December 14th Injury Report

Quarterbacks
- Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton will start for the Chiefs if he is active for this weeks game. Orton has been dealing with a dislocated index finger on his throwing hand for the last two weeks. Roookie quarterback Ricky Stanzi will be the backup while Tyler Palko will be the third string.
- Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore (concussion) missed practice on Wednesday, but is still expected to play in week 15.
- Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder (hip) was limited in practice.
- Titans quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck (calf) did not practice on Wednesday.
- Although Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb has passed all of the NFL's concussion tests, the Cardinals are being cautious with him, and limited him in practice on Wednesday.
- Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (ankle) did not practice.
- Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman (shoulder) was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.




Running Backs
- Titans running back Javon Ringer underwent successful hand surgery, but he is expected to miss the season.
- Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (ankle) was limited in practice on Wednesday and is expected to play in week 15.
- Raiders running backl Darren McFadden (lisfranc) did not practice on Wednesday and his status for the rest of this year is very up in the air. One thing that we do know is that McFadden will not need surgery on his lisfranc injury.
- Bengals running back Cedric Benson (foot) did not practice on Wednesday.
- Saints rookie running back Mark Ingram (turf toe) did not practice on Wednesday.
- Lions running back Kevin Smith (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday, despite early reports.
- Falcons running back Michael Turner (groin) was limited in practice.
- Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) did not practice on Wednesday.




Wide Receivers
- Raiders wide receivers update: Jacoby Ford (foot) did not practice, while Denarius Moore (foot/ankle) did return to practice in limited fashion.
- Jaguars wide receiver Cecil Shorts (hamstring) and Mike Thomas (concussion) have both been ruled out to play against Atlanta on Thursday Night Football. I ranked Jason Hill, as he will be just about the only healthy receiver for this team.
- Titans wide receiver Nate Washington (ankle) did not practice.
- Patriots wide receivers Deion Branch (groin) and Wes Welker (knee) were both limited in practice.
- Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal (concussion) was at practice on Wednesday.
- Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday.
- Falcons rookie wide receiver Julio Jones (back) is listed as probable for Thursday night.
- Cowboys wide receivers Laurent Robinson (shoulder) was limited in practice, and Miles Austin was not on the official injury report.
- Mario Manningham was not on the Giants official injury report.




Tight Ends
- Colts tight end Dallas Clark did not practice on Wednesday with a burner.




Defense/Others
- Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (turf toe) returned to practice today.

December 2nd Injury Report

Quarterbacks
- Josh Freeman (thumb) decision to play will go all the way up to game-time, according to head coach Raheem Moore. If he plays, he has an extremely fantasy-friendly matchup going against Carolina. Josh Johnson has taken first team reps in practice, and will start if Freeman is out.
- A couple moves on waivers today for quarterbacks that were recently released. Donovan McNabb, released by the Vikings on Thursday, was not claimed on waivers on Friday, and his agent has not been contacted by any teams, according to ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Other than McNabb, Sage Rosenfels, released off the NFI list by the Dolphins earlier this week, took McNabb's spot on the Vikings' 53-man roster. McNabb was released after being moved behind Joe Webb on the depth chart and in practice, according to ProFootballTalk. The Cowboys and Bears were both rumored to put in claims on McNabb, but decided to pass on the 35 year old quarterback.
- According to KCChiefs.com, Tyler Palko will start on Sunday over Kyle Orton, as expected.


Running Backs
- Adrian Peterson (ankle) did not practice and has been ruled out for this week's game against the Denver Tebows. Toby Gerhart will get his second consecutive start.
- Willis McGahee (illness) practiced today, and is listed as probable. He is fully expected to play this weekend.
- Montario Hardesty practiced today and is expects to play this week. He is listed as questionable with a calf injury.
- Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) was in his first practice since October 30th on Friday. According to ESPN's John Clayton, Bradshaw "should be able to play" if he does not suffer any setbacks.
- Michael Turner (groin) returned to a full practice today, and, barring any setbacks, should start this week against the Texans.
- Beanie Wells (knee) has become a reoccurring issue for fantasy owners. He struggles to stay in practice, but his performance on Sunday pays off. This week he was at full practice on Friday, and should be good to go this week.
- Colts RB Joseph Addai did not practice and is listed as questionable.




Wide Receivers
- Miles Austin did not practice on Friday, and was ruled out for his fifth consecutive game. Laurent Robinson will get another start opposite of Dez Bryant.
- Percy Harvin (illness) did not practice on Friday. He is expected to start on Sunday, and is listed as questionable.
- Eddie Royal (toe) was limited in practice today, and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game.
- Lots of news swirling around the Giants' wide receivers. Hakeem Nicks, who missed practice earlier this week with a rib injury, was a full participant in practice on Friday and is listed as probable for Sunday. Victor Cruz, who popped up on the injury report on Tuesday of this week with a hip injury, is also listed as probable. However, it is a different story for Mario Manningham, who acknowledged that his season could be in jeopardy due to a lingering knee injury on Thursday. Manningham did not practice on Friday and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the undefeated Packers.
- Raiders wide receivers Denarius Moore (foot) and Jacoby Ford (foot) will both miss Sunday's game against the Dolphins. The two practiced on a limited basis at times this week, but, obviously, neither will be ready to go for Sunday. I like Darrius Heyward-Bey, and I ranked him like Moore and Ford would miss.
- Julio Jones returned to practice on Friday, after missing practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury. He was a limited participant and is listed as questionable, but is expected to play. For fantasy owners, I would stay away until he produces.
-Andre Johnson was a limited participant in practice with a knee injury, as he has been all week. He is listed as probable, and should be a go for Sunday.


Tight Ends 
- Bengals TE Donald Lee, who has missed the last thee games with a foot injury, was limited in practice today and is listed as questionable.
- Once again, Buccaneers tight end Kellen Winslow did not practice for non-injury related reasons. Should be good to go on Sunday.
- Titans tight end Jared Cook suffered a concussion last week, but will be a green light on Sunday. He practiced in full on Friday.


Defense/Others
- Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora (ankle) has been ruled out for week 13, and he should miss at least two more weeks with a serious ankle injury. Other than Osi on the defensive side, Mark Herzlich, who made his first NFL start last week, is also out for this week.
- Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan ruled LaRon Landry out for week 13 in Friday's press conference.
- The injury to Russel Okung's pectoral muscle is as serious as first thought: After an MRI on Friday, it was confirmed that Okung has a torn pectoral muscle and would miss the rest of the season. This is Okung's second NFL season and he was drafted with the sixth overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State.
- Packers linebackers Desmond Bishop and AJ Hawk were ruled out for Sunday's game. Both have calf injuries that could keep them sidelined for another week or two.
- Vikings CB Asher Allen (shoulder) was limited in practice on Friday, and is listed as questionable. Linebacker EJ Henderson also has a shoulder injury, was limited in practice and is also questionable.
- Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who suffered "concussion-like" symptoms in last Sunday night's game, was a full participant in practice and is listed as probable.Linebacker Lamarr Woodley has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury. While being close to a return the last couple of weeks, it looks like this is the week that Woodley will return. He is listed as probable and has been a full participant in practice all week.
- Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes was limited in practice on Friday, but is doubtful for Sunday. Linebacker Joey Porter was also limited today, and is also doubtful.
- Lions cornerback Chris Houston did not practice all week with a foot injury and is not expected to play after injuring it last week against the Packers.
- After missing the last three games with a knee injury, it is very likely that we could finally see Saints' middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma back on the field. He had a full practice on Friday, and is listed as probable.
- Buccaneers defensive tackle Brian Price is questionable for Sunday and was limited in practice on Friday. If he were to sit out, Da'Quan Bowers would start in his place.

Week 5 Bank/Tank

Hallelujah! The bye weeks are among us! Actually, it’s not all giddy for everyone. I mean, some owners are scrambling for a guy to replace all three of their running backs, because they don’t know how to draft. Or someone might be looking for that quarterback who is going to have a great game and is a free agent in their league. I know you are thinking Tavaris Jackson, Andy Dalton, or Matt Cassel; all of which are wrong. But, I wouldn’t want to just give it away so let’s get started.

Quarterbacks

Bank

Cam Newton vs New Orleans – Look, there is almost no way you can sit this guy right now. He is playing out this world, and even more so for a rookie. This guy is going be around for awhile, and whether you like it or not, he is going to be, or at least looks like he is going to be, an elite quarterback. Against a weak New Orleans defense (19^th in the league), I think you can expect a big game for Cam Newton again.

Alex Smith vs Tampa Bay – Yes. The quarterback for the 49ers. The same Alex Smith that I have ranked 32^nd this year in my quarterback rankings. If your quarterback is on bye (Tony Romo, Joe Flacco) and you are scrambling to pick up someone, then this is your guy. Tampa Bay is ranked 21^st in the pass and have allowed seven touchdowns in the first four games this year. That doesn’t mix well with a dose of Alex Smith (I chuckled as I typed this…). Last week Smith had 291 yards and two touchdowns against a “stout” Eagles’ pass defense, so why not against the Bucs? Look out for Alex Smith this week.

Extra: Donovan McNabb vs Arizona

Tank

Ben Roethlisberger vs Tennessee – The foot isn’t a huge concern to me, but the way Ben has been playing is. Roethlisberger. He hasn’t scored over 15 fantasy points this year (against Seattle he scored 15) and the way Tennessee is playing, I wouldn’t want to play my quarterback against him. Tennessee has allowed just four touchdowns (one per game) this year, and Big Ben has only thrown just three touchdowns. On top of all of that, he has a foot injury. Is that enough to convince you to sit Ben Roethlisberger?

Matt Schaub vs Oakland – When Andre Johnson was not in the game last year, Mat Schaub was everything but fantastic. He threw for 755 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception in the three games without Andre Johnson. I’m not saying he is going to completely suck this week, but he isn’t going to be the Matt Schaub you are wanting. Hopefully you have a better option this week.

Running Backs

Bank

Joseph Addai vs Kansas City – Remember those talks of Delone Carter taking over the role in Indianapolis? I think that’s over now.  The last two weeks Addai has been taking the heavy workload for the Colts. Addai has had 28 carries to Delone Carter’s 11, and I’m not just trying to sugar coat this: in three games Addai has 42 carries to Carter’s 22. While Carter still has five carries in the redzone to Addai’s four, all of Addai’s carries in the redzone have come in the last two weeks and in that time frame, Carter has zero. With the matchup, I really love Addai this week.

Cedric Benson @ Jacksonville – Maybe Benson still has one more game left in him before he is suspended by the NFL, but nevertheless, this guy is getting a huge workload. In the last two weeks, Benson is tied for the most rushes in the redzone (9). That is one-fourth of his carries in that time frame. But his performing outside of the redzone too with a 4.5 yards per rush average this season. With Jacksonville dead center (16^th) in rushing defense, I think Benson could have a real nice game. To top it all off, I expect the Bengals to get up early in this game and pound the ball (but don’t count AJ Green out).

Extra: Ahmad Bradshaw vs Seattle, Thomas Jones @ Indianapolis

Tank

Ryan Grant and James Starks @ Atlanta – Neither one of these guys is going to get the main workload, and even if one of them does wind up getting the bulk of the carries, you can’t guess who it is going to be! With a tough matchup at the Georgia Dome (10^th rushing defense),  I ‘m not going to be playing either of these. And it’s not just that; I think this game will be a shootout, and when Aaron Rodgers gets into a shootout, he isn’t going to be handing the ball off.

Michael Turner vs Green Bay – Make it a sweep! I’m sitting them all in Atlanta! There have only been 77 rushes attempted against Green Bay through three weeks, and it clearly isn’t working. They are the number two rush defense in the league and are allowing just 3.7 yards per rush. Like I said, I think this game will be a shootout, I would try to sit Michael Turner this week at all costs.

Extra: Johnathan Stewart vs New Orleans, DeAngelo Williams vs New Orleans

Wide Receivers

Bank

Julio Jones vs Green Bay – The Packers already have a bad pass defense, but they are even worse against “supporting casts”. In week one it was Devery Henderson, then it was Johnathan Stewart, next it was Sanzenbacher, and finally it was Eric Decker. So my point is; can the Packers defend a physical and extremely talented guy like Julio Jones who has had an increasing role in the offense? I doubt it.

Santonio Holmes @ New England – You all know I have an extreme bromance with Santonio, and we also know that Mark Sanchez is no Tom Brady. Every time these two teams play it is a shootout, and the two quarterbacks throw…a lot. The Patriots are dead last in the league in passing defense. They can’t stop anything, not even “The Sanchise” and Santonio Holmes.

Extra: Percy Harvin vs Arizona

Tank

Denarius Moore @ Houston – Look, I’m scared of Johnathan Joseph shutting this guy down, that is why I have Darrius Heyward-Bey against an injured Kareem Jackson ranked higher. Heyward-Bey plays on the right side more often, and Joseph in on the left more often so I think we are going to see Moore go up against Joseph more than we see him against Jackson.

Mario Manningham vs Seattle – I have preached Victor Cruz, and I have preached on and on. From preseason sensation, to that player who was given that opportunity to finally see the playing field. Cruz is extremely talented, and once he was given this chance I knew he would take advantage of it. I know the offensive coordinator said that Manningham still has that spot, but that is just going to give Cruz the room he needs in the slot to run free! I still think Manningham has a ton of talent, I just think that Victor Cruz has more of it.

Tight Ends

Bank

Owen Daniels vs Oakland – With no Andre Johnson, Daniels and his receivers are going to have to step up. With the way Daniels has be playing, and with Schaub not finding Jacoby Jones or Kevin Walter very much this year, Owen Daniels is going to have to step up his game, and his stat line will show it.

Extra: Jared Cook @ Pittsburgh

Tank

Dustin Keller @ New England – He has flopped once again. In his last two games he hasn’t done much for your fantasy team, and even though New England can’t stop the pass, they sure can stop the tight end. In week two they shut down Antonio Gates, and in other weeks tight ends haven’t found many holes in their defense. Sit Keller this week, I’m confident that you can find better options.

Thanks for checking out the week five Bank and Tank. I will be back tomorrow (Saturday) with my game picks along with all of that other good stuff that I do on Saturdays, so be sure to check that out. If you have any fantasy football questions (even a simple,”Who do I start?”) then feel free to check me out on Twitter for shorter questions, or hit me up on the email for longer questions that are quite a big larger than that of a tweet. If you don’t come back tomorrow, make sure to comeback on Sunday morning for all of the latest on who you need to get out of your lineups and who you need to stick in there on the Injury Report page. And one last thing: check out ReclinerQB.com for some great and hysterical writing from Matt Prendergast. Thanks, and I will see you tomorrow.