Jene Bramel
Footballguy
Calais Campbell was optimistic that he’d return earlier this week but remained limited in practice all week. He’s likely on the probable side of questionable, but there’s been nothing official yet.
Thomas Davis has been an every-down player for two consecutive weeks and can be safely considered an every-week LB3 now. Captain Munnerlyn is questionable with a hamstring injury, but didn’t practice this week.
The Chiefs will play today despite the death of Jovan Belcher yesterday. Kendrick Lewis is unlikely to play with ongoing shoulder issues. Brandon Siler may be the most likely candidate to replace Belcher in the base defense.
Donald Butler was ruled out very early in the week and, though San Diego has not placed him on IR, there are indications that the groin injury could be a multi-week issue. Last week, the Chargers used Takeo Spikes as an every-down player and rotated Demorrio Williams (base) and Andrew Gachkar (nickel). Jonas Mouton will be active and could see time today as well. I’m not certain that the same rotation holds today, but I’d handicap them ~ Spikes (LB3+), Williams (LB3), Gachkar/Mouton (LB5-). Corey Lynch will replace Atari Bigby, but I’ll be watching Brandon Taylor today and in coming weeks.
Rolando McClain has been suspended for two games and probably won’t return to the starting lineup this season. Omar Gaither is expected to play MLB in the base defense, but hasn’t been a durable option for years and won’t see any subpackage snaps. We could see Dennis Allen use more three safety alignments if Gaither struggles, with Mike Mitchell taking more snaps than usual. Phillip Wheeler may be an option in future weeks if the Raiders get desperate.
Bradie James is out today. That could put Darryl Sharpton into an every-down role, though a three way rotation with Tim Dobbins and Barrett Ruud is possible. If you’re stuck at linebacker today, err on the side of risking Sharpton. Whitney Mercilus should play nearly every down replacing the injured Brooks Reed.
Colin McCarthy is out with a concussion. Beat writers are reporting that Tim Shaw will replace him in the base defense and Will Witherspoon to take over subpackage snaps. Give Michael Griffin a full tier bump, but the strong safety position is messy. Jordan Babineaux was benched – again – for Robert Johnson during last week’s game and Al Afalava may be returning from an ankle injury. I’ll post anything I see about the lineup card if it’s reported. Derrick Morgan is also questionable after not practicing much with knee issues this week.
Tom Zbikowski is out this week. Joe Lefeged and Sergio Brown will share snaps as his replacement. The linebacker rotation remains unchanged, with Jerrell Freeman the only every-down player and only safe fantasy option.
Jason Babin could see plenty of playing time for Jacksonville with Austen Lane out with a foot injury. Derek Cox is also out.
Jasper Brinkley is probable with his AC sprain today. The Vikings did not use Brinkley in subpackages after his shoulder injury last week, but there’s been no comment from the coaches on how they’ll align this week. Unfortunately, the Vikings may be in a nickel package 90% of the time against Green Bay today. I think Henderson continues to get at least half the nickel snaps, but it’s not certain that he’ll play every down. Consider him an upside LB4 / desperation upside LB3.
Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson remain out. Dezman Moses played nearly every down last week, while Erik Walden rotated with Frank Zombo. The pass rush matchup is good, but the snap counts are unfortunately uncertain.
Chandler Jones is out again with an ankle injury and I’ve been nervous about the mechanism of his injury all along. It’s not a high ankle sprain, but this could evolve very much like Percy Harvin’s injury. Jermaine Cunningham played nearly 80% of the snaps at LDE last week.
Jason Worilds will replace LaMarr Woodley this week. Troy Polamalu is expected to return.
Dannell Ellerbe is questionable with knee and ankle injuries. He’s “hopeful” he can play but no better than a GTD. Brendan Ayanbedejo may rotate in even if Ellerbe is active and is a reasonable option in deeper leagues if Ellerbe is out. Bernard Pollard missed practice on Thursday, but is probable to play.
Robert Quinn returned to a limited practice Friday. I can’t find a note on whether he’s been cleared to play or not. I’ll assume that he’d have been ruled out on Friday if there was no chance of him playing. It’s an early game, so we’ll have the benefit of the doubt on the inactive list, too.
LeRoy Hill is questionable with an ankle injury and didn’t practice all week.
Both Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman are probable to play through the ankle injuries they suffered last week. Tillman could struggle to play every snap, however.
There’s been no change in the Denver LB rotation since DJ Williams returned to the active roster. Wesley Woodyard remains the lone every-down linebacker and only safe fantasy option among the Williams / Woodyard / Keith Brooking trio.
Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry should both see a higher number of rotational snaps with Jason Babin’s release. Curry did his damage in just 21 snaps last week, so be wary of expecting him to put up consistently big numbers.
The Cowboys used Dan Connor and Ernie Sims at inside linebacker after Bruce Carter’s injury last week. They used very few dime packages, making Connor a near every-down player. It’s hard to handicap what Rob Ryan may do this week, however. Sims is the only safe every-down bet and worth considering, but he’s always been a high variance option. Danny McCray – with Charlie Peprah doubtful and likely out of the rotation – may be the sneakiest, high upside gamble in the back seven.
There are two major MNF question marks unfortunately.
Jason Pierre-Paul has not been practicing with a back problem. The Giants are saying they’re hopeful he plays and I think it’s likely he’ll try to go on national television – but there’s no guarantee. Unfortunately, there’s probably no easy hedge for many of you. If you can roster Osi Umenyiora as a hedge, it’s a pretty easy call to start JPP without worry. Otherwise, Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen don’t have enough upside to trust. If you absolutely cannot risk the zero, sit JPP. Otherwise, take the risk if you don’t have another option with upside.
London Fletcher is also questionable. There’s almost no chance that he’ll not play given his consecutive games streak. But he’s not been able to finish the past couple of games and there’s a decent chance he won’t finish Monday night’s game either. Consider other options if you have them. Lorenzo Alexander would take Fletcher’s place. DeJon Gomes has been seeing most of the safety snaps alongside Madieu Williams recently, but Reed Doughty still looms as a possible rotational body.
Thomas Davis has been an every-down player for two consecutive weeks and can be safely considered an every-week LB3 now. Captain Munnerlyn is questionable with a hamstring injury, but didn’t practice this week.
The Chiefs will play today despite the death of Jovan Belcher yesterday. Kendrick Lewis is unlikely to play with ongoing shoulder issues. Brandon Siler may be the most likely candidate to replace Belcher in the base defense.
Donald Butler was ruled out very early in the week and, though San Diego has not placed him on IR, there are indications that the groin injury could be a multi-week issue. Last week, the Chargers used Takeo Spikes as an every-down player and rotated Demorrio Williams (base) and Andrew Gachkar (nickel). Jonas Mouton will be active and could see time today as well. I’m not certain that the same rotation holds today, but I’d handicap them ~ Spikes (LB3+), Williams (LB3), Gachkar/Mouton (LB5-). Corey Lynch will replace Atari Bigby, but I’ll be watching Brandon Taylor today and in coming weeks.
Rolando McClain has been suspended for two games and probably won’t return to the starting lineup this season. Omar Gaither is expected to play MLB in the base defense, but hasn’t been a durable option for years and won’t see any subpackage snaps. We could see Dennis Allen use more three safety alignments if Gaither struggles, with Mike Mitchell taking more snaps than usual. Phillip Wheeler may be an option in future weeks if the Raiders get desperate.
Bradie James is out today. That could put Darryl Sharpton into an every-down role, though a three way rotation with Tim Dobbins and Barrett Ruud is possible. If you’re stuck at linebacker today, err on the side of risking Sharpton. Whitney Mercilus should play nearly every down replacing the injured Brooks Reed.
Colin McCarthy is out with a concussion. Beat writers are reporting that Tim Shaw will replace him in the base defense and Will Witherspoon to take over subpackage snaps. Give Michael Griffin a full tier bump, but the strong safety position is messy. Jordan Babineaux was benched – again – for Robert Johnson during last week’s game and Al Afalava may be returning from an ankle injury. I’ll post anything I see about the lineup card if it’s reported. Derrick Morgan is also questionable after not practicing much with knee issues this week.
Tom Zbikowski is out this week. Joe Lefeged and Sergio Brown will share snaps as his replacement. The linebacker rotation remains unchanged, with Jerrell Freeman the only every-down player and only safe fantasy option.
Jason Babin could see plenty of playing time for Jacksonville with Austen Lane out with a foot injury. Derek Cox is also out.
Jasper Brinkley is probable with his AC sprain today. The Vikings did not use Brinkley in subpackages after his shoulder injury last week, but there’s been no comment from the coaches on how they’ll align this week. Unfortunately, the Vikings may be in a nickel package 90% of the time against Green Bay today. I think Henderson continues to get at least half the nickel snaps, but it’s not certain that he’ll play every down. Consider him an upside LB4 / desperation upside LB3.
Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson remain out. Dezman Moses played nearly every down last week, while Erik Walden rotated with Frank Zombo. The pass rush matchup is good, but the snap counts are unfortunately uncertain.
Chandler Jones is out again with an ankle injury and I’ve been nervous about the mechanism of his injury all along. It’s not a high ankle sprain, but this could evolve very much like Percy Harvin’s injury. Jermaine Cunningham played nearly 80% of the snaps at LDE last week.
Jason Worilds will replace LaMarr Woodley this week. Troy Polamalu is expected to return.
Dannell Ellerbe is questionable with knee and ankle injuries. He’s “hopeful” he can play but no better than a GTD. Brendan Ayanbedejo may rotate in even if Ellerbe is active and is a reasonable option in deeper leagues if Ellerbe is out. Bernard Pollard missed practice on Thursday, but is probable to play.
Robert Quinn returned to a limited practice Friday. I can’t find a note on whether he’s been cleared to play or not. I’ll assume that he’d have been ruled out on Friday if there was no chance of him playing. It’s an early game, so we’ll have the benefit of the doubt on the inactive list, too.
LeRoy Hill is questionable with an ankle injury and didn’t practice all week.
Both Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman are probable to play through the ankle injuries they suffered last week. Tillman could struggle to play every snap, however.
There’s been no change in the Denver LB rotation since DJ Williams returned to the active roster. Wesley Woodyard remains the lone every-down linebacker and only safe fantasy option among the Williams / Woodyard / Keith Brooking trio.
Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry should both see a higher number of rotational snaps with Jason Babin’s release. Curry did his damage in just 21 snaps last week, so be wary of expecting him to put up consistently big numbers.
The Cowboys used Dan Connor and Ernie Sims at inside linebacker after Bruce Carter’s injury last week. They used very few dime packages, making Connor a near every-down player. It’s hard to handicap what Rob Ryan may do this week, however. Sims is the only safe every-down bet and worth considering, but he’s always been a high variance option. Danny McCray – with Charlie Peprah doubtful and likely out of the rotation – may be the sneakiest, high upside gamble in the back seven.
There are two major MNF question marks unfortunately.
Jason Pierre-Paul has not been practicing with a back problem. The Giants are saying they’re hopeful he plays and I think it’s likely he’ll try to go on national television – but there’s no guarantee. Unfortunately, there’s probably no easy hedge for many of you. If you can roster Osi Umenyiora as a hedge, it’s a pretty easy call to start JPP without worry. Otherwise, Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen don’t have enough upside to trust. If you absolutely cannot risk the zero, sit JPP. Otherwise, take the risk if you don’t have another option with upside.
London Fletcher is also questionable. There’s almost no chance that he’ll not play given his consecutive games streak. But he’s not been able to finish the past couple of games and there’s a decent chance he won’t finish Monday night’s game either. Consider other options if you have them. Lorenzo Alexander would take Fletcher’s place. DeJon Gomes has been seeing most of the safety snaps alongside Madieu Williams recently, but Reed Doughty still looms as a possible rotational body.
