The Injury Report
Don’t be the donkey. Be informed.
Jamaal Charles (knee)
At this point, we’d be shocked if Charles suits up against the Chargers Sunday. He’s barely gotten any first-team reps in practice, didn’t participate in the preseason and is behind schedule in his rehab. Spencer Ware will start, handle a majority of the carries and the goal-line work while Charcandrick West and Knile Davis mix in for support. Ware, who led all RBs in PFF’s fantasy points per opportunity metric last year, also showed new versatility by catching eight passes on 94 snaps this preseason. He’ll be a borderline must-play in cash games on FanDuel, where he has a 93 percent Bargain Rating.
Thomas Rawls (ankle)
Carroll said the Seahawks will “take care” of Rawls and added it’s like his second preseason game. We’re expecting Christine Michael to draw the start and get a majority of the carries — perhaps even at a 2:1 rate. Michael, who costs just $3700 on DraftKings, currently has the fourth-best Projected Plus/Minus among running backs.
Carols Hyde (concussion)
Hyde still has one more test to pass before he can take full contact, but there’s little doubt he’ll be starting against the Rams Sunday night. Unfortunately for Hyde, he’s dealing with a shaky offensive line and league-worst play at both quarterback and wide receiver. If we were interested in a GPP flier on Hyde it would be on FanDuel, where he sports a 98 percent Bargain Rating at $6200.
Matt Jones (shoulder)
It’s a great sign for Jones’ health off his shoulder sprain. At this point, it would be a surprise if he doesn’t handle an overwhelming majority of the RB workload against the Steelers Monday night. Chris Thompson will mix in for passing situations and Rob Kelley will be Jones’ direct backup. But note the Steelers were very strong against the run last year, as evidenced by their -0.6 Plus/Minus against RBs. That trailed only the Chiefs for tops in the league.
Jordy Nelson (ACL)
Nelson , 31, is just over 12 months removed from his ACL tear and did not participate in any preseason games. The Packers will have five wide receivers active at Jacksonville on Sunday and Nelson conceded he may rotate a bit. “We’re not going to put a number on it,” Nelson said of his snap count. “We’ve discussed it. I think the situation of being in Jacksonville, we’ll play it by snap-by-snap to be honest with you.” Jordy’s range of outcomes if very wide in this spot, leaving him as a GPP-only play. We’re not getting any discount on DraftKings in Week 1, where he’s the 10th-most expensive wideout on the main slate.
Rob Gronkowski (hamstring)
Gronkowski originally strained his hamstring on August 15 and didn’t return to practice until August 24. He was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday when the Patriots were required to release an injury report for the first time. Regardless, there’s no doubt Gronk will be ready to play Sunday night at Arizona — he just might be a shade under 100 percent. Our models have him as one of the most overpriced tight ends on DraftKings anyway thanks to a 10.4-point floor at $7400.
Charcandrick West (elbow)
It’s notable with Jamaal Charles (knee) very doubtful. Spencer Ware is still expected to start and be the featured back, but a now-healthy West will mix in for a support role. It lends a bit of hope for owners looking to fade Ware in tournaments at his massive projected ownership. West’s Projected Plus/Minus on DraftKings is at +3.8 in our models while Ware’s is +5.2.
Kendall Wright (hamstring)
Wright was expected to serve as the Titans’ slot receiver in 3-wide sets, working behind outside starters Tajae Sharpe and Rishard Matthews. Instead we’ll see more of Harry Douglas/Andre Johnson and all three of Sharpe/Matthews/Douglas will get chances in the slot. Wright’s absence doesn’t affect projections very much at all, but it’s not a bad thing for the volume of Sharpe. The fifth-round rookie currently holds an impressive +4.2 Projected Plus/Minus in our models.
Tyler Eifert (ankle)
Eifert is still rehabbing off ankle surgery and may not be back until Week 4 or 5. The Bengals will be forced to roll with Tyler Kroft, who is recovering from a minor knee sprain. Kroft (if healthy) would normally be an interesting play for just $2700 against the blitz-happy Jets, but we also have Jared Cook ($2900) and Dwayne Allen ($3200) near-minimum at tight end. Kroft’s Projected Floor of just 5.5 DK points is unnecessary to take on in cash games.
Eric Ebron (ankle)
Ebron is over the ankle injury that had him sidelined toward the end of the preseason. He’s set up with one of the best matchups he’ll see all year, but will have to fight for targets with Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin and Theo Riddick. Our models show Ebron with a marginal 6.7-point floor on DK for $3900.
DeVante Parker (hamstring)
Parker’s frustrating offseason has included serious hamstring pulls on each of his legs. The latest one kept him out of practice Monday and leaves him very questionable for Sunday’s game at Seattle. Even if Parker can play, he’s splitting the second spot on the target totem pole with Kenny Stills and will be facing Seattle’s dominant perimeter pass defense. Jarvis Landry, ticketed for a ton of volume if the up-tempo Dolphins get behind, remains the most interesting Dolphin in Week 1. His projected +/- of +3.2 ranks sixth among Week 1 main slate wideouts.
Golden Tate (ankle)
Much like Will Fuller, it’s unlikely there’s reason for concern here. Tate was reportedly moving well at practice and we didn’t notice anything wrong with him during the preseason. Tate remains a strong GPP play on DraftKings as a “pay up to be contrarian” move — he’s $7300 vs. $4600 for Marvin Jones. Our ownership projections currently have Jones at 21-25 percent and Tate at 9-12 percent.
Will Fuller (hamstring)
Fuller was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. There’s nothing to suggest it’s cause for concern, but we’re going to see a lot of minor injuries turn into “questionable” tags due to the NFL’s new injury report rules. Fuller, who shined while dominating first-team reps in the preseason, remains an excellent GPP play against an untalented Bears secondary. He’s just $3700 on DraftKings, giving him an 87 percent Bargain Rating.
Julio Jones (ankle)
Jones’ status for Sunday’s game against the Bucs is not in any real doubt. He projects to see his usual 85-90 percent of the snaps, projects as the most targeted player on DraftKings’ main slate and also projects as the most owned wideout (26-30 percent).
Ezekiel Elliott (hamstring)
The hamstring pull Zeke battled in early-August is behind him and he says his conditioning is also “top-notch.” It’s very notable for players looking to pivot off a highly-owned Dak Prescott to a GPP leverage play. Elliot projects as a major workhorse against the Giants as the Cowboys try to slow the pace and pound the football. Our current models show the rookie with the second-highest Projected Ceiling on the main slate, behind only David Johnson.
Elvis Dumervil (foot)
It’s an upgrade for sneaky Tyrod Taylor as Dumervil was among PFF’s top-25 edge-defender pass rushers in 2015. The once-fierce Ravens defense now has question marks at every level and Taylor is armed with a healthy Sammy Watkins (foot). Tyrod will be very low-owned in Week 1 (we’re currently projecting 2-4 percent) as everyone flocks to Dak Prescott, Drew Brees, Derek Carr, Andrew Luck and Russ Wilson.
Henry Anderson (knee)
Anderson joins elite CB Vontae Davis (ankle) on the bench. The Colts are also expected to be without starting safety Clayton Geathers and slot CB Darius Butler is questionable. As we mentioned in the Matthew Stafford blurb, Indy will field arguably the NFL’s least talented defense on Sunday.
J.J. Watt (back)
Watt, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the year in three of the last four seasons, is ready to rock. So is oft-injured JadeVeon Clowney, giving the Texans two of the most impactful defenders in the game. Current models show the HOU D/ST with six Pro Trends on DraftKings, second only to the Chiefs’ seven Pro Trends in Week 1.
Jack Mewhort (knee)
Mewhort is expected to miss 2-4 weeks after injuring his knee in the third preseason game. He was PFF’s No. 12 overall guard last year and a vital piece of an offensive line that now projects as a major liability. In the third preseason game, Andrew Luck was sacked three times and pressured constantly. Look for Jon Harrison, a 2014 UDFA out of Florida, to kick from his backup center spot out to left guard. He was PFF’s No. 26 center last year.
Jeff Heuerman (ankle)
Heuerman never pushed Virgil Green, who showed some serious chemistry with Trevor Siemian while catching 10 passes for 97 yards and a TD in the preseason. Expect Green to be somewhere near 100 percent of the snaps against the Panthers on Thursday night, where he costs $2900 on DraftKings.
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Notable skill position players listed on Wednesday injury reports/at risk of missing time:
