Fantasy Football: Week 12 Injury Report

Injuries are an unfortunate part of football. It's one thing we hate having occur to not only the players we roster but within the game itself. With that said, this does create opportunities for teammates, opening up potential pickups in season-long leagues while also producing value plays in daily fantasy football.

Using the practice report, we can glean a lot of information based on who's available and what coaches are saying from press conferences. This knowledge can allow us to make emergency plans to pivot or change our lineups come Sunday morning when inactives are announced.

Based on this week's practice reports, here are a few quick-hitters to give you a leg up on lineup decisions as crunch time approaches for Sunday lineup lock.

Who's In

Ryan Tannehill (shoulder) got in a limited practice this week and will be making his first start for the Miami Dolphins since Week 6. The Tannehill-led offense was less productive on a per-game basis and scored fewer points (0.2), had fewer passing yards (31) and rushing yards (19.8). All were low marks to begin with, but the Dolphins are expected to score 22 points against the Indianapolis Colts based on Vegas expectations. Currently the over/under sits at 51 points at FanDuel sports book.

Who's Probable

Melvin Gordon (hamstring, knee) was limited in practice on Thursday after a full participation on Wednesday. While no reports have come from the Los Angeles Chargers team, the downgrade in status midweek raises eyebrows. Meanwhile, Gordon's backup Austin Ekeler (neck) was limited on Wednesday and full participant on Thursday. If Gordon becomes a weekend downgrade then Ekeler can be considered as a RB2 against the Arizona Cardinals. The Chargers are projected to rush for 137.7 yards in a convincing 13.3 win based on our game projections.

Jimmy Graham (knee, thumb) has been practicing this week despite a broken thumb and is on track to play against the Minnesota Vikings. Although Graham is practicing, having functional fingers is important for a position that requires the ability to catch a football. Behind Graham are veterans Lance Kendricks and Marcedes Lewis, who have 13 catches combined this season. Fantasy owners should have backup plans to start someone in Graham's place.

Who's Questionable

Doug Baldwin (groin) has been a non-participant in practice this week, after having an extended week of rest following his Thursday night game in Week 11. It's been an injury-filled season for Baldwin, who's dealt with many lower body injuries to date but has only missed one game this season. Lockett was the leading receiver in Week 2 when Baldwin sat, notching seven targets and 60 receiving yards. The Carolina Panthers have been susceptible to the opposing passing game and rank 25th based on numberFire's rankings.

Alex Collins (foot) missed the first two practices to start the week but was available on Friday for the Baltimore Ravens. Gus Edwards was a popular waiver wire add this week and could lead the team in touches again this week if Collins is sidelined against the Oakland Raiders. If so, Edwards is $5,300 on FanDuel and would be a value running back that should get plenty of touches as a large home favorite -- currently favored by 11 points on FanDuel sports book -- against the Oakland Raiders.

A.J. Green (toe) has been a non-participant this week and appears that he will be a game-time decision against the Cleveland Browns. Green is officially listed as questionable but earlier reports mentioned that it wouldn't be a surprise if he's inactive on Sunday. Either way Fantasy owners should plan to not have Green available. The Bengals could use Green though as no receiver beyond Tyler Boyd has topped 50 receiving yards in the two games Green has missed. The Browns are also the toughest defense to pass on, allowing -0.04 Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per play, which is the best in the league.

Who's Out

Joe Flacco (hip) entered the week with the same injury designation as last week, with a DNP for all practices. With no improvement on practice status we will see Lamar Jackson make his second consecutive start against the Oakland Raiders. The Baltimore Ravens featured a run-heavy game plan in Jackson's first start, running at a 72% rate with Jackson handling 27 carries himself. Jackson is a viable streamer candidate (available in 54% of ESPN leagues) who is playing a Raiders defense that allows 0.19 Adjusted Defensive NEP per play -- the third-worst mark in the NFL.

D.J. Chark (quad) was ruled out on Friday for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chark was working his way onto the field the past few weeks (75%, 59%, 52% snap shares) at the expense of Keelan Cole (75%, 29%, 23% snap shares). With Chark becoming inactive, Cole should see more playing time. It is notable though that the Jaguars have reverted to being a run-heavy team since Leonard Fournette returned, running at a 47% and 64% clip in the last two weeks.

Devin Funchess (back) has missed practice this week and officially listed as doubtful against the Seattle Seahawks. Funchess is the leading receiver for the Carolina Panthers with 516 receiving yards. With Funchess sidelined and Torrey Smith (knee) still working his way back into a regular practice routine, the Panthers might lean on Curtis Samuel who hasn't topped a 33% snap share in a game this season. D.J. Moore continues to be a great fantasy asset and is ranked inside our top 36.

Sam Darnold has come out of the New York Jets bye with no improvement on his foot injury and has been ruled out. Josh McCown will make a second consecutive start against the New England Patriots. McCown had a poor outing against the Buffalo Bills in his previous start, going 17-of-34 for 135 yards and two interceptions. He is an interesting punt play in daily fantasy, given that the Patriots defense are allowing 21.3 FanDuel points per game to the quarterback position -- which is sixth worst in the league -- and he is priced at the minimum salary for quarterbacks ($6,000).

Final Reminder

As it is with all injuries, each individual situation is fluid. Make sure to keep tabs throughout the weekend and keep up with our numberFire player news feed for up-to-date reports prior to kickoff. Good luck this week!

Gabriel Garrido is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Gabriel Garrido also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username guhreedoe28. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.