FFToolbox - Who's in and who's out of the early games in Week 13? plus 4 more

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Who's in and who's out of the early games in Week 13?
Texans RB Arian Foster expected to play today
Browns WR Josh Gordon will be 'full go' today versus Bills
Week 13: Wide Receiver Roundup
Report: Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch might retire after this season

Who's in and who's out of the early games in Week 13?

Posted: 30 Nov 2014 08:13 AM PST

It's Week 13, and that means this its quot;do or die" time for many of you. The playoffs are just a week away in many leagues. Are you on the outside looking in? We hope to help you this morning by bringing you the latest on the early-game actives and inactives. Frankly, there aren't many players worth watching, but if Arian Foster reinjures his groin during pregame warmups, we'll let you know about that and everything else. Keep refreshing this page starting at about 11:30 a.m. Eastern for all of the info. -- In non-injury news, Browns WR Josh Gordon is expected to be 'full go' today against the Bills. He played about 70 percent of the Browns' offensive snaps in his 2014 debut last week, and he still saw 16 targets. What will he do this afternoon with nary a snap missed? He is a no-brainer WR1. -- In a late-game note, CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora says it doesn't look too good for Broncos tight end Julius Thomas to play tonight against the Chiefs. He's been dealing with an ankle injury since Week 11. Jacob Tamme is the desperation replacement there. -- La Canfora also has the word on Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald. He thinks the veteran will play versus Atlanta but will be limited. He didn't practice this week because of his sprained knee ligament and is only a WR4 at best despite a great matchup. -- Redskins TE Jordan Reed is active after missing last week's game due to a hamstring strain. With Colt McCoy back under center for Washington (Robert Griffin III is officially listed as the Redskins' No. 2 QB today) Reed is in that back-end TE1 range. He caught seven passes from McCoy in the quarterback's start versus Dallas earlier this season. -- Vikings RB Jerick McKinnon is officially inactive. You can read more about Minnesota's running game in the field below. Word has it that Matt Asiata will start. -- Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson is active. He was listed with an ankle injury. He is a total boom-or-bust WR5. -- On the defensive side of the ball, Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is a surprise inactive. One of the league's top tacklers, David was expected to return from his ankle injury today versus the Bengals, but it won't happen. That helps Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard a little bit. -- Buccaneers TE Austin Seferian Jenkins is inactive due to a back injury. Wipe off one tight end sleeper for this week. -- As expected, Texans RB Arian Foster is active for today's game versus the Titans. There are few better matchups for running backs than Tennessee. Ostensibly healthy, Foster is a top-five fantasy RB today. -- WR Robert Meachem is inactive for the Saints. Big-play specialist Joseph Morgan and big target Nick Toon will contribute on limited opportunities -- Jaguars WR Cecil Shorts is active. He missed some practice time this week because he was sick, but he is a decent WR3/4 for the constantly-trailing Jaguars. The Giants' secondary is all kinds of injured. -- Rams pass-rushing defensive end Chris Long has been activated off of short-term injured reserve and is active for today's game versus the Raiders. That raises the value of St. Louis' defense a bit. -- Chargers RB Ryan Mathews is active. He has a tough matchup versus the Ravens, but he's still worth a RB2 spot. -- Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is active after missing some snaps last week due to a back injury. He's a low-end WR1 versus the Jags. -- As expected, Isaiah Crowell will be the Browns' starting RB today in Buffalo. He is a solid RB2. -- -- Bills WR Mike Williams and Raiders WR Denarius Moore are healthy scratches. This would be big news in 2012. Players who have already been ruled out for Week 13 include Jerick McKinnon*, Latavius Murray, Ryan Mallett, Dwayne Allen, Jordan Cameron and Jace Amaro. Those players and the impact of their absences will be discussed briefly below. For a full rundown of injuries across the league this week, click the source link below to the NFL's official injury report. FANTASY ANALYSIS: -- *OK, McKinnon is not officially inactive as of Saturday night; he's listed as doubtful on the injury report because of his back problem. But he told the media Friday that he won't play this Sunday, so we'll take his word for it. With McKinnon out, the Vikings' backfield looks murkier than usual. Matt Asiata, cleared to play following a concussion, is expected to be its leader, certainly down by the goal line, but he's only a middling flex option since Joe Banyard and Ben Tate are expected to mix in against the Panthers. The good news if you are considering Asiata is that Carolina has allowed 14 touchdowns to running backs, and Asiata has proven to be efficient deep in the red zone this season. -- Murray won't get a chance to repeat his Week 12 breakout performance this Sunday due to the concussion he suffered in that game. It's really unfortunate news for the Raiders and fantasy owners as Murray had given Oakland's ground game some life. Without him, you don't want any part of Darren McFadden or Maurice Jones-Drew against a Rams team that held the Broncos to just 28 rushing yards in St. Louis' most recent home game. -- Mallett reportedly tore his right pectoral muscle during warmups prior to last week's game against the Bengals. The rookie really struggled, but once the news came out, his poor day on the field became totally understandable. He's out for the year, and the Texans have turned back to Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. I guess that's good for DeAndre Hopkins. It's definitely not a positive development for Andre Johnson's fantasy stock. -- The tight end position has been a mess this year outside of the few elites at the top, and now injuries have struck the position hard. Not even including Jordan Reed, Julius Thomas, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Charles Clay, all of whom are nursing injuries of differing severities, there are a handful of tight ends who won't play in Week 13. Allen is still not practicing and will be sidelined for the second consecutive week by an ankle injury. Coby Fleener remains a TE1 possibility. Cameron and Amaro are both out due to a concussion. At least Cameron's activity in practice is steadily increasing. He still has some hurdles to clear, but he could return in Week 14 and may be worth adding since Cleveland's tight ends have a pretty favorable schedule during the fantasy playoffs. Josh Gordon's shadow should draw plenty of attention away from the middle of the field, leaving the athletic Cameron to freely roam large swaths of open earth. He could be cheap assistance on your journey toward a league title over the next few weeks.

Texans RB Arian Foster expected to play today

Posted: 30 Nov 2014 07:43 AM PST

Reports from NFL insiders and words from Texans head coach Bill O'Brien have gotten everyone's hopes up in each of the past two weeks that running back Arian Foster will make his return to the field after suffering a groin injury in Week 9. Except he didn't in either week. Foster missed games against the Browns and Bengals, but it looks like he will finally be active today against the Titans. He practiced in limited fashion throughout this week and is listed as probable. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Of course, Foster has a higher risk of re-injury than other players considering his history soft-tissue ailments. But as long as he makes it through pregame warmups unscathed, he's a top-tier fantasy start at home against a Tennessee defense that has been absolutely shredded by Le'Veon Bell and LeSean McCoy in its past two games. The Titans have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs this season and more than 700 rushing yards in their last four games. Foster gained 173 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on just 24 touches against them in Week 8. Foster owners should still have Alfred Blue stowed away for the inevitable next time their RB1 gets injured.

Browns WR Josh Gordon will be 'full go' today versus Bills

Posted: 30 Nov 2014 07:25 AM PST

After his eight-catch, 120-yard debut last week, the reins are going to come off of Josh Gordon today against the Buffalo Bills. That's what NFL.com's Albert Breer said this morning. He added that the Browns' dominant No. 1 wide receiver will be quot;full go" this afternoon. FANTASY ANALYSIS: You could argue that the reins were off of Gordon last week in his return from a suspension. Amid reports that he was going to be on the field for only 20-30 snaps versus Atlanta, he played 52, close to 70 percent of Cleveland's offensive plays. Quarterback Brian Hoyer might end up harming the Browns' chances by trying to force the ball to Gordon when he shouldn't, but Gordon's fantasy owners aren't complaining. He is back into high-end WR1 range again, regardless of the matchup.

Week 13: Wide Receiver Roundup

Posted: 30 Nov 2014 07:12 AM PST

Some underperforming, deeper flex or bench receivers who are poised for larger Fantasy Football roles in their respective offenses. This week's picks include Tavon Austin, Martavis Bryant, Malcom Floyd, Justin Hunter, and Charles Johnson.

Report: Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch might retire after this season

Posted: 30 Nov 2014 07:09 AM PST

There were reports last summer that Marshawn Lynch was considering retirement. Obviously, he decided to stick around for 2014, but perhaps no longer? NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday, citing sources familiar with Lynch's thinking, that the workhorse back quot;is weighing the possibility of retiring after this year." However, Rapoport adds that Lynch might stay in the league if Seattle's offensive line coach, Tom Cable, gets hired to be a head coach. Those two have a very close relationship, and Lynch could follow Cable to his new job, if he gets one. Cable was previously the head coach of the Raiders from 2008-10. He went 17-27. FANTASY ANALYSIS: It's already well known that Lynch probably won't be playing in Seattle after this season. The Seahawks are likely to cast him off due to contract and locker room concerns. Will he be playing anywhere? Well, we all know Lynch marches to the beat of his own drum, and anything he chooses to do wouldn't be too surprising because he is such a unique and private personality. Lynch doesn't have a ton of dynasty value since he will turn 29 next spring and has taken on monstrous workloads every year since 2011. Robert Turbin is his backup right now, but everyone wants to see what the very talented Christine Michael could do in a starting role. We will probably see that in Seattle next year, no matter if Lynch leaves on his own or is forced out.