role alongside Emmanuel Sanders last we saw him. While last year’s WR1 is a safe starter against the Buccaneers, I’m interested to see how Drew Brees‘ target distribution will look with both him and Sanders around. Thomas’ value stemmed from his absurd volume last season, so a downtick in targets would have fantasy significance.
Speaking of receivers, Chris Godwin is also expected to play. He’ll rejoin an absolutely stacked supporting cast, and it’s hard to see how all of these weapons — Brown, Godwin, Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones, and Leonard Fournette — can post fantasy-relevant numbers at the same time, especially with the strong play of Tampa Bay’s defense. One or two of them could go off at a time, but Buccaneers players will be a lot more boom-or-bust now that they’re all healthy.
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Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
