National Football Post Fantasy Playbook Fantasy Wire

LeSean McCoy | RB | STATS

McCoy expected to play in Week 17
Despite battling a slight ankle sprain suffered in Week 16 at Dallas, Eagles running back LeSean McCoy is expected to play in the team's season finale Sunday against the Washington Redskins. Head coach Andy Reid told the media that he doesn't plan on resting any healthy starters even though the Eagles have been eliminated from playoff contention. This is certainly a risky move on Philadelphia's part, considering what happened to Adrian Peterson last Sunday.

Dec 27, 09:49AM
Darren McFadden | RB | STATS

McFadden coming back for Week 17?
Here's a bit of good news for fantasy owners still looking to claim a league championship: Raiders running back Darren McFadden might return to the starting lineup Sunday against the San Diego Chargers, per the Oakland Tribune's Steve Corkran. McFadden has been battling a Lisfranc injury (foot) and has been out of action since October 23. However, the Silver & Black can qualify for the postseason with a win on Sunday coupled with a Denver loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. It's still too early to tell how this one will play out, so stay tuned.

Dec 26, 10:47AM
Reggie Bush | RB | STATS

Bush suffers leg injury in loss
Dolphins running back Reggie Bush--who has been on an absolute tear as of late--suffered a leg injury in Saturday's loss at New England that caused him to miss the final few series of the game. The upside here is that Bush was walking after the game and told the media that he doesn't think the injury is serious and expects to play in Week 17. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but for now it looks as if Bush should be good to go for the Dolphins' finale.

Dec 26, 10:43AM
Tony Romo | QB | STATS

Romo expected to play in Week 17
After exiting Saturday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first half with a bruised throwing hand, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo--along with owner Jerry Jones--told the media that he expects to be under center in Week 17 against the New York Giants. The winner of the Dallas-New York showdown clinches the NFC East crown and a spot in the postseason, so it will take a lot to keep Romo from playing in this one.

Dec 26, 10:39AM
Adrian Peterson | RB | STATS

All Day done for the year with serious knee injury
At 2-12 entering Week 16, this is the exact reason why the Minnesota Vikings should have kept their star running back on the bench. Pro Bowler Adrian Peterson has been lost for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in Saturday's loss at Washington. While the fantasy season is all but over, keeper league owners will want to pass on hanging on to Peterson for 2012. A perfect rehab might have him in line to play in Week 1, but there is no sense in giving up a first round pick next summer to keep a guy coming off a serious knee injury.

Dec 26, 10:25AM
Ben Roethlisberger | QB | STATS

Big Ben headed for a week off?
After fighting through an ankle injury on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, it looks like Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be headed for some rest. Nothing has been made official as of yet, but it looks like the Steelers could give Big Ben the week off in an attempt to get healthy in time for the postseason. Should Roethlisberger miss Saturday's game against the St. Louis Rams, look for veteran Charlie Batch to get the start. This would decrease the value of wide receivers Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown.

Dec 21, 12:15PM
Chris Johnson | RB | STATS

Johnson battling ankle injury
After putting a pretty respectable run of stat lines together over the last few weeks, Titans running back Chris Johnson suffered an ankle injury in Sunday's loss at Indianapolis. CJ2K did not practice on Tuesday and told reporters that "cutting" has been a problem. We'll keep an eye on the Titans' injury report and will let you know what develops during the week. Tennessee takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars this Saturday in Nashville.

Dec 21, 11:59AM
A.J. Green | WR | STATS

Green says he's good to go
Despite suffering a shoulder injury in Cincinnati's Week 15 win over the St. Louis Rams, rookie wide receiver A.J. Green told the media on Tuesday that he is good to go and ready to play in Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals. Fantasy owners are advised to keep Green in the starting lineup.

Dec 21, 11:30AM
Jimmy Graham | TE | STATS

Graham battling back pain
New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham will undergo an MRI on his back this week to determine what's causing the pain that troubled him all through Sunday's win at Tennessee. The second-year TE told reporters that he was in "excruciating" pain prior to kickoff, but that he plans to play despite the injury. Fantasy owners need to keep an eye on this situation, as Graham has been one of the league's elite tight ends this season. The former Miami product caught five passes for 55 yards on nine targets in Week 14.

Dec 12, 11:12AM
Steve Johnson | WR | STATS

Johnson battling hand injury
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson suffered a hand injury in Sunday's loss at San Diego and is expected to undergo testing early this week to determine the extent of the damage. Johnson caught four passes for 116 yards in Week 14 and was able to finish out the game, but he told reporters afterwards that something didn't feel right. We'll keep you posted.

Dec 12, 11:08AM
DeMarco Murray | RB | STATS

Stick a fork in DeMarco Murray
After tearing apart the National Football League for the last few months, Cowboys rookie running back DeMarco Murray's season has come to a close. Murray suffered a broken right ankle and high ankle sprain in Sunday night's loss to the New York Giants and is out for the year. Look for the Cowboys to make a move this week to bring in another running back. As of now, go get Felix Jones off the waiver wire if his previous owner unloaded him after Murray took over the workload.

Dec 12, 10:50AM
Greg Jennings | WR | STATS

Jennings suffers knee injury in win
Bad news out of Green Bay as it is feared wide receiver Greg Jennings suffered a torn right MCL in Sunday's win over the Oakland Raiders, per ProFootballTalk.com. While nothing has been made official as of yet, fantasy owners need to make immediate changes in the event Jennings won't be around to finish off the season. The stock values of Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Randall Cobb are all on the rise.

Dec 12, 10:44AM
Miles Austin | WR | STATS

Looks like Austin will return for Week 14
Good news for Miles Austin owners as the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver is expected to practice on Wednesday and should be ready to return to the starting lineup Sunday night against the New York Giants. Austin has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury and backup WR Laurent Robinson has stepped up in a big way in his absence. It should be interesting to see how the Cowboys handle Austin's return coupled with Robinson's recent production. Stay tuned.

Dec 7, 11:17AM
Michael Vick | QB | STATS

Vick expected to start Sunday at Miami
Look who's back just in time for the fantasy playoffs! Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is expected to start in Week 14 at Miami after missing the last three games with busted ribs. The Philadelphia signal-caller resumed practicing on Monday and looks like he's ready to return to the starting lineup. It's not official as of yet, but fantasy owners should expect to play Vick on Sunday.

Dec 7, 10:59AM
Andre Johnson | WR | STATS

Johnson not expected to practice on Wednesday
After missing six games with a right hamstring injury, Andre Johnson returned to action in Week 12 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His good health lasted roughly one week, as Johnson injured his left hamstring this past Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. As a result, he is not expected to practice on Wednesday. The recent injury isn't considered as serious as the first one, but it looks like it's enough to keep him out of action today. We'll keep you posted.

Dec 7, 10:45AM
Peyton Hillis | RB | STATS

Hillis should play Thursday night
Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis is expected to start and handle a heavy workload Thursday night when the team travels to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. Hillis has been battling a hamstring injury for most of the season, but he injured his hip recently and will likely be at less than 100% come Thursday evening. The Steelers are surrendering an average of just 16.0 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season (7th-fewest in NFL), so this isn't the best matchup for Hillis owners.

Dec 7, 10:40AM
Fred Davis | TE | STATS

Davis suspended for four games
Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis (along with offensive tackle Trent Williams) has been suspended for the final four games of the NFL regular season after testing positive for marijuana. According to Sports Illustrated, this is actually the third time that both of these players have failed a weed test. This news comes at an awful time for fantasy owners, as the playoffs get underway in many leagues this weekend. Davis owners can go ahead and drop the TE from their rosters.

Dec 7, 10:35AM
Kevin Smith | RB | STATS

Smith suffers ankle injury in loss
Lions running back Kevin Smith exited Sunday night's loss to the New Orleans Saints early after the veteran ball carrier re-injured his already banged-up right ankle. Prior to leaving the game, Smith racked up 80 total yards and a touchdown on 12 touches, so it wasn't all bad news for fantasy owners. However, Smith could be in danger of missing the Lions' Week 14 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings, so owners are advised to start planning ahead in the event Smith will be unable to go. Should he miss Sunday's contest, Maurice Morris will likely get the start.

Dec 5, 10:59AM
Matt Forte | RB | STATS

As of now, Forte expected to miss 2-4 weeks
This really coundn't have come at a worse time. Just as the fantasy football world began the shift to postseason play, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and is expected to miss the next 2-4 weeks. Bears reporter Mike C. Wright says that Forte will undergo a process called platelet-rich plasma treatment in order to speed up the recovery time. We'll keep you posted on his progress, but for now, backup running back Marion Barber is a must have.

Dec 5, 10:47AM
Troy Polamalu | S | STATS

Polamalu expected to play in Week 13
Despite exiting Sunday night's win over the Kansas City Chiefs early due to concussion-like symptoms, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu is expected to play in Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, per Steelers beat writer Gary Dulac. This is good news for a Pittsburgh defense that is headed into a crucial Sunday showdown with big-time playoff implications on the line.

Nov 29, 10:17AM
Jaguars Defense | DEF | STATS

Jaguars axe head coach Del Rio
After nine seasons, the Jacksonville Jaguars have seen enough. The team announced Tuesday morning that head coach Jack Del Rio has been fired and will be replaced by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker for the remainder of the season. Despite an impressive defensive showing in 2011, the Jags are just 3-8 and rank dead last in the NFL in total offense. The Jaguars play host to the San Diego Chargers next Monday night.

Nov 29, 10:09AM
Blaine Gabbert | QB | STATS

Gabbert remains the starter despite benching
Jaguars rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert will remain the starting quarterback in Jacksonville despite being benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Texans, according to head coach Jack Del Rio. The former Missouri standout completed only 13 of 29 passes for 136 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in another dreadful performance by the Jaguars offense. While he may remain the starter in Jacksonville, fantasy owners are still advised to stay away from Gabbert when it comes to setting your weekend lineups. The rookie is averaging just 137.1 passing yards per game this season.

Nov 28, 11:12AM
DeSean Jackson | WR | STATS

Jackson benched in blowout loss
More bad news out of Philadelphia as Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was benched in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots by head coach Andy Reid. Jackson dropped two touchdown passes and continues to look as if he's playing to avoid contact, which has been the case ever since he was laid out by Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson last season. Jackson clearly doesn't understand the concept of a "contract year" and all he's doing at this point is lowering his value on the open market. Stay tuned.

Nov 28, 11:05AM
Matt Leinart | QB | STATS

Leinart experiment ends after two quarters
Despite an 8-3 record, a dark cloud is hanging over Houston this morning as backup quarterback Matt Leinart is likely done for the season after suffering a broken collarbone in Sunday's win over the Jaguars. While it was unlikely that the former USC standout was going to lead the Texans to a Super Bowl, the injury leaves the team with rookie T.J. Yates as their starting quarterback. Leinart completed 10 of 13 passes for only 57 yards and a touchdown before exiting the game. Look for Yates to start in Week 13 but don't be surprised if the Texans bring in another QB this week.

Nov 28, 11:00AM
Ryan Mathews | RB | STATS

Mathews still battling knee problems
San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews was held to limited reps in practice on Wednesday due to knee soreness and may not be able to practice on Thursday. It's still early in the week, so we'll keep a close eye on this situation but even if the second-year running back is good to go for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, he'll likely be held to limited touches. Owners may want to start looking for a Plan B.

Nov 24, 11:06AM