It is now officially Week 12 of the NFL season which means many fantasy leagues will be starting their playoffs in the next couple weeks.  That is good news and bad news for many of you who have key players banged up and on the sidelines with injuries.  This week’s list is particularly lengthy thanks to several injuries to impact players.  So without further adieu, here is the next edition of the walking wounded.

Marshawn Lynch (RB-SEA)

Marshawn Lynch was held out of practice on Wednesday with a back injury.  He was in obvious discomfort during last week’s game against Kansas City when he remained on the bench at halftime instead of going into the locker room.  He is just being given some additional rest, so have no fears about putting him in your lineup this week against Arizona.

Emmanuel Sanders (WR-DEN)

Emmanuel Sanders took a vicious hit last week and sustained a concussion as a result.  He is still going through the NFL concussion protocol and has not been cleared to return yet.  The Broncos are already all too familiar with wide receivers dealing with concussions (hi Wes Welker), so it would make sense that they be overly cautious with Sanders and let him sit for the week.  Obviously that would not be good news for fantasy GM’s who have been rewarded with elite production from him.  But Sanders seems to think he will be able to go so check back in later in the week to see if he has clearance.

Julius Thomas (TE-DEN)

Julius Thomas sustained an ankle injury during last week’s loss to St. Louis and is listed as questionable for Week 12.  He did not practice on Thursday, but he was able to do some stretching exercises with the team on Wednesday.  His status remains up in the air so you will need to closely monitor the situation up until game time.  Jacob Tamme would start if Thomas cannot go, but he is not a great fantasy option off the waiver wire.

Montee Ball (RB-DEN)

After missing five weeks with a groin injury, Montee Ball finally returned last week and was supposed to have shared playing time with C.J. Anderson.  However, he re-aggravated his groin injury without even carrying the ball once and is now listed as out for this week’s game against Miami.  Ball has been a complete fantasy bust and can’t even stay on the field long enough to try and earn redemption.  Go with C.J. Anderson if you need a Denver running back. 

Ronnie Hillman (RB-DEN)

Ronnie Hillman is still not practicing and could continue to be out indefinitely as he deals with his foot injury.  Hillman had been anointed the starter in Denver with Montee Ball out, but he couldn’t stay on the field to take advantage of the opportunity.  This is nothing new for Hillman as fantasy GM’s have come to expect him to be sidelined more often than not.

Alshon Jeffery (WR-CHI)

Alshon Jeffery missed practice on Wednesday with a hamstring injury.  This does not appear to be serious and he is expected to play on Sunday.  He had dealt with a hamstring injury earlier this year and did not miss any time.  Put him in your lineup with and hope he continues to build off of last week’s game where he had 11 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.

Larry Fitzgerald (WR-ARZ)

Larry Fitzgerald did not practice on Wednesday as he is dealing with a Grade 2 MCL sprain.  He is listed as questionable for this week’s game against Seattle.  The veteran likely will miss practice the rest of the week, but that won’t preclude him from playing.  Even if he does play, he will have a difficult matchup against the Seahawks’ secondary.

Arian Foster (RB-HOU)

Arian Foster missed last week’s game with a groin injury but returned to practice on Wednesday.  Houston will not commit to Foster’s status for this Sunday but coach Bill O’Brien does expect him to play.  Foster has been very effective when healthy, but that has always been the problem with him.  You will need to follow up on Foster’s status over the next 48 hours because if he cannot play then Alfred Blue once again becomes a viable RB2 or Flex option.

Giovani Bernard (RB-CIN)

Giovani Bernard returned to practice on Wednesday and received rave reviews from the Bengals’ coaching staff.  He is on track to return this Sunday against Houston, but don’t expect him to have a heavy workload.  He will likely share carries with rookie Jeremy Hill who has filled in nicely for Bernard over the past three weeks. 

Brandin Cooks (WR-NO)

Rookie wide receiver Brandin Cooks sustained a thumb injury last week against Cincinnati which required season-ending surgery.  The original prognosis was that Cooks could miss 4-6 weeks, but the Saints have decided to shut him down for the rest of the season on injured reserve.  Cooks had a solid rookie season and was arguably the Saints’ best wide receiver.  He can be dropped in all redraft leagues.

Ahmad Bradshaw (RB-IND)

Ahmad Bradshaw sustained a broken leg last week and has been placed on season-ending injury reserve.  Bradshaw wasn’t a great fantasy option but he was heavily involved in the Colts’ passing game and scored touchdowns.  This means that Trent Richardson is once again the Colts’ primary running back.  If you have been stashing him all season, he may be worth a Flex option in deep leagues only because he is the default starter now.  Bradshaw can be dropped in all leagues because it is questionable where he will be next year since he is a free agent.

Reggie Bush (RB-DET)

Reggie Bush was back at practice on Wednesday after missing last week’s game against Arizona with an ankle injury.  Bush is on track to return this week assuming he does not have any setbacks.  However, he has been extremely disappointing all season with only 191 rushing yards and one touchdown.  He is at best a Flex option.

Mike Wallace (WR-MIA)

Mike Wallace is dealing with a calf injury which limited him in practice on Wednesday.  The injury does not appear to be serious and there is no reason to think he won’t play at full capacity this Sunday against Denver.  Despite catching six touchdown passes, he only has 44 receptions for 557 yards on the season.  He is still worth starting as a WR2 or WR3.

Dwayne Allen (TE-IND)

Dwayne Allen is not practicing again on Thursday as he continues to deal with an ankle injury.  At this point it is doubtful that Allen will play which means Coby Fleener will be starter.  He had a big game last week against New England and could see even more targets with Ahmad Bradshaw also out.  If you have Allen on your roster, try and get Fleener off the waiver wire because he could be a solid option against Jacksonville this week.

Jordan Reed (TE-WAS)

To the surprise of no one, Jordan Reed is once again injured as he sustained a hamstring pull during last week’s loss to Tampa Bay.  He did not practice again on Thursday which puts his status for Sunday’s game in serious jeopardy.  If he is unable to play, then plug Niles Paul back in your lineup as he filled in nicely for Reed earlier in the season. 

Matt Asiata (RB-MIN)

Matt Asiata is still dealing with a concussion and did not practice again on Thursday.  The Vikings signed Ben Tate earlier this week after he was released by the Browns which is a good indication that they don’t think Asiata will be able to play.  Tate is not a great option either as he will be backing up Jerick McKinnon.  Tate stunk in Cleveland and there is no reason to think things will change in Minnesota.

Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and is also the co-host of the Fantasy Alarm podcast. You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment),