Week 12 Injury Questions

As we move into the final quarter of the season, the injured reserve list becomes more and more of a factor. Injuries that will cost players just 3-5 weeks suddenly make them candidates for injured reserve. And as more injuries pile up, there is less space on the active roster for NFL teams to carry hurt guys.

The Lions were forced to stop waiting for Jahvid Best (concussions), ending his season. Fred Jackson (leg) and Matt Cassel (hand) just don’t have enough time to get healthy.

As we get set for Week 12, we’ll have our eye out for seemingly minor injuries that could result in shutdowns.

Of course, the Rotoworld News Page will be humming all Sunday morning to bring you official word on all your injured players ahead of kickoff. And to make sure you’re prepared, read every word of these rankings from Gregg Rosenthal/Chris Weaseling in combination Evan Silva’s mind-blowing Matchup Column.

If you want to draft a new team just for this week, check out SnapDraft here. And if you don’t have the Rotoworld News App, you are missing an edge.

OK, let’s get to the hurt folks:

1 PM GAMES
BILLS at JETS
* Fred Jackson (leg) is out for the year. C.J. Spiller will be the feature back, with Tashard Choice and Johnny White as the backups.
* Donald Jones (ankle) is out for the year. David Nelson and Stevie Johnson will dominate targets in this tough matchup.
* Shonn Greene (ribs) will start. But LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) is not expected to play. Joe McKnight is a good bet for 8-10 touches.
* Jeremy Kerley (knee) is not expected to play. Patrick Turner will act as the No. 3 receiver.

BROWNS at BENGALS
* Montario Hardesty (calf) is expected to start in this tough matchup. Chris Ogbonnaya will revert to his third-down/change-of-pace role. Meanwhile, Peyton Hillis (hamstring) is a game-time call. It’s best to just avoid this mess against a rugged Bengals’ run defense.
* A.J. Green (knee) is expected to play, but will likely be shadowed by Joe Haden.
 
TEXANS at JAGUARS
* Andre Johnson (hamstring) finally makes his return. He’ll be catching passes from Matt Leinart, but is still a must-start.

VIKINGS at FALCONS
* Adrian Peterson (ankle) is out. Toby Gerhart will start at running back and Percy Harvin (ribs) is fine and will likely serve as the change-of-pace option.
* Visanthe Shiancoe is tentatively expected to play, but we can do better in fantasy.
* Julio Jones (hamstring) is ready to make his return.

CARDINALS at RAMS
* Kevin Kolb (toe) is tentatively expected to get the nod, but it’s really a game-time call. John Skelton gets the nod if Kolb can’t go.  
* Beanie Wells’ knee appears to be improving a little ahead of this tasty matchup.
* Todd Heap (hamstring) appears headed for a game-time call.
* Mark Clayton (knee) is out for the year and Danario Alexander (hamstring) is questionable. Brandon Lloyd, Austin Pettis and Brandon Gibson figure to be the Rams’ top-3 wideouts.

PANTHERS at COLTS
* Joseph Addai (hamstring) is expected to be active, but his role is unclear. We’d expect a three-man committee, including Donald Brown and Delone Carter. Brown may be the best bet for touches, but it’s very dicey.

BUCS at TITANS
* Matt Hasselbeck (elbow) is fine. The Jake Locker era will have to wait.

4PM GAMES
PATRIOTS at EAGLES
* Vince Young will start as a low-end QB1 in this dream matchup. Michael Vick (ribs) isn’t ready yet.  
* Jeremy Maclin (shoulder, hamstring) won’t play. Riley Cooper becomes a sneaky WR3 candidate.
* DeSean Jackson (foot) is ready to go despite some early-week swelling.
* Deion Branch (hip) and Chad Ochocinco (hamstring) are both questionable. They were weak options anyway.

BRONCOS at CHARGERS
* Malcom Floyd (hip) remains sidelined. Vincent Brown gets another start.
* Ryan Mathews (knee) is ready to share the load with Mike Tolbert.

 REDSKINS at SEAHAWKS
* Santana Moss (hand) is back as the Redskins’ No. 1 wideout. He’s a WR3.
* Donte’ Stallworth (foot) and Niles Paul (toe) are in doubt. Jabar Gaffney is the No. 2 and Anthony Armstrong will get a lot of snaps as the No. 3 wideout.
* Sidney Rice (knee) and Ben Obomanu (knee) are both ready to go.

BEARS at RAIDERS
* The Caleb Hanie era gets underway here thanks to Jay Cutler’s thumb injury.
* Darren McFadden (foot) is still not close to a return. Michael Bush remains a must-start, especially with Taiwan Jones (hamstring) likely out.
* Devin Hester (shin) is ready for his returner role.
* Denarius Moore (foot) appears headed for a game-time call and Jacoby Ford (foot) is out. Darrius Heyward-Bey (concussion) is ready to go and will likely function as the No. 1 wideout.
 
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
STEELERS at CHIEFS
* Tyler Palko will start. Kyle Orton should be under center come Week 13.
* Emmanuel Sanders (knee) is ready to return for a bit role behind the red-hot Antonio Brown.
* Ben Roethlisberger (thumb) is a full go.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
GIANTS at SAINTS
* Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) is out. Brandon Jacobs gets another shot to show some life.
* Mario Manningham (knee) says he’ll play, but it will likely be a game-time call. Owners need to explore other options.

SURVIVOR PICK OF THE WEEK
It’s rare that a road team can be considered the team most likely to win in a given week. But this week, the Steelers fit the bill thanks to Tyler Palko’s limitations as an NFL quarterback. He was inept against the Patriots’ leaky defense and will get embarrassed by a Steelers’ defense that is coming off a bye.

Of course, the most interesting option for those in deep leagues is the Panthers. Although their defense is inept, their offense figures to ring up a huge number on the Colts. I think it’s a strong play and would use the Panthers if I needed to go bold to win my league.

Other plays I’d consider include the Falcons, who get the Vikings without Adrian Peterson. And the Bengals are in a must-win spot at home against the Browns.  Some plays I’d avoid include the Patriots on the road in a short week and the Texans, who will be breaking in Matt Leinart on the road against an underrated Jaguars defense.

MY TOUGHEST DECISION OF THE WEEK
In a 10-team non-PPR league, my WR3 choice came down to Dwayne Bowe vs. Antonio Brown.

Of course, if we just go by name value, Bowe is the easy play. He’s a physical beast and clear No. 1 option in his offense. However, we have to dig deeper here.

Tyler Palko is not an NFL quarterback, as he showed against the league’s worst pass defense last week. Now he’ll have to deal with the Steelers’ aggressive defense and Bowe is expected to be shadowed by shutdown corner Ike Taylor.

Meanwhile, top Chiefs corner Brandon Flowers is expected to do most of his work on Mike Wallace. That will leave Brown, who is locked in as the No. 2 wideout, free to do his thing. Brown is the play here.

As we move into the final quarter of the season, the injured reserve list becomes more and more of a factor. Injuries that will cost players just 3-5 weeks suddenly make them candidates for injured reserve. And as more injuries pile up, there is less space on the active roster for NFL teams to carry hurt guys.

The Lions were forced to stop waiting for Jahvid Best (concussions), ending his season. Fred Jackson (leg) and Matt Cassel (hand) just don’t have enough time to get healthy.

As we get set for Week 12, we’ll have our eye out for seemingly minor injuries that could result in shutdowns.

Of course, the Rotoworld News Page will be humming all Sunday morning to bring you official word on all your injured players ahead of kickoff. And to make sure you’re prepared, read every word of these rankings from Gregg Rosenthal/Chris Weaseling in combination Evan Silva’s mind-blowing Matchup Column.

If you want to draft a new team just for this week, check out SnapDraft here. And if you don’t have the Rotoworld News App, you are missing an edge.

OK, let’s get to the hurt folks:

1 PM GAMES
BILLS at JETS
* Fred Jackson (leg) is out for the year. C.J. Spiller will be the feature back, with Tashard Choice and Johnny White as the backups.
* Donald Jones (ankle) is out for the year. David Nelson and Stevie Johnson will dominate targets in this tough matchup.
* Shonn Greene (ribs) will start. But LaDainian Tomlinson (knee) is not expected to play. Joe McKnight is a good bet for 8-10 touches.
* Jeremy Kerley (knee) is not expected to play. Patrick Turner will act as the No. 3 receiver.

BROWNS at BENGALS
* Montario Hardesty (calf) is expected to start in this tough matchup. Chris Ogbonnaya will revert to his third-down/change-of-pace role. Meanwhile, Peyton Hillis (hamstring) is a game-time call. It’s best to just avoid this mess against a rugged Bengals’ run defense.
* A.J. Green (knee) is expected to play, but will likely be shadowed by Joe Haden.
 
TEXANS at JAGUARS
* Andre Johnson (hamstring) finally makes his return. He’ll be catching passes from Matt Leinart, but is still a must-start.

VIKINGS at FALCONS
* Adrian Peterson (ankle) is out. Toby Gerhart will start at running back and Percy Harvin (ribs) is fine and will likely serve as the change-of-pace option.
* Visanthe Shiancoe is tentatively expected to play, but we can do better in fantasy.
* Julio Jones (hamstring) is ready to make his return.

CARDINALS at RAMS
* Kevin Kolb (toe) is tentatively expected to get the nod, but it’s really a game-time call. John Skelton gets the nod if Kolb can’t go.  
* Beanie Wells’ knee appears to be improving a little ahead of this tasty matchup.
* Todd Heap (hamstring) appears headed for a game-time call.
* Mark Clayton (knee) is out for the year and Danario Alexander (hamstring) is questionable. Brandon Lloyd, Austin Pettis and Brandon Gibson figure to be the Rams’ top-3 wideouts.

PANTHERS at COLTS
* Joseph Addai (hamstring) is expected to be active, but his role is unclear. We’d expect a three-man committee, including Donald Brown and Delone Carter. Brown may be the best bet for touches, but it’s very dicey.

BUCS at TITANS
* Matt Hasselbeck (elbow) is fine. The Jake Locker era will have to wait.

4PM GAMES
PATRIOTS at EAGLES
* Vince Young will start as a low-end QB1 in this dream matchup. Michael Vick (ribs) isn’t ready yet.  
* Jeremy Maclin (shoulder, hamstring) won’t play. Riley Cooper becomes a sneaky WR3 candidate.
* DeSean Jackson (foot) is ready to go despite some early-week swelling.
* Deion Branch (hip) and Chad Ochocinco (hamstring) are both questionable. They were weak options anyway.

BRONCOS at CHARGERS
* Malcom Floyd (hip) remains sidelined. Vincent Brown gets another start.
* Ryan Mathews (knee) is ready to share the load with Mike Tolbert.

 REDSKINS at SEAHAWKS
* Santana Moss (hand) is back as the Redskins’ No. 1 wideout. He’s a WR3.
* Donte’ Stallworth (foot) and Niles Paul (toe) are in doubt. Jabar Gaffney is the No. 2 and Anthony Armstrong will get a lot of snaps as the No. 3 wideout.
* Sidney Rice (knee) and Ben Obomanu (knee) are both ready to go.

BEARS at RAIDERS
* The Caleb Hanie era gets underway here thanks to Jay Cutler’s thumb injury.
* Darren McFadden (foot) is still not close to a return. Michael Bush remains a must-start, especially with Taiwan Jones (hamstring) likely out.
* Devin Hester (shin) is ready for his returner role.
* Denarius Moore (foot) appears headed for a game-time call and Jacoby Ford (foot) is out. Darrius Heyward-Bey (concussion) is ready to go and will likely function as the No. 1 wideout.
 
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
STEELERS at CHIEFS
* Tyler Palko will start. Kyle Orton should be under center come Week 13.
* Emmanuel Sanders (knee) is ready to return for a bit role behind the red-hot Antonio Brown.
* Ben Roethlisberger (thumb) is a full go.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
GIANTS at SAINTS
* Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) is out. Brandon Jacobs gets another shot to show some life.
* Mario Manningham (knee) says he’ll play, but it will likely be a game-time call. Owners need to explore other options.

SURVIVOR PICK OF THE WEEK
It’s rare that a road team can be considered the team most likely to win in a given week. But this week, the Steelers fit the bill thanks to Tyler Palko’s limitations as an NFL quarterback. He was inept against the Patriots’ leaky defense and will get embarrassed by a Steelers’ defense that is coming off a bye.

Of course, the most interesting option for those in deep leagues is the Panthers. Although their defense is inept, their offense figures to ring up a huge number on the Colts. I think it’s a strong play and would use the Panthers if I needed to go bold to win my league.

Other plays I’d consider include the Falcons, who get the Vikings without Adrian Peterson. And the Bengals are in a must-win spot at home against the Browns.  Some plays I’d avoid include the Patriots on the road in a short week and the Texans, who will be breaking in Matt Leinart on the road against an underrated Jaguars defense.

MY TOUGHEST DECISION OF THE WEEK
In a 10-team non-PPR league, my WR3 choice came down to Dwayne Bowe vs. Antonio Brown.

Of course, if we just go by name value, Bowe is the easy play. He’s a physical beast and clear No. 1 option in his offense. However, we have to dig deeper here.

Tyler Palko is not an NFL quarterback, as he showed against the league’s worst pass defense last week. Now he’ll have to deal with the Steelers’ aggressive defense and Bowe is expected to be shadowed by shutdown corner Ike Taylor.

Meanwhile, top Chiefs corner Brandon Flowers is expected to do most of his work on Mike Wallace. That will leave Brown, who is locked in as the No. 2 wideout, free to do his thing. Brown is the play here.