This was a key week in fantasy football leagues as it marks the end of the bye weeks and also is the final push towards your league's playoffs.  With Thanksgiving upon us, it is time to have your team ready for the postseason.  Week 12 has been no different than any other week as several key players were either inactive or left games due to injury. So without further adieu, here is this week's edition of the Walking Wounded.

Knowshon Moreno (RB-DEN)

After having a terrific game against the Patriots in last week’s Sunday night classic, Knowshon Moreno has been diagnosed with a “significant bone bruise” in his lower right leg.  He will miss at least a few days of practice and will be re-evaluated later in the week.  There is still a chance he could play next Sunday, but we won’t know that until later in the week.  The fact that there are no more bye weeks will bode well for GM’s in need of depth or replacements in the event Moreno misses any time.

Darren McFadden (RB-OAK)

DMC = UGH.  Darren McFadden has done nothing to disprove the reputation he so deservedly owns as an injury-riddled fantasy bust.  McFadden ran a bit on the side at practice on Monday, but his status is still unknown for the Thanksgiving Day game against the Cowboys.  Even if he is active, he is not worth starting.  After all, Rashad Jennings has been terrific carrying the ball so there is no reason to decrease his workload at this point.  DMC is nothing more than window dressing on your roster and a reminder of something you likely now regret.

Ryan Mathews (RB-SD)

“I can’t believe Ryan Mathews is hurt!” said absolutely no one.  Mathews is more fragile than a 15-year old girl with daddy issues.  He left this past week’s game after re-aggravating a hamstring injury that has hampered him the past few weeks.  His status for next week is in serious jeopardy so you should plan accordingly.  While Danny Woodhead will likely get most of the workload, Ronnie Brown could be involved in the offense if you need a desperate replacement.

Daniel Thomas (RB-MIA)

It was announced on Monday that Dolphins’ running back Daniel Thomas is out for the rest of the year with an ankle injury.  Thomas has gotten a lot of the goal line and short yardage carries this year, so now there is an opportunity for Lamar Miller to re-assert himself and fulfill the expectations which many fantasy GM’s had for him on draft day.

Michael Crabtree (WR-SF)

The 49ers did not activate Michael Crabtree in time for him to play in the Monday night game against the Redskins, but that isn’t all that surprising.  He is expected to be activated this week and will likely make his season debut in Week 13.  Crabtree had a great second half in 2012 and developed a nice rapport with Colin Kaepernik, so his return could bode well for both of them.  He could be a key addition if he is still lurking on your league’s waiver wire.

Hakeem Nicks (WR-NYG)

Hakeem Nicks’ disastrous season got even worse this week when he was scratched after not practicing enough during the week due to an abdominal injury.  In his contract year, Nicks has inexplicably been unable to find the end zone while also running bad routes and dropping passes left and right.  There seems to be more than meets the eye given Nicks reaction after the Giants loss to Dallas this week.  He should not be relied upon for any type of fantasy production, so look elsewhere for your WR3’s.

Chris Ivory (RB-NYJ)

As if Geno Smith wasn’t struggling bad enough, now he may have to deal with the absence of the Jets’ best running back.  Chris Ivory sustained an upper and lower ankle sprain which limited him to only nine carries in this past week’s ugly loss to the Ravens.  He is expected to get an MRI early this week, so keep an eye on those results.  Even if they come back negative, his status for next week is unclear given that he hurt his ankle in two places.

Jordan Reed (TE-WAS)

Redskins' tight end Jordan Reed has been ruled out of the Monday night game.  If there is still time for you to insert someone in your lineup before the game starts, I have a suggestion for you - his name is Logan Paulsen.  Get the reference?  Go watch Fight Club, and then remember that you are to never talk about Fight Club.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Twitter (@FantasyJudgment) and Facebook.