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Week 3: Player Upgrades
Panthers deactivate DE Greg Hardy shortly before kickoff Sunday
Reports: Buccaneers RB Doug Martin won't play today vs. Rams
Who's in and who's out of the early games in Week 2?
Report: Bears WRs Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery unlikely to play Sunday night

Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:47 AM PDT

The best Fantasy options to target because they are on the rise in the short or long term. This week's picks include Kirk Cousins, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, Joique Bell, and Le'Veon Bell.

Panthers deactivate DE Greg Hardy shortly before kickoff Sunday

Posted: 14 Sep 2014 12:03 PM PDT

The Panthers decided to deactivate defensive end Greg Hardy shortly before the kickoff of their game today against the Lions. The move was first reported by NFL Network's Albert Breer. Hardy was found guilty of assaulting a female and communicating threats in July. Hardy appealed his conviction and will face a jury trial in November. He played in Week 1, recording four tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Hardy would probably be playing today if not for for Ray Rice. As it is, he has been benched by the team, and his future in Carolina is way up in the air. It's a major loss for the Panthers' defense and IDP owners as the superb pass-rusher is one of the top defensive linemen in the league. Similar to what the Vikings are doing with Adrian Peterson, expect the Panthers to examine Hardy's long-term status with them very soon. For now, owners should consider him out indefinitely. That's good news for upcoming opponents on Carolina's schedule. That consists of the Steelers, Ravens and Bears in the next three weeks.

Reports: Buccaneers RB Doug Martin won't play today vs. Rams

Posted: 14 Sep 2014 11:13 AM PDT

Despite practicing on Thursday and Friday, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin won't play this afternoon against the Rams. That's according to reports from NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and FOX Sports' Jay Glazer. Bobby Rainey is expected to start in his place. Martin missed chunks of last week's game versus the Panthers due to a knee injury. He was expected to play, but something has obviously changed. FANTASY ANALYSIS: You have to wonder if Martin suffered a setback after the feeling around him heading into the weekend was generally positive. Rainey will face a pretty good run defense on the road; he is a middling flex option. Make sure you get Martin out of your lineups as soon as possible.

Who's in and who's out of the early games in Week 2?

Posted: 14 Sep 2014 08:31 AM PDT

The status of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery may be the focus of the biggest injury story today, but there sure are many names to track this morning -- Jordan Cameron, Carson Palmer, DeAngelo Williams, Toby Gerhart, Cecil Shorts and more. For the latest on all of today's banged-up NFL'ers, refresh this post consistently starting at 11:30 a.m. Eastern when the active/inactives reports officially come out. -- Bengals WR A.J. Green missed some practice time this week because of a foot injury, but according to NFL Network's Jeff Darlington, he won't be on a pitch count today versus the Falcons. He's ready to roll. -- NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting that Carson Palmer will not play versus the Giants today. He tried to warm-up this morning. but his injured right shoulder didn't respond well, per Rapoport. That's a massive downgrade for Michael Floyd or Larry Fitzgerald. Drew Stanton is the backup. -- Cardinals RB Andre Ellington is active. With Palmer out, he should see a lot of touches. The Giants have a good run defense, but Ellington is a fine RB2. -- As expected, Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts is inactive due to his hamstring injury. Allen Hurns gets another start and is worth a WR3 start against the Redskins. -- Browns TE Jordan Cameron is officially inactive due to a sprained shoulder. Andrew Hawkins is a sneaky PPR play for another week. He was heavily targeted last week, and the Saints' defense couldn't stop anything in Atlanta last week. -- Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams is inactive due to a thigh injury. Jonathan Stewart will start and likely split carries with Mike Tolbert against the Lions' stiff front seven. Neither is more than a deep-league flex. -- Patriots WR Kenbrell Thompkins is a healthy scratch today. Aaron Dobson, who was scratched last week, is active. He isn't worth starting right now but has long-term upside. Rookie RB James White will miss his second consecutive game. -- Dolphins WR Mike Wallace and RB Knowshon Moreno are active despite some minor bumps. Wallace is a WR2 against the Bills while Moreno, after his big Week 1 performance, is a high-end RB2. -- As expected, Cam Newton is active for the Panthers after missing Week 1. He is not expected to be limited in any way. Roll him out there against the Lions as a QB1. -- Jaguars RB Toby Gerhart is active. His ankle may not be 100 percent, but he is an RB2 who will get a lot of work today in a good matchup versus Washington. -- Saints WR Kenny Stills will make his season debut today. He missed Week 1 due to a quad injury. He is worth rostering, but he is a WR5 right now. With Stills back, WR Joseph Morgan is a healthy scratch. -- In late-game news, Austin Davis is expected to start at quarterback for the St. Louis Rams in place of the injured Shaun Hill. The main beneficiaries? Zac Stacy and the Buccaneers' defense. -- RB Bryce Brown is a healthy scratch for the Bills. WR Santana Moss is a healthy scratch for the Redskins. -- Patritots TE Rob Gronkowski is active. You know what to do. -- Almost missed this big piece of news: Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald was reportedly dealing with a sprained MCL in his knee last week, which helps explains his low usage. However, this is something to watch going forward. Fitzgerald is 31 and on the decline. A bad knee could make expedite his slide. He should see more targets this week, but going from Palmer to Stanton isn't a good thing for Arizona's offense. Players who have already been ruled out for Week 2 include: Adrian Peterson, Ben Tate, Jordan Reed, Christine Michael, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Those players and the impact of their absences will be discussed in the quot;Fantasy Analysis" section. For a full list of injured players this week, click the source link to the league's official injury report below. FANTASY ANALYSIS: -- Peterson was deactivated Friday when he was indicted by a grand jury on child abuse charges. Matt Asiata will start instead against the Patriots, but he is not a special player by any means. You're basically hoping for a touchdown from him. If he doesn't score, you won't get much else from the slow, plodding runner. -- Tate will miss a few weeks due to a knee injury. Terrance West will get the start against a Saints defense that couldn't stop anything last week in Atlanta. West averaged more than 5 yards per carry against the Steelers and is a strong RB2. But don't forget about another Browns rookie in Isaiah Crowell. He scored twice on five carries last week and is worth starting as a flex if you are in a bind. -- Reed is battling another injury. It's a hamstring strain this time. His return timetable is unknown. Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen are the in-house replacements, but they are solely desperation fantasy starts today versus the Jaguars. -- Michael will miss his second consecutive game due to a hamstring injury. The much-hyped Texas A&M product is far behind Robert Turbin as the backup to Marshawn Lynch. -- Seferian-Jenkins didn't practice all week due to a foot injury. The monstrous, athletic rookie could be a fantasy factor later in the season. Right now, he's hardly worth a roster spot in 12-team leagues.

Report: Bears WRs Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery unlikely to play Sunday night

Posted: 14 Sep 2014 07:47 AM PDT

We'll cover the early-game inactives here soon, but first comes very important news about two elite wide receivers who kick off Sunday night. A source has told ESPN's Adam Schefter that it's quot;75 percent sure" Bears wideouts Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery won't play against the 49ers. Marshall missed the entire practice week due to a sprained ankle. Jeffery was able to practice on Friday but only in limited fashion because of a hamstring injury. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Get them out of your lineups. Even if one of them suits up, he won't be anywhere near healthy and will have a brutal matchup. Jay Cutler is going to have a very rough go without his top targets, especially against a San Francisco defense that will be fired up for its first game in its new stadium. Cutler is only a mid-range QB2. Tight end Martellus Bennett and wide receiver Santonio Holmes will likely pick up most of the slack in the pass-catching department. Bennett, who had a solid game last week when Marshall and Jeffery were battling their pains, is a stellar TE1. Holmes is more of a hope-and-pray flex. Of course, the Bears' offense will now focus around Matt Forte, who should get a ton of work. Despite the formidable opposition in front of him, Forte is an easy RB1.