Tight end is generally the thinnest position in Fantasy to find quality talent worth using on a consistent basis. As some of the best in the NFL start dropping like flies, many Fantasy owners may be finding themselves dredging the waiver wire for some uncovered -- yet useful -- talent.
That's right. With Week 12 already beginning on Thursday night with a mid-week matchup between the Steelers and Bengals, a few elite Fantasy tight ends find themselves furiously trying to recuperate in time to play in their respective games this weekend.
Highlighting the list is Tony Gonzalez, who is joined by Alex Smith, Jason Witten and Kellen Winslow, who all could possibly missing time in Week 12. With so many tight ends questionable, Fantasy owners must really choose wisely from the hoi polloi off the waiver wire.
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Owners are hopeful Jason Witten will be able to produce Sunday despite his injured ribs.
(US Presswire)
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Before we go in depth into each injury situation, here are a few tight ends with possibilities of nice weeks that should still be available off waivers in most Fantasy leagues: Tampa Bay's
Jerramy Stevens (available in 93 percent of CBSSports.com Fantasy leagues) caught six passes filling in for Smith last week; San Francisco's
Vernon Davis (65 percent) has caught a touchdown pass in two straight games; Green Bay's
Donald Lee (65 percent) caught six passes and a touchdown last week and meets the poor defense of the Saints; Baltimore's
Todd Heap (62 percent) has caught eight passes for two touchdowns the last two weeks.
Tight Ends
Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City: Gonzalez is suffering from a knee injury he suffered in a Week 11 loss to New Orleans in which he caught five passes for 39 yards. Gonzalez was not forced out of the game, however, and that suggests he should be able to play through any pain he's feeling when the Chiefs host Buffalo in Week 12.
One of the all-time greatest NFL tight ends, Gonzalez could not practice on Wednesday, but the Kansas City Star reports Herm Edwards expects him to play against the Bills.
Fantasy Take: Gonzalez has developed quite a rapport with emerging quarterback Tyler Thigpen and even caught 10 passes for 113 yards and two scores two weeks ago against the Chargers. He has always been a must-start in Fantasy and that continues in Week 12 vs. Buffalo. We give him a 75 percent chance of starting and suggest keeping him active.
Jason Witten, Dallas: Witten was limited in Wednesday's practice for the Cowboys leading up to Week 12 against San Francisco in Big D. He's still feeling the affects of a broken rib he suffered Week 8 against St. Louis and, though he hasn't missed any games, Witten has been severely hampered and has only caught three passes for 42 yards in three games since.
Witten claimed on Tuesday that his ribs were feeling a little better but said, "The thing is, I need to avoid those direct blows," which obviously means the injury is still weighing heavy on his mind.
Fantasy Take: Witten is perhaps the best tight end in football when he's healthy but he's looked nothing of the sort lately, on either account. The continued return of Tony Romo should remedy that just a tad, but Witten isn't 100 percent. We give him an 80 percent chance of starting this week but don't expect top-notch production. Still, against the lowly 49ers defense, a less-than-100-percent Witten is still one worth starting.
Kellen Winslow, Cleveland: Winslow's right shoulder injury is not considered serious after an MRI Tuesday showed no structural damage but that doesn't mean his status for Week 12 is a go just yet. Winslow has yet to return to practice as of Thursday and coach Romeo Crennel has said the only way Winslow sees the field against Houston is if he's able to show a full range of motion in his shoulder.
There won't be definitive word on Winslow's situation until Friday at the earliest but one thing is certain, Winslow is a tough guy who wants to be out on the field. Still, he has missed two games this season and the best thing for all parties might be one more week of rest.
Fantasy Take: We can only give Winslow a 50 percent chance of starting against the Texans in Week 12. Until he gets on the practice field there is just no way of knowing how he's doing. If he's out, Steve Heiden would replace him. Heiden is a low-end Fantasy option and you'd probably get better production from one of the aforementioned players above.
Alex Smith, Tampa Bay: It was bad news for Smith and the Buccaneers as after being limited in Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury, Tampa's tight end was unable to see the field on Thursday.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden was asked if Smith was a long shot to play in Week 12 at Detroit and he said: "Based on today [Thursday], I'd say that. But we'll give him another day and see how he feels."
Fantasy Take: Smith could not play in last week's game against Minnesota after catching his third touchdown pass the previous Sunday. He's just a high-end No. 2 Fantasy tight end, when healthy, but with the other tight ends being injured, this could have been a good week to use him against the lowly, lowly Lions. Still, we give him just a 25 percent chance of playing against one of the NFL's worst defenses.
Quarterbacks
Brady Quinn, Cleveland: Funny how winning your first NFL game can make a little thing like a broken right index finger feel like a non event. Quinn broke the finger in the first half of Monday night's 29-27 win over Buffalo but stayed in the game to help the Browns to victory.
"At this point, it's just a little sore," Quinn said before practicing in full on Thursday. "Just doing the best we can to take all the precautions to make sure it's all right."
Fantasy Take: Quinn is expected to play after looking sharp in Thursday's practice. He didn't favor the finger while taking snaps and fired a few tight spirals while working out in the team's indoor practice facility. We give him a 90 percent chance of starting and proclaim him a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback for Week 12 against Houston.
JaMarcus Russell, Oakland: Russell is dealing with injuries to his ankle and knee and has been limited in practice all week leading up to Week 12 at Denver. Russell missed Week 10 and a series in Week 11 with the same injury. He was 15-of-22 passing for 156 yards against Miami last week.
Russell was seen wearing a walking boot on his right foot Wednesday but coach Tom Cable expects him to play against one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL, reports the Sacramento Bee.
Fantasy Take: Russell has a 90 percent chance of playing in Week 12, but even against the Broncos we don't expect much. He's just a high-end No. 2, at best, against Denver as the Raiders passing game is quite inept.
Running Backs
Clinton Portis, Washington: Why get your information from the injury report? Just listen to the man himself. Although Portis has yet to practice as of Thursday because of the sore knee that kept him a last-minute decision to play last Sunday night against the Cowboys, No. 26 fully expects to help coach Jim Zorn torch his former team in Week 12.
"It's coming along," Portis told the Washington Post after Thursday's practice. "I'm sore, but I'm playing this week. No ifs, ands or buts about it."
Fantasy Take: Portis rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries against Dallas when most thought he'd likely miss the game, so we expect the NFL's second-leading rusher to be active and starting against Seattle on Sunday. He gets a 90 percent chance of playing and remains a must-start against a below average rush defense.
Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia: Westbrook has yet to practice as of Thursday leading up to Week 12 at Baltimore because of a high ankle sprain. Westbrook has played in each of the four games since he last was forced to miss action, but he hasn't looked like the player who amassed an NFL-leading 2,104 yards from scrimmage last season.
While it is not unusual for Westbrook to miss practice time, his injuries rarely affect his play. This latest ankle problem certainly has done that. And now, Westbrook is admitting it has yet to fully. He told the Philadelphia Inquirer that it feels worse and worse as the game advances on.
Fantasy Take: Westbrook hasn't been very good in his last three weeks and the Eagles opponents in Week 12, the Ravens, are the NFL's third best rush defense. We give him only a 40 percent chance of being active for the game and even if he does play, he'd be just a low-end No. 3 option at Baltimore playing at less than 100 percent.
Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants: The Giants offensive line has been moving people like a fleet of U-Haul trucks and Jacobs doesn't want to miss out on that in Week 12 against Arizona. That's why the Giants tailback, who has five touchdowns in his last three games, returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday with a knee injury.
"I was running hard," said Jacobs, who plans on playing in Week 12, said after practice. "I made some cuts I thought were going to be difficult and they ended up being OK. I feel good, no pain. As far as I'm concerned, I'm on track to go out and get it done."
Fantasy Take: Jacobs certainly sounds ready to play, doesn't he? Still, conventional wisdom suggests that even if active, he won't be 100 percent. The Cardinals have a solid rush defense but the Giants run game has been fantastic. What gives? We give Jacobs a 70 percent chance of playing in Week 12 and if he does he's a high-end No. 2 worth starting in all formats.
Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister, New Orleans: The news is improving for Bush as the week progresses, but unfortunately for McAllister, the opposite is true. While Bush was able to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday, McAllister did not practice after being limited on Wednesday, reports the Monroe News-Star.
Saints coach Sean Payton said McAllister did not practice because of added swelling in his left knee. "It was maintenance and just monitoring where he's at," Payton said. "They drained it yesterday and we wanted to rest him today and see if it could calm down some."
Bush, on the other hand, has missed the last three games but has finally been able to practice again and Payton says he's further along in his progress than he was at this point last week. Payton said Bush looked "pretty good" in practice.
Fantasy Take: Neither player's fate is set in stone right now, though Bush looks like greater possibility to start. Still, until Friday at the earliest all we can do is speculate. That said, we give Bush a 70 percent chance of being active and McAllister a 65 percent nod. Both players are worth using against the Packers mediocre rush defense in Week 12, if healthy, so continue to monitor each of their situations leading up to Monday night.
Kevin Smith, Detroit: You can bet that after rushing for his first career 100-yard game against Carolina in Week 11, Smith has no designs on missing Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. The groin injury that has kept him limited in practice this week doesn't appear like it will stop him from attempting to improve upon the solid performance vs. the Panthers.
The Lions expect him to play against a pretty solid rush defense in Week 12 and after rushing for over 96 yards in two straight and scoring in three of his last five, Smith should play well once again.
Fantasy Take: This injury is not considered serious and we give him an 80 percent chance of playing against the Bucs. He looks as if he'll be the starting running back in Detroit for a long time and he should be starting as a No. 3 Fantasy back in Week 12 if he can give it a go.
Wide Receivers
Roddy White, Atlanta: You would think a back injury causing White to miss practice on Wednesday and Thursday would be something quite seriously challenging his chance at playing in Week 12 against Carolina.
The Falcons are calling White's ailment a deep back bruise but White is not concerned. "I just fell on it," White told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday. "I've got a little bruise back there. I just want to make sure that I'm ready to go on Sunday."
Fantasy Take: White has 58 catches for 903 yards and six touchdowns this season. He's emerged as a No. 1 Fantasy option and a threat to total 100 yards every week for Atlanta and young quarterback Matt Ryan. He's expected to practice Friday and we give him an 85 percent chance of playing against the Panthers.
Plaxico Burress, New York Giants: Burress apparently injured his hamstring sleeping Wednesday night. OK, that's just speculation, but the Giants have told us little else about why their star receiver wasn't injured on Wednesday but was forced to miss Thursday's practice.
A weekly member of the injury report last season, Burress did not miss a single game en route to New York winning the Super Bowl. That leads us to believe that whatever is bothering him won't be enough to keep him out of Week 12's game against the Cardinals in Arizona. More importantly, he's caught 35 passes this season but only 20 have come since the year's first two games. He's hauled in no more than three passes in the last five games, grabbing a total of 13 for 137 yards and two TDs in that span.
Fantasy Take: We give Burress a 75 percent chance at playing in Week 12 and expect him to be in there despite the claims of a hamstring problem. If he plays, he's got a solid matchup against the Cardinals but realize that teams have been double-teaming him everywhere he goes, a major reason for his lowered production.
Marques Colston, New Orleans: Colston's knee continues to place him on the practice injury report leading up to Week 12 against Green Bay. Colston was still just a limited participant in Thursday's practice, reports the Times-Picayune.
The same scenario clouded Colston during practice leading up to last week's game in which he started and caught three passes for 30 yards. For that reason, we expect he'll be just fine to play against the Packers in Week 12.
Fantasy Take: We absolutely expect Colston to be active and give him a 90 percent chance of playing Monday night against the Packers. Unfortunately, Green Bay owns the third best pass defense in the NFL and it will not be easy going for the third-year man out of Hofstra. Colston has been decent since his return with 12 catches for 226 yards and no scores in three games. Even against the Packers, Colston is worth starting on the biggest stage Monday.
Mark Bradley, Kansas City: Bradley was limited in Thursday's practice with a calf injury but coach Herm Edwards expects to have him for Week 12 against Buffalo, reports the Kansas City Star.
Bradley has developed into young starting quarterback Tyler Thigpen's favorite wide receiver as he led the Chiefs with three catches for 54 yards last week and has two touchdowns in his last four games. This injury is not considered serious and the Chiefs expect him to play.
Fantasy Take: Bradley may be limited in practice but we still give him an 80 percent chance at starting against the Bills. Fantasy owners should be starting him as a No. 3 Fantasy wideout.
Derrick Mason, Baltimore: Mason, who caught seven passes for 82 yards last week while dealing with the same shoulder injury, could not practice on Wednesday in preparation for Week 12 against Philadelphia.
Mason shook off the injury to play well in Week 11 and we expect he'll be able to do the same thing this week after he was able to return to practice in limited fashion on Thursday, reports the Baltimore Sun.
Fantasy Take: Mason was limited in practice last week as well so we expect him to be active against the Eagles. We give him an 85 percent chance of starting and since he has over 80 yards receiving in three of his last five games, he's worth using as a No. 3 option against the Eagles solid pass defense.
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