It's either the last week of your regular season or the first week of your Fantasy playoffs. In an ideal world, everyone would be healthy and you would set perfect lineups. You'd also have a half-acre money trees growing in the backyard of your mega-mansion. Sadly, you don't live in a mega-mansion and there are injury implications all over the league.
The good news: Derrick Henry (hamstring), Marlon Mack (hand), Jamaal Williams (knee), Matt Breida (ankle), Chris Godwin (shin), Jarvis Landry (hip), Odell Beckham (groin), Courtland Sutton (hamstring), D.J. Chark (back), Deebo Samuel (shoulder), Emmanuel Sanders (ribs), Austin Hooper (knee), George Kittle (knee, ankle) and Jameis Winston (knee) all got in some practice this week and are slated to play.
The bad news: Notable Fantasy players who won't be around and can't start this week include James Conner (shoulder), T.Y. Hilton (calf), JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), Greg Olsen (concussion), Gerald Everett (knee), A.J. Green (seriously, what's going on with this guy?) and Adam Vinatieri (knee). Adam Thielen (hamstring) is doubtful.
Fringe Fantasy starters who are questionable include Marquise Brown (ankle), Ryan Griffin (illness) and Mohamed Sanu (ankle).
Key offensive line injuries: For the second straight week, three-fifths of the Jets' starting offensive line is on the injury report. Right tackle Chuma Edoga (knee) is doubtful, left tackle Kelvin Beachum (ankles) and guard Alex Lewis (elbow) are questionable. ... Ty Nsehke (ankle) remains out for the Bills, not that their offense is suffering without him.
Key defensive injuries: Jets safety Jamal Adams is doubtful to play, removing the team's best defensive player from the field. It cannot be overstated how much flexibility he gives his defense. Also doubtful or out for the Jets defense are cornerback Arthur Maulet (calf), slot corner Brian Poole (concussion) and backup safety Matthias Farley (rib/ankle). The secondary is a mess, so expect the Dolphins to throw the ball well. ... Broncos all-world linebacker Von Miller (knee) is questionable after being limited in practice all week. If he's out, the matchup gets even better for all of the Texans.
Colts nickelback Kenny Moore will miss another game, improving the matchup for Chris Godwin, who lines up in the slot frequently. ... Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (thigh) and linebacker Patrick Onwuasor (ankle) are questionable but both practiced in full on Friday.
Bell showed up for practice on Wednesday, then was out of practice on Thursday and Friday with his illness. Coach Adam Gase said the team would have more information "probably by" Saturday but couldn't say for sure whether he'd play. "He's sick, probably the same thing that's going around these other teams," Gase said. "Biggest thing was just get him checked out and get him out of the building so no one else gets sick." If Bell misses Sunday's game, Bilal Powell (3% owned) would likely be the Jets' main running back with Ty Montgomery (4%) pitching in. Benny Snell (55% owned) is pretty much the only other potential waiver-wire running back you'd feel OK starting in place of Bell.
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Jacobs only got in limited practice on Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday. It's not a surprise after it was revealed this week he's been playing with a fracture in his shoulder. DeAndre Washington would replace Jacobs on running downs while Jalen Richard would continue to handle passing downs. Richard would have the nudge ahead of Washington in PPR formats as an emergency replacement.
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Dalvin Cook and Mike Zimmer said all week that he'd play against the Lions on Sunday, and the injury report reflected that. Cook was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday before going full-steam on Friday. The team didn't designate him with an injury tag. So he should play, but how much? That could come down to how he feels during the game and the score of the game. Obviously if he takes a big hit or two, it could jeopardize his playing time. Similarly, if the Vikings blow out the Lions, he could rest on the bench once the game is in hand. Cook has been above 80% of the snaps in a game just twice this season as it is, so expect to see Alexander Mattison for maybe a little more than normal. Otherwise, 15 touches for Cook is certainly reasonable to expect.
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Williams will miss another game with his rib injury. Unlike last week, the Chiefs running-back group is a little easier to judge. LeSean McCoy figures to lead the way with rookie Darwin Thompson and recent signee (and ex-Chiefs lead back) Spencer Ware behind him. We haven't seen McCoy pick up more than 49% of the snaps in a game this season, but that could change since Thompson has played a total of 44 offensive snaps and Ware was working out at home a week ago.
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This is great. As soon as we're ready to trust Fuller as a high-upside flex (or maybe a low-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver) in a matchup with the Broncos, he's limited all week in practice. The Texans are one of those teams that use the questionable tag liberally, so he could end up playing, but if he's not running at top speed, his upside is hurt quite a bit.
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