NFL DFS Injury Report: Conference Championships
Well friends… we have come to the end. Sunday brings the end of the 2016-2017 DFS football season as the conference championships are here. While the NFL off-season has become a monster in its own right, we are left waiting for the next eight months to go by, anticipating another DFS season. If you are a football-only player, give NBA a try. Personally, I really enjoy it, and I have been able to see obvious growth as a player over the past couple of seasons.
I was unsure how to handle this week. I was not really even sure if this type of article would be helpful this week as there is so much readily available news regarding injury status. However, the delay in releasing the article stemmed more from the fact that I did not feel I could give any valuable information early in the week. There were so many cloudy situations. This has cleared a little bit, but there are still some uncertainties as we move to Sunday. Instead of guessing, I wanted to allow some situations to clear before posting anything.
I hope the summary of information below is helpful. In fact, I hope this article series has been helpful all season. I have enjoyed giving a little insight to different situations and trying to predict player roles and how injuries would affect their usage. I have been right on top of some, but have missed on others. Just like DFS, it is a prediction with incomplete information, but I hope that the information here helped you be profitable this season. Best of luck for one more Sunday of DFS football!!
Last Updated: Sunday AM
Color Coding
GREEN: Nearly certain to play. Unlikely to have an on-field limitations.
YELLOW: Likely to play. May have some snap count or mild on-field limitations.
ORANGE: Questionable to play. If able to play, likely to be significantly limited in snap count and/or on-field performance.
RED: Unlikely to play or already ruled out.
PURPLE: In concussion protocol. Play status unknown but if active, should play without restriction.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have the cleanest injury report. They have no one even listed as questionable. Julio Jones and Taylor Gabriel were limited during the practice week, but are expected to play full and without limitation Sunday. I would have no reservation of rostering anyone that appeals to you from the Falcons.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are not as fortunate as the Falcons concerning injuries. In summary, their wide receiver corps is a mess. Four of their top five receivers (less Randall Cobb) were on the injury report and limited in some capacity during the practice week. The most clarifying news came Saturday when the Packers promoted Max McCaffrey from the practice squad. Taking a roster spot all but assures that the Packers will have at least one of their top receivers inactive Sunday.
1.Jordy Nelson (WR) — YELLOW – Nelson has missed both Packers’ playoff games with rib fractures. He went through limited practice early in the week only to miss Friday’s practice with the flu. He is expected to be active. I expect that the Packers will be smart with Nelson. They may try to keep him off the field on running plays, but he should be involved in the passing game. He will be a little limited by the ribs, but generally after about 10-14 days, rib fractures become much more tolerable. Of course, this is with regular people that are not taking hits from defensive backs. He will surely wear extensive protection, which may slow him, but we all know that Aaron Rodgers loves Nelson, so look for him to be targeted plenty Sunday.
2.Geronimo Allison (WR) — ORANGE / RED – Allison is dealing with a hamstring injury. The rookie did not practice this week and is questionable on the game injury report. I am very concerned that he did not practice during the week. This is typically a bad sign, especially for younger players. We have the benefit of the NFC game being first, but watch closely the inactive list. My gut instinct is that it will be Allison that is inactive for the game. If he manages to play, expect him to be very limited.
3.Davante Adams (WR) — ORANGE – Adams also missed practice all week dealing with an ankle injury. Both Adams and the Packers have kept his status close to the vest with no commitment either way. I am giving him the nod over Allison as his experience makes him more likely to play even without practicing during the week. In addition, ankle injuries in general are easier to recover from than hamstring injuries in skill players. I do expect him to be limiting getting in and out of his routes.
UPDATE: Ian Rapoport of the NFL network is reporting that both Devante Adams and Geronimo Allison will be active for the game. I still suspect that both will have physical limitations. The Packers will use whomever they can to put together enough passing game to keep up with the Falcons.
4.James Starks (RB) — RED – Starks is OUT for Sunday’s contest with continued affects from concussion.
5. Jeff Janis (WR) — GREEN – Janis was limited early in the week with a quad injury but has been removed from the injury report.
6.Christine Michael (RB) — YELLOW / ORANGE – Michael was a late add to the injury report with new back injury. He has played a limited role and did not get a touch last week, but with the extent of Packer injuries, I felt it was important to list him all the same. I have not been able to find a lot of clear information about the injury or his status. I did not expect him to have a major impact Sunday prior to the injury, so I definitely do not expect him to have a big role now.
New England Patriots
One of my favorite past times is trying to decipher out the Patriot injuries. They continue to be one of the most tight-lipped organizations regarding injuries. On Saturday, Mike Reiss reported that the Patriots would probably only carry four receivers with either Danny Amendola or Michael Floyd being left off the roster. I was a bit surprised by this as all reports I read indicated that Chris Hogan continued to be hampered with a quad injury. Reiss is known to be quite reliable, so I would shift my opinion to coincide with his on Patriot matters. As of Saturday night, I would lean towards Floyd being the odd man out as Amendola continues to recover from a high ankle sprain and will be closer to recovered as another week has gone by.
1.Danny Amendola (WR) — YELLOW – I spoke about Amendola above. I expect him to play though still a little limited as he continues to recover from a high ankle sprain.
2.Malcolm Mitchell (WR) — YELLOW – Mitchell did not play last week due a knee injury. He has trended in the right direction all week, moving through limited practices. Mitchell showed himself as a solid #2 with Julian Edelman during the regular season. I expect him to be back on the field Sunday.
3.Chris Hogan (WR) — ORANGE – I also touched on Hogan above. Reports are that he still has a significant limp due to his quad injury. On Friday, I did not think he would play this weekend, but now signs are that he will give it a go. I expect the quad to limit him significantly Sunday.
4.Martellus Bennett (TE) — YELLOW / GREEN – Bennett is listed as questionable with a knee injury. He has been limited in practice all year and this week was no different. At this point in the season, he is what he is. He will play Sunday. He is a high upside option on a slate that is weak at tight end. He will not burn anyone with speed, but can use his big body to position himself for receptions.
Pittsburgh Steelers
If it were not for the Falcons, the Steelers would be the healthiest team heading into this weekend. The Steelers limited practice this week for Ben Roethlisberger and LeVeon Bell, but this appeared to be precautionary. The Steelers have the most narrow offensively distribution of any of the remaining teams. Aside from Ladarius Green who has been out for a month with a concussion, the Steelers are healthy at all of their other key positions.
1.Ladarius Green (TE) — PURPLE – Green remains in concussion protocol but returned to practice Friday. He travelled with the team to New England, but his status is still unknown. Green’s career has been severely impacted by concussions during his career. With him still in the league’s protocol, I would lean toward him not playing, but if he finds his way onto the field Sunday, he becomes a huge upside play at a weak position.