The game of the week normally plays on Monday night and Week 9 is no exception. The 6-2 Redskins host the 5-2 Steelers with first place in their respective divisions on the line. Washington's FedEx Field will be epicenter of the NFL in Week 9, which is plenty of motivation for players to dust off their injuries and get themselves ready for some football.
Many of the Redskins and Steelers best Fantasy options litter injury practice reports and they all have one thing in common: They'll do anything it takes to be on the field on Monday.
Pittsburgh is counting on the return of running back Willie Parker after a four-week absence with a badly sprained knee. Parker was finally able to practice in full on Wednesday and is expected to be in the starting lineup. His only two healthy games this season both produced 100-yard rushing games with a total of three touchdowns, so you are going to want to start him even against a tough Redskins rush defense.
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| Owners have been waiting patiently for Willie Parker to return. (US Presswire) |
Roethlisberger has sounded a little scared of the NFC East -- and who can blame him, he's thrown for one touchdown and five interceptions in two games against the Giants and Eagles this season -- but he expects to play no matter how poorly his shoulder feels.
"We're hungry -- and we're beat up," Roethlisberger said. "It's going to be tough, but we need to come out and be hungry."
The Redskins were not as fortunate on the injury front on Thursday. There is still a very real possibility that they will be without two of their best Fantasy options. Wide receiver Santana Moss and running back Clinton Portis are still not practicing as their nagging injuries are being treated very carefully.
It's likely both will be game-time decisions, Moss with his hamstring and Portis with his ankle, but it would likely take broken bones to keep them idle Monday night. Moss is coming off a 140-yard performance against the Lions in which he scored a receiving and punt return touchdown and has been described as an indispensable cog in Washington's offense by coach Jim Zorn. He told the Washington Post Wednesday that he expects the wideout from Miami to be on the field against the Steelers.
Portis will probably continue to be held out of practice. The Redskins took the same approach last week with his injured ankle and he responded with his fifth straight game over 120 yards rushing. Fantasy owners need to realize he'll be listed on the injury report, but with a chance to put the Redskins in first place, there is no way he'll allow Shaun Alexander, the Redskins backup, to shoulder the load.
Monday night's showdown should prove to be a fantastic hard-nosed football matchup and luckily, all the players listed on each team's injury report are willing to play through the pain. Don't fret when you see the injury tag next to names Roethlisberger, Parker, Moss or Portis when deciding who to start in Week 9. None of them get anything less than a 90 percent chance of starting and all should be active in your lineup.
Running Backs
Steven Jackson, St. Louis: The only thing that has changed for Jackson between this week and last week's decision to sit out the Rams game at New England is the date. He's had another week to heal but still told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Thursday that he wasn't 100 percent.Jackson participated with the first-team during 11-on-11 drills Thursday but the Rams have said all along they don't want him to play and risk further injury unless he's completely healthy. The fact that backups Antonio Pittman, Kenneth Darby and Travis Minor are all getting first-team reps in practice as well is also a bad sign for his return.
Fantasy Take: Jackson is not giving the media much they can work with in terms of how he feels right now. He said that he's planning to play in Week 9 against Arizona but that sheds no new light on what we already knew. Because the Rams have no problem keeping him out to avoid further injury, he'd have to get to 100 percent by Sunday in order to play and that gives him just a 50 percent chance of starting. Monitor him up until kickoff because a healthy Jackson is a must-start option.
Warrick Dunn, Tampa Bay: More telling than the fact that Dunn has yet to practice this week leading up to Sunday's game against Kansas City is the fact that Bucs coach Jon Gruden admitted that playing Dunn against Dallas last week was a mistake.
Dunn is suffering from a pinched nerve and his limited action last week didn't help. Kansas City is one of the worst rushing defenses in football so Tampa Bay has the ability to rest Dunn and still have a pretty good shot at running over the Chiefs.
Fantasy Take: Gruden believes that if a player can't practice they probably shouldn't be playing in the game so we have to assume Dunn will be kept out for now. He gets a 25 percent shot of starting so Fantasy owners would benefit from finding other options. The biggest winners here are owners of Earnest Graham, who stands to gain more touches with Dunn out of the lineup. Avoid backup Michael Bennett, who will take Dunn's place if he can't go, since the majority of the carries will be bestowed upon Graham.
Darren McFadden, Oakland: If it's not one toe, it's the other keeping McFadden out of practice Thursday. Avoiding details, McFadden has been limited all season by an injured right toe but has since said that the injury is better. Unfortunately, his left toe is now giving him problems.
"There's some thought that it's the support of the shoe, so we're working on that," Raiders coach Tom Cable said Wednesday. The Raiders and McFadden are sponsored by Nike and, although McFadden doesn't want to blame it on the Oregon-based shoe company, he didn't have these problems running in Adidas last season at Arkansas.
Fantasy Take: McFadden played last week despite the injury to his right toe and there is no way that is fully healed. Add the new injury to the other foot to the equation and it is probably best for the rookie to take the week off to heal -- no pun intended. We give him a 30 percent chance of starting against the Falcons in Week 9 and suggest starting Justin Fargas in all leagues against the porous Atlanta rush defense.
Sammy Morris, New England: The only thing we know for certain about Morris' injury status is that he plans on coming back at some point this season. As for Week 9 against the Colts on Sunday night, that remains up in the air.
Morris told the Boston Globe Tuesday that he's frustrated with his injuries but declined to say when he planned on returning, instead saying, "I'm working my way back."
Fantasy Take: Morris gets a 10 percent chance of playing against the Colts because although he plans on playing again this season, it doesn't sound as if a return is pending. With backup LaMont Jordan also still banged up, the Patriots could rely upon Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Heath Evans as they did last week. None of those other backs with the possible exception of Faulk are great options against the Colts, however, but Morris is certainly someone to keep on the bench unless he's touched by a healing angel before Sunday night.
Tight Ends
Jason Witten, Dallas: Witten has yet to practice this week because of the broken ribs that limited him to one catch for eight yards against Tampa Bay last week. The No. 1 overall Fantasy tight end is having trouble sleeping and feels every breath he takes but still thinks he'll be able to play against the Giants in Week 9."I hope I can get out there and help," Witten said Thursday before the team practiced. "It's a big game obviously, and I want to do my part."
Fantasy Take: Witten and the Cowboys have a decision to make. Week 10 is Dallas' bye week and that makes keeping Witten inactive against the Giants the more rational choice. With 20 days to rest and heal, he'd be close to 100 percent when he returned. But against the NFC East-leading Giants, Witten is going to try to play. That boosts his probability of being out there a tad but we still think he gets just a 40 percent chance of playing. Possible last-minute tight end replacements for Week 9 include Jacksonville's Marcedes Lewis, Green Bay's Donald Lee or John Carlson of the Seahawks.
Tony Scheffler, Denver: Scheffler has missed the past two games for Denver but has been able to practice in a limited capacity all week leading up to Week 9 against Miami. His groin is healing and the Broncos expect he'll be able to make his return against the Dolphins.
Fantasy Take: Scheffler gets an 80 percent chance of playing against the Dolphins and that automatically makes him worth starting in Fantasy. There just aren't many Fantasy-viable tight ends this season and Scheffler has been a cog in the Broncos' offense in every game he's played.
L.J. Smith, Philadelphia: Smith is suffering from a concussion after making two grabs for 29 yards last week against the Falcons. Always a tough injury to predict, Smith said Monday he felt better and then suffered a setback Tuesday when he was completely out of it.
"Actually, Monday he was pretty good, and then, [Tuesday] he was a little bit out of it, and today he feels pretty good," coach Andy Reid told the Delaware News Journal. "That's kind of how those things work. It's nothing out of the norm for somebody that's had a concussion."
Fantasy Take: The Eagles tight end would be a No. 1 option at Seattle in Week 9 if he can go, but a concussion is never an injury to be taken lightly. We give him a 45 percent chance of playing against the Seahawks and suggest picking up one of names listed above if you need a contingency plan.
Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay: Rodgers has been injured all season and has yet to miss a game. In fact, he's played like a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback despite the injury to his right shoulder.Now, coming off a bye in Week 8, Rodgers has been able to get in some practice time and has said he feels a lot better than he has in a long time.
Fantasy Take: Rodgers is playing in Week 9 against the undefeated Tennessee Titans. Coming off the bye week he's going to be healthier against Tennessee than he has been in some time and he'll need to be against one of the toughest pass defenses in the NFL. Regardless, Rodgers is definitely worth starting in Week 9 with a 99 percent chance of playing.
Wide Receivers
Reggie Wayne, Indianapolis: Coach Tony Dungy thought his injured wide receiver, suffering from a knee injury, would be able to practice on Thursday. Turns out that didn't happen and Wayne is now in jeopardy of missing his first game of the season against the Patriots on Sunday night.Fantasy Take: Wayne was hurt in Monday night's loss to Tennessee but was able to finish the game. The fact that Dungy thought he'd be fine to practice on Thursday suggests that he's going to be available against New England and the team is just taking it easy with him. Continue to monitor his situation but we give him a 70 percent chance of starting on Sunday night and consider him worthy of starting in all Fantasy leagues.
Laveranues Coles/Jerricho Cotchery, N.Y. Jets: Coles has been a permanent resident on the Injury Insider this season and we guess Cotchery just wanted to get in on the action. Coles' thigh is nothing new and we fully expect him to be ready for Week 9 at Buffalo. Cotchery, however, is dealing with a shoulder problem after he spent last week on the injury report with a head issue.
Fantasy Take: Coles gets a 90 percent chance of playing. He's a must-start across the board in Fantasy against the Bills. Cotchery is tougher to predict because we don't actually know when he injured himself. Conventional wisdom suggests that the Jets are simply limiting him as a precaution and we expect him to be fine against the Bills. He gets an 80 percent chance of starting and is a No. 3 Fantasy option in Week 9.
Brandon Lloyd, Chicago: Lloyd sprained his knee in a Week 4 game against the Eagles and hasn't played since for the Bears. After the team's first three games he looked like a must-start receiver in Fantasy but has since fallen off people's radar screens.
The Bears are coming off a bye and play Detroit in Week 9 and that would immediately make Lloyd worthy of starting for your team. The only problem remains his knee, which is still limiting him in practice as of Thursday.
Fantasy Take: If you've gotten by without Lloyd you should probably continue to avoid him in Week 9. He won't play until he feels 100 percent and that has yet to happen. You may continue to monitor the situation leading up to Sunday, but the bottom line is that he remains a very risky start against the Lions.
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