Quarterback

Everyone exhaled as Patrick Mahomes is not currently listed on the injury report heading into the weekend. We now can just focus on Mahomes’ struggles this season, and that of the Chiefs as well, heading into what could be a “get right” match-up at home against the Giants on Monday. 

Despite the fact that Dak Prescott is practicing on a limited basis this week, and doing everything that is asked of him at that, his status for this week is up in the air. Prescott had Dallas’ bye week to recover from his calf injury, but it is well within the Cowboys’ rights to err on the side of caution with their star quarterback. If Prescott is active, I wouldn’t have any doubts about plugging him in right into your lineup as you know that means the Cowboys are confident in him. Should Prescott be sidelined, I wouldn’t look to Cooper Rush for value aside from two quarterback leagues and while the Dallas receivers would be downgraded slightly, I wouldn’t make any rash lineup decisions. 

Considering the fact that Baker Mayfield has a torn labrum in his shoulder, albeit the non-throwing one, it is surprising that he is trending towards returning to action this week. Mayfield took advantage of the few extra days off after Cleveland played last Thursday and he has been practicing on a limited basis this week. I would consider Mayfield to be a QB2 this week against Pittsburgh, but his return does give a slight boost to the Browns’ skill players.

I feel like this is a copy and paste situation. Ben Roethlisberger has been limited in practice this week as he deals with his usual myriad of injuries. However, nothing appears to be serious enough to keep him out of the lineup in a decent matchup against Cleveland. The real problem here is that Roethlisberger has only broken the 300-yard once this season. 

Trey Lance has been getting some work in practice but there isn’t any fantasy impact just yet as even if he is active, Jimmy Garoppolo will continue as the starter. At most, Lance will get a few plays in specific packages, but that is about it. 

 

Running Back

Late additions to the injury report are never a good thing. That is the case for Austin Ekeler and it is also a little disconcerting that it’s coming after the Chargers’ bye week. Ekeler has seven combined touchdowns and 598 yards on the season so we need him to be in our lineup, but at this point preparations should be made for his absence. The hope is that this is just the Chargers managing his workload, but Joshua Kelley (along with Justin Jackson and Larry Rountree) should be on your radar. 

At this point, the intention appears to be for Nick Chubb to return to action on Sunday and he is trending that way in practice. The final decision will still come down to how his calf handles the increased workload, but you should have a replacement ready to go after Chubb missed last week’s game. If he is active, Chubb should slide right back to RB1 status. 

Alex Collins made it through Monday’s game without issue, 17 of the 24 touches for running backs, and then practiced on a limited basis so it seemed that all was good. After not practicing on Thursday, we now have to follow his status closely leading up to Sunday’s game. Of greater concern is the fact that Collins was only able to turn his 16 carries into 35 yards. With that being said, I would consider Collins a borderline FLEX option this week as he has had success earlier this season and appears to be the main ball carrier for Seattle. 

We can now add a thigh issue to Jamaal Williams’ list of injuries he is dealing with, but all that means is that he continues to be limited in practice. It hasn’t impactEd Williams’ status to this point, as he is averaging about 12 touches per game behind D’Andre Swift who was also limited at practice on Thursday. Once again, that is nothing new as Swift continues to be worthy of a starting spot in your lineup each week as he leads the league with 391 receiving yards and has 653 combined yards along with five touchdowns this season. Let them both be limited in practice all season. 

One situation that we shouldn’t have to worry about this week is Jonathan Taylor as he returned to practice in full on Thursday while previously dealing with a rib injury. It is a juicy match-up for Taylor against a Tennessee defense that is favorable to opposing running backs. Taylor is also in a good position to succeed as has reached the end zone in four straight weeks while also posting back-to-back games of more than 100 yards. 

Despite Philadelphia not making a definitive ruling, it shouldn’t be surprising that Miles Sanders hasn’t practiced this week as his status for Sunday doesn’t look good. I would expect both Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott to have value this week; and in that order as there is enough room for both of them. 

We have an extra day for Saquon Barkley to get ready for Monday’s game in Kansas City, so Friday will be critical for him to see if he takes part in practice. At this point, I wouldn’t be incredibly optimistic for his return so if you don’t have Devontae Booker waiting in reserve, it might be best to make alternate plans on Sunday. 

After carrying the ball 14 times for 51 yards on Sunday, Gibson was limited at practice once again on Thursday as he played through a shin injury. His status doesn’t appear to be in question for this week either as Gibson continues to take the field despite the injury but I wouldn’t consider him a must start at this point. 

Minnesota’s bye last week appears to have worked wonders for Dalvin Cook as he is not listed on the Vikings Injury Report for this week. Drop him right back into your lineups and don’t think twice about it. 

 

Wide Receiver

DK Metcalf not practicing on Thursday due to a foot injury is nothing new based on how Seattle has been handling him this season and shouldn’t be concerning. With 537 receiving yards and six touchdowns to this point, we can continue rolling Metcalf out there each week. 

I feel like we have been here before with DeVante Parker as we look for him to return to action from both shoulder and hamstring injuries, but all signs do point to him taking the field on Sunday. The game script should favor Parker and the Miami passing game as they will likely be trailing most of the day against Buffalo. Will Fuller not returning this week will also benefit Parker. 

The Jets’ offense is a mess to begin with now that Zach Wilson is sidelined for the next few weeks and things could be even worse for Mike White on Sunday. Corey Davis’ status is trending in the wrong direction due to a hip injury and that could lead to Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims having an increased role in a game that we can expect New York to be heavily trailing in.

Prior to heading to injured reserve, things were shaping up nicely for Jerry Jeudy this season. With that being said, it is good news that Jeudy is slated to return to action this week and I would expect him to be busy on Sunday. I have no issues placing him back into your lineup. 

It’s become abundantly clear that Deebo Samuel is the receiver to target in San Francisco as the 49ers still appear to have a vendetta against Brandon Ayiuk. The fact that he did practice, albeit on a limited basis, on Thursday is a good sign as it appears San Francisco is just taking things slowly and carefully with their number one receiver who has 38 receptions for 648 yards and four touchdowns so far this season. If not, then perhaps Aiyuk will get some real value for the first time this season. 

Saying anything is “just a headache” is insensitive to those with said headache, but it is a good sign that is all it was for DeVonta Smith that kept him out of practice on Wednesday. Smith returned to practice on Thursday, and that is a good sign as the Eagles face the Lions and their struggling pass defense. 

Chase Claypool was targeted seven times in his last game, but that turned into just two receptions for 17 yards. Claypool did practice in full on Thursday, so we can feel comfortable with him making up for that lackluster performance this week. 

Again, does it really matter? Allen Robinson practiced in full on Thursday, but it’s getting to be quite difficult to put him in your lineup on a weekly basis. 

We will likely have to wait until closer to game time on Sunday for a true look at T.Y. Hilton’s status based on how his quadriceps respond. At this point, things are trending closer to him taking the field and could be a good thing. In the one game Hilton has played this season, he caught four passes for 80 yards so we might have some value here, especially if he is floating around your waiver wire. 

The Giants’ wide receiver situation doesn’t appear to have gotten any better. Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay didn’t make it back to practice on Thursday, but with one additional day since the Giants play on Monday, there is still a chance they make it back; even if it is something I wouldn’t plan on. Sterling Sheppard did practice on a limited basis and he does appear ready to return this week, but again it’s hard to count on anyone here. 

With Julio Jones not practicing on Thursday with his hamstring injury, we will have to watch his status very closely this weekend. Last week Jones caught just two passes for 38 yards and he’s a borderline FLEX option at best if he is in the lineup. 

Washington is thin at receiver so the fact that Cam Sims is back at practice on a limited basis could be a positive. Sims only has two catchers for 32 yards on the season so I wouldn’t look for a huge impact here, but there could be some deep league or DFS dart value here. Sims’ return could also help with Dyami Brown not practicing and slated to miss action on Sunday with a knee injury. It also appears that Washington will be without Curtis Samuel once again but Terry McLaurin will be ready to go once again. 

After a Week 6 concussion, Terrace Marshall has yet to return to practice, so I would continue to move forward without him. 

With 12 catches for 236 yards this season, although he does have two touchdowns as a deep threat, there isn’t much fantasy value to Deonte Harris. With that being said, he did return to practice on a limited basis on Thursday and looks to be on track to take the field on Sunday. 

 

Tight End

It shouldn’t come as a shock that Evan Engram is dealing with a calf injury, but absent a setback, it doesn’t appear to be anything that will keep him out of action on Monday. With the Giants still dealing with a wide array of injuries amongst their skill positions, Engram should get a boost once again after catching six passes for 44 last week. 

T.J. Hockenson continues to be limited in practice each week as he deals with knee and ankle injuries, but it shouldn’t put his status for Sunday into question. 

After practicing in full on Thursday, it is safe to assume that Rob Gronkowski will be back on the field at his previous activity levels for this week. 

With no more than 22 receiving yards in each of the last three weeks, there is minimal impact to Pharaoh Brown being on the injury report with a thigh injury, but I would expect him to play on Sunday.