Last Minute Decisions: Injury Report: Week 17

The final week of the regular season is here, and the Rotoworld crew has everything you need to survive and advance. Patrick Daugherty answers your lineup questions with his Week 17 Rankings, Nick Mensio tells you who to start and who to fade in Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em, and Evan Silva breaks down every matchup in his award-winning Matchups Column.

As for me, I am here to shed some light on the most important injury situations facing fantasy owners heading into the weekend. The sister resource to this column is the Rotoworld News Page, which will have every single inactive and all the late-breaking news up to kickoff and beyond. I also occasionally tweet about football @RMSummerlin. 

Early Games
Steelers @ Browns
*Johnny Manziel, Marlon Moore, Tramon Williams and Glenn Winston have all been ruled out with concussions. Manziel showed improvement as a sophomore, but his future with the franchise is in doubt. Austin Davis will start, making the entire offense almost unusable for fantasy purposes. Travis Benjamin (ankle), Karlos Dansby (toe), Raheem Mostert (ankle), Joe Thomas (knee) and K’Waun Williams (shoulder) are questionable. Benjamin will likely play after getting in limited practices Thursday and Friday. Joe Thomas does not miss football games.

*Martavis Bryant (illness) and Doran Grant (groin) are questionable. Bryant got in a full practice Friday, but it is slightly concerning he was listed as questionable. He should play, but he will be a name to watch Sunday morning.

Jets @ Bills
*LeSean McCoy (knee) and Nigel Bradham (ankle) are out. Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee will continue to share backfield duties with McCoy sidelined. Neither is an exciting play against the toughest run defense in the league. Charles Clay (back) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

*Bilal Powell (ankle), Breno Giacomini (ankle) and Kellen Davis (foot) are questionable. The New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta said Powell is a “long shot” to play, which would make Chris Ivory (knee, probable) are very enticing play against a bad run defense. Ivory netted 135 total yards against Buffalo in their last meeting.

Patriots @ Dolphins
*Jarvis Landry (knee) is probable. Rishard Matthews (ribs), Kenny Stills (thigh), Ja’Wuan James (toe), Jamil Douglas (ankle) and Earl Mitchell (calf) are questionable. Matthews is not expected to play, meaning rookie DeVante Parker should close out the season in the starting lineup. Mike Pouncey (foot, ankle) and Jelani Jenkins (ankle) are doubtful.

*Julian Edelman (foot), Dont’a Hightower (knee), Sebastian Vollmer (ankle), Jonathan Freeny (hand), Justin Coleman (concussion) and Chandler Jones (abdomen, toe) are out. Edelman, Vollmer and Jones should be ready for the playoffs. Hightower played last week, but he has been battling a knee injury for the last month. Danny Amendola (knee), Brandon LaFell (foot), Scott Chandler (knee), Rob Ninkovich (shin), Patrick Chung (foot), Devin McCourty (ankle), Josh Kline (shoulder), LaAdrian Waddle (shoulder) and Sealver Siliga (NIR) are questionable. Amendola said he expects to play, but he could be limited if the game turns into a blowout.

Titans @ Colts
*Andrew Luck (kidney), Matt Hasselbeck (body) and Trent Cole (concussion) have been ruled out. With Luck and Hasselbeck on the shelf, Indy will turn to either Ryan Lindley or Josh Freeman at quarterback. Both were free agents last week. The situation is less than ideal and destroys the value of any player not named Frank Gore. Colt Anderson (ankle), Winston Guy (hamstring, shoulder) and Sio Moore (knee) are questionable. Dwayne Allen (calf) and Charlie Whitehurst (hamstring) were placed on injured reserve earlier this week.

*Marcus Mariota (knee), Kendall Wright (knee) and Taylor Lewan (concussion) have been ruled out. Zach Mettenberger will get another start, and Delanie Walker and Dorial Green-Beckham should serve as his top two weapons. Or he will take several deep shots to Harry Douglas again. Either way, it will be ugly. Sammie Hill (knee) is questionable.

Ravens @ Bengals
*Tyler Eifert (concussion, probable) will make his return this week. He could be limited in a game the Bengals should win, but he is always a touchdown threat. There was some concern about A.J. McCarron’s wrist early in the week, but he is probable. Andy Dalton (throwing thumb) and Ryan Hewitt (knee) have been ruled out. Dalton hopes to have his cast removed Monday. Dalton is extremely questionable for the Wild Card round. Cincinnati will be hoping for a win and a Broncos loss so they can back their way into a first-round bye, giving Dalton one more week to recover.

*Albert McClellan (ankle) is questionable.

Redskins @ Cowboys
*Dez Bryant (foot, ankle) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. La’el Collins (ankle) is doubtful. Sean Lee (hamstring) is questionable.

*DeSean Jackson (knee), Trent Williams (knee, foot), Jason Hatcher (neck, knee) and DeAngelo Hall (calf) are questionable. With Washington locked in at the No. 4 seed, it is unlikely Jackson plays much if at all. With Williams likely to sit, Kirk Cousins will likely see limited snaps as well. This offense is one to avoid in DFS this week. Matt Jones (hip) and Perry Riley Jr. (foot) are doubtful, and Quinton Dunbar (quad) and Dashon Goldson (shoulder, rib) are out. Jones reportedly suffered a setback in practice this week. Pierre Thomas (knee, questionable) split the snaps with Alfred Morris last week and should be in for a big workload if he plays.  

Jaguars @ Texans
*Brian Hoyer (concussion) is probable and will start. Hoyer is a risky but high-upside play against the second-worst pass defense in the league. Jadeveon Clowney (foot) and Cecil Shorts (hamstring) have been ruled out. Nate Washington has four touchdowns in three games without Shorts this season. He is a great DFS play in a dream matchup. Jeoffrey Pagan (illness) is questionable.  

*T.J. Yeldon (knee) and Telvin Smith (shoulder) have been ruled out. Denard Robinson has struggled the last two weeks with Yeldon sidelined, and Gus Bradley hinted the team wants to evaluate Jonas Gray. Gray is a sneaky GPP play. Jermey Parnell (hamstring) and Hayes Pullard (hamstring) are questionable.

Lions @ Bears
*Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, and Eddie Royal (illness) is doubtful. The passing offense is likely to be a train wreck no matter what, but it would be even more of a disaster if Zach Miller (toe), who is questionable after missing all week in practice, is not able to play. Matt Forte (back), along with almost a fifth of the roster, is listed as questionable. It would be surprising if he sat out his final game as a Bear, but Jeremy Langford is a nice GPP play with Forte likely limited. Langford would be a must-use cash option if Forte sits.

*Calvin Johnson (ankle), Ameer Abdullah (shoulder), Isa Abdul-Quddus (shoulder), Nevin Lawson (shoulder), Haloti Ngata (foot) and Michael Ola (knee) are questionable. Both Johnson and Abdullah should play. Travis Swanson (shoulder, out) and Jason Jones (neck, doubtful) will sit out.

Saints @ Falcons
*Tevin Coleman (concussion) is out.

*Drew Brees (foot, probable) will play. Marques Colston (chest), Dannell Ellerbe (hip) and Andrus Peat (concussion) are out. Brandon Coleman should once again see more snaps with Colston sidelined. Terron Armstead (knee) is questionable but expects to play.

Eagles @ Giants
*Cooper Taylor, Craig Dahl and Marshall Newhouse have been ruled out with concussions. Jason Pierre-Paul (ankle) and Dwayne Harris (back, shoulder) are questionable. Both will likely play.

*Seyi Ajirotutu (ankle), Bennie Logan (calf) and Byron Maxwell (shoulder) are out. Jaylen Watkins (shin) is questionable. The Eagles are extremely thin in the secondary.

Afternoon Games
Rams @ 49ers
*Shaun Draughn (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. The 49ers will continue to roll out a committee of backs you do not want to use in fantasy. Quinton Dial (back) and Michael Wilhoite (ankle) are out. Marcus Martin (concussion) and Jaquiski Tartt (knee) are doubtful.

*Todd Gurley (foot) is doubtful. Tre Mason will start in his place, but he should cede snaps to Benny Cunningham. The 49ers defense is also much better at home. Mason is a risky GPP option despite the starting gig. Andrew Donnal (knee) is questionable.

Bucs @ Panthers
*Jonathan Stewart (foot, out), Fozzy Whittaker (ankle, out), Ted Ginn (knee, doubtful) and Kurt Coleman (foot, doubtful) are all set to miss. With Stewart and Fozzy sidelined, Cameron Artis-Payne should handle most of the early-down work. Ginn’s absence should open more snaps for Devin Funchess.

*Vincent Jackson (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, and Chris Conte (knee) joined him there Friday. Every player on the active roster is probable or better.

Raiders @ Chiefs
*Justin Houston (knee), Tamba Hali (thumb), Husain Abdullah (concussion) and Jah Reid (knee) are questionable. Neither Houston nor Hali is likely to play, but Houston did get in a limited practice Friday. He should be good to go for the playoffs.

*Amari Cooper (foot) got in a full practice Friday and is probable. He should play a bigger role this week than he did in his Christmas Eve dud. D.J. Hayden (ankle) and Neiko Thorpe (neck) are questionable.

Chargers @ Broncos
*Peyton Manning got in full practices Thursday and Friday and is listed as probable. He will backup Brock Osweiler (left side, probable), but he will be a looming presence on the sideline now that he is “healthy.” Brandon Marshall (ankle) and T.J. Ward (ankle) are questionable.

*Stevie Johnson (groin), Javontee Herndon (chest), Chris Hairston (abdomen), Manti Te’o (ankle), Jason Verrett (hamstring) and Trevor Robinson (concussion, shoulder) are questionable. Johnson would appear to be more doubtful than questionable after being downgraded to limited practices Thursday and Friday, and he would not be a starting option even if active in an offense which should struggle in Denver. Orlando Franklin (concussion) is out, and King Dunlap (ankle) is doubtful.

Seahawks @ Cardinals
*Michael Floyd (knee), Dwight Freeney (knee), Rashad Johnson (ankle) and Frostee Rucker (ankle) are questionable. Floyd practiced on a limited basis Friday, but that was his first work of the week. Floyd should be a game-time decision. John Brown would see an increase in targets if Floyd sits. Markus Golden (knee) and Josh Mauro (calf) are out.

*Marshawn Lynch (abdomen), Luke Willson (concussion) and J.R. Sweezy (concussion) are out. Lynch, who has been rehabbing away from Seattle, is expected to return to practice Monday. His status for the first round of the playoffs is still questionable. Russell Okung (calf) is doubtful. Kam Chancellor (tailbone) and Jordan Hill (toe) are questionable.

Sunday Night
Vikings @ Packers
*Sam Shields (concussion), B.J. Raji (concussion), Mike Neal (hip), Mike Daniels (groin) and David Bakhtiari (ankle) are questionable. Shields and Raji have yet to graduate to full practices, suggesting they are still in the concussion protocol. Justin Perillo (hamstring) and Jayrone Elliott (quad) are out.

*Adrian Peterson returned to a full practice Friday and is probable. Linval Joseph (foot) is doubtful after suffering a setback last week. 

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