Fantasy News & Analysis

Week 7 NFL injuries that matter for fantasy

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 08: Leonard Fournette #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts after rushing for a 2 yard touchdown in the second quarter during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on October 8, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Staying on top of injuries throughout the week, and especially on Sunday mornings, is one of the easiest ways to maintain an edge in fantasy football. Outside of, you know, just making sure you don’t have inactive players in your starting lineup, it’s important to understand how one injury can greatly impact the fantasy potential of other skill position players within a game.

Lucky for you, this weekly series is here to help. Rather than just frantically refreshing each team’s injury report, I’ll do the heavy lifting each Saturday night and update injuries and provide analysis once inactives are released and early game-time decisions finalized on Sunday mornings.

Early Inactives

Maxx Williams, TE, Baltimore Ravens – Out
Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens – Out
Terrance West, RB, Baltimore Ravens – Out
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos – Out
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers – Out
Robert Turbin, RB, Indianapolis Colts – Out
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings – Out
Paul Perkins, RB, New York Giants – Out
Corey Davis, WR, Tennessee Titans – Out

Doubtful

Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals – Doubtful
DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins – Doubtful
Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars – Unlikely to play

Questionable

Ben Watson, TE, Baltimore Ravens – Questionable
Jeremy Maclin, WR, Baltimore Ravens – Questionable
Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens – Likely to play
Chris Matthews, WR, Baltimore Ravens – Questionable
Jordan Matthews, WR, Buffalo Bills – Questionable
Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers – Likely to play
Benny Cunningham, RB, Chicago Bears – Likely to play
John Ross, WR, Cincinnati Bengals – Likely to play
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos – Likely to play
Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – Likely to play
Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers – Questionable
Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – Likely to play
Branden Oliver, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – Likely to play
Michael Floyd, WR, Minnesota Vikings – Questionable
Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints – Questionable
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants – Gametime decision
Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets – Likely to play
Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets – Likely to play
Wendell Smallwood, RB, Philadelphia Eagles – Likely to play
C.J. Prosise, RB, Seattle Seahawks – Likely to play
Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans – Likely to play
Demarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans – Likely to play
Rob Kelley, RB, Washington Redskins – Likely to play

Updates/Analysis

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans Saints – Inactive – Tight end Coby Fleener gets a boost up my rankings with Snead out. Over the past two seasons Fleener has averaged 12.0 fantasy points per game in the five games Snead was inactive, and 7.1 across the 16 games he’s played.

Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars – Inactive – With Fournette out, Chris Ivory is now a high-end RB2. Ivory has 45 touches more than the next-closest Jacksonville running back, and three games of at least six receptions and 65 receiving yards over his last 10 games. Though, Corey Grant and T.J. Yeldon will also see some work.

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Baltimore Ravens – Inactive – With Maclin and Breshad Perriman out, this frees up roughly 8.6 targets to be distributed amongst Mike Wallace, Michael Campanaro, and Chris Moore. Maclin has a tough matchup against Xavier Rhodes, while all other receivers are likely too risky to be started.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans – Active – Derrick Henry is no longer the DFS lock you thought he was, but Henry is still startable in redraft leagues as a mid-to-low-range RB2.

Jordan Matthews, WR, Buffalo Bills – Active – Matthews is back following surgery on his thumb, and is fairly startable with Charles Clay out and up against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing slot wide receivers.

DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins – Inactive – As expected, Parker is out. Landry is a mid-range WR1 and should again come close to the 14 targets he saw a week ago, while Kenny Stills is a low-end WR3.

Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals – Inactive – With Ellington out, Kerwynn Williams likely steps up as the team’s primary passing down back, but it could also mean a few more targets sent Adrian Peterson’s way. Earlier today, Arians had said he wants to get Peterson more involved in the passing game.

Michael Floyd, WR, Minnesota Vikings – Inactive – With both Floyd and Diggs out, Thielen should again see immense volume. Last week, with just Diggs out, Thielen saw a season-high 13 targets. Thielen is a low-end WR1 for me this week.

C.J. Prosise, RB, Seattle Seahawks – LimitedReportedly, Prosise will be out or limited today. This doesn’t do much to change my estimation of the other Seattle running backs, but it does mean Prosise stays on your bench.

Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants – ActiveReportedly, Shepard will play today. Despite coming off of injury, Shepard is a fine play this week as the team’s de facto WR1 with Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall out. He averaged 6.8 targets per game prior to his injury, and is up against a Seattle defense allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing slot wide receivers.

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