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Injury review: Johnson and Johnson look to play
Fantasy Football
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Things get complicated when we start assessing the litany of injuries impacting each squad. Scouting and personnel management will be put to the ultimate test in this next quarter of the season, as the contenders will rise above the unfortunate series of ailments and injuries that'll befall countless starters. Will your team have a breakout star among them?
Let's review the injury list for Week 8 as of Friday morning.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Eagles running back Brian Westbrook sat out Friday's practice because of the concussion sustained in Monday night's win over Washington. Andy Reid told reporters that Westbrook's questionable for Sunday's tilt against the Giants. That's a significant departure from early reports that had him sitting out the divisional showdown. Until a big, flashing "O" appears next to Westbrook's name, we've learned to discount injury reports.
DeSean Jackson injured his foot in Monday's win, but he's been available for practice to close the week and received the probable tag on the week-ending injury report. Play him as you would normally.
Owners of Matt Schaub breathed a sigh of relief when the official injury report was released on Friday and they saw a "P" listed next to receiver Andre Johnson's name. Johnson sustained a bruised lung in Sunday's win over San Francisco, and his status had been in question as of mid-week. The Houston Chronicle reports that he's looked good in practice and will be equipped with an extra pad to protect his chest.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Lions completed a full week of practice and should be ready to play against the Rams on Sunday. Early in the week, indications were that Stafford would sit out another week before returning to the field. Evidently, this matchup against the winless Rams was just too nice to keep the rookie off the field.
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| Calvin Johnson could very well return to the field this weekend. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images) |
Meanwhile, The Detroit Free-Pass also reports that receiver Calvin Johnson has participated in some portions of practice to close out the work week. His status will be updated Friday afternoon, but the team's encouraged by his availability at the end of the practice week. He should be considered a game-time decision.
The reporting team at The Green Bay Press-Gazette advises that left tackle Chad Clifton practiced on Friday, but rookie T.J. Lang received the bulk of the work with the first unit. As such, the rookie will be charged with protecting Aaron Rodgers' blindside against the Vikings. Center Jason Spitz didn't appear at all.
Jermichael Finley didn't practice because of his sprained knee, but Pete Dougherty of The Green Bay Post-Gazette tells us that Mike McCarthy is ready to wait until game time to make a decision on the second-year tight end. That's a difficult thing to swallow for owners hoping to steal some points with veteran Donald Lee this weekend.
On the other side of the matchup, receiver Percy Harvin returned to practice Friday after missing Thursday's workout because of an illness. He's been playing through a shoulder injury, so I don't suspect this illness will impact his play this weekend.
Danny O'Neil of The Seattle Times reported Thursday that linebacker Lofa Tatupu of the Seahawks underwent surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season. He's joined by tackle Walter Jones, who was finally placed on injured reserve. Jones hadn't been available to the Seahawks at all this season after undergoing multiple knee surgeries to repair damage originally sustained in 2008.
The Times-Picayune advises that fullback Heath Evans of the Saints will miss the remainder of 2009 because of a torn ligament in his right knee. Kyle Eckel was signed to replace him. Evans' loss will impact the effectiveness of the New Orleans running game, and Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas should be downgraded slightly.
Trent Edwards has been ruled out for Week 8 against the Texans, per The Buffalo News . Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the starting nod once again in front of the home crowd. The Texans have been strong to start games, but opposing quarterbacks have found success in the second half (usually in comeback mode). Owners of Lee Evans, celebrate!
The Indianapolis Star reports that Reggie Wayne practiced on Friday and is expected to start against the 49ers. He sustained a groin injury in Week 7, but will be available for Peyton Manning in this home tilt.
Fellow receiver Anthony Gonzalez has been working in a limited fashion this week and isn't expected to return this week. Barring a setback, he'll return to the field in Week 9.
Finally, running back Donald Brown missed the entire practice week because of a shoulder injury sustained in Week 7. Early-week comments from management suggested the rookie back could be sidelined 2-3 weeks. I suspect he sits this week, with Joseph Addai taking the bulk of the workload and Chad Simpson taking on the backup role (deep sleeper?).
The Jacksonville Times reports that cornerback Rashean Mathis of the Jaguars will miss Sunday's game at Tennessee with a broken finger. The sleeper status of Vince Young just improved another notch.
If you have any last-minute injury questions or need help with a sit-start question, you have plenty of options on Sunday morning and throughout the weekend. Nate Lundy, Peter Burns and I are answering your calls, texts and Tweets during the "FOX Fantasy Football" show on FOX Sports Radio (XM 142 and FOXSportsradio.com) between 10am-12pm ET/7-9am PT on Sunday. Hit the Twitter-verse at Twitter.com/fantasyfreaks or Twitter.com/swollendome.
You can also log in and chat with Roger Rotter on Sunday morning. He'll be breaking down all of the games and updating those pesky injury reports with his sit-start thoughts from 11am-1pm ET/8-10am PT on FOXSports.com.
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