Week 14 Injury Wrap: Is it Bilal Powell season?
It's Week 14, the fantasy playoffs. Let's take a good look around.
• Le'Veon Bell (illness) won't play against the Dolphins, setting up Bilal Powell or Ty Montgomery as Hail Mary options. I'd lean to Powell first. The Jets also won't have star safety Josh Adams (foot). Tight end Ryan Griffin (illness) is expected to play.
• Josh Jacobs is negotiating a fractured shoulder and was limited in the practice week. He's a game-time decision against Tennessee. Oakland's backups are DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard, both with tepid upside.
• The Vikings are going to hold Adam Thielen (hamstring) out at least one more week. If I had to bet on a Minnesota player catching a touchdown pass against Detroit, I'd go with surging tight end Kyle Rudolph.
• Odell Beckham Jr. has been playing through a sports hernia injury and will need surgery after the season, per NFL.com reporter Ian Rapoport. Beckham is expected to play against Cincinnati.
• Kalen Ballage (leg) is out for the year, leaving Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin in the Miami backfield. Based on Laird's recent usage in the passing game, he's my preference here. I'll use him on a few deeper rosters this week.
• Will Fuller (hamstring) is a game-day call, and given his injury resume, he's not someone I'd gamble on. Inconsistent Kenny Stills could see some extra work against Denver if Fuller can't go.
• Julio Jones (shoulder) and Austin Hooper (knee) are both free of the injury report, good to go against Carolina.
• Damien Williams (rib) is out at New England and Darrel Williams is out for the year. With that, LeSean McCoy and rookie Darwin Thompson figure to be the primary runners against the Patriots. Spencer Ware was added for depth this week.
• Matthew Stafford (back) remains week-to-week, and given where the Lions are in the standings, I can't see why they'd bring him back in 2019. Third-stringer David Blough was remarkably effective in the Thanksgiving loss to the Bears, given his lack of prep time and experience. Sunday's trip to Minnesota is another challenge.
• Marquise Brown (ankle) had a good session Friday and is likely to play at Buffalo.
• It's not clear when the Steelers might see James Conner (shoulder) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) again. Both are scratched Week 14 at Arizona. Benny Snell could be a handy backfield option, and receiver James Washington has been productive for a month.
• Julian Edelman (shoulder) is always on the injury report and generally plays. He's expected to go against Kansas City. Mohamed Sanu (ankle) is not as certain, but context clues point to him also playing.
• Matt Breida (ankle) returns this week, complicating the Niners backfield. Raheem Mostert has been terrific of late, while Tevin Coleman has been a fantasy mess since his four-touchdown game against Carolina.
• Gerald Everett (knee) is out for another week, so dial up Tyler Higbee against Seattle. The Seahawks aren't a tight end giveaway like Arizona — who is? — but they've also struggled in seam coverage all year.
• David Njoku (wrist) is expected to return for Cleveland, not that you'd want to risk starting him before a show-me week. He's played two games all year.
• It can be difficult to trust Tennessee receivers given the team's wide distribution tree, but Adam Humphries (ankle) won't play at Oakland. Perhaps that pushes some fantasy teams to A.J. Brown.
• Marlon Mack is back for the Colts, and the team says he won't be on a pitch count at Tampa Bay. The Colts also welcome Parris Campbell, though if you're going to start any wideout here, it's Zach Pascal. T.Y. Hilton (calf) remains week-to-week, and Adam Vinatieri (knee) will not play.
• Evan Engram (foot) won't be available Monday against the Eagles. Third-stinger Kaden Smith starts again. Eli Manning is also back in action, with Daniel Jones (ankle) ruled out.
• Jordan Howard (shoulder) isn't expected to play against the Giants. Keep dialing up Miles Sanders. Nelson Agholor (knee) is a game-time decision, not that you're likely to be waiting on him.
