NFL Injuries & News You Should Know for Week 12

As you prepare for Week 12 of the fantasy football season, injuries are an integral part of your lineup research.  RotoBaller has you covered with injury reports from around the league after last Sunday's action.  If you've got some questionable players heading into Week 12 and the playoffs, be sure to stay on top of their most recent health updates.

NFL Injuries & News for Week 12

Arizona Cardinals:

• WR: Teddy Williams (Achilles) is out for the season.
  • Analysis: Williams was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon and is out for the rest of the season.  He was a primarily used on special teams and only had one catch on the season.  It's quite the blow to the player himself; however, there's likely very little impact to the Cardinals' D/ST.
• D/ST: DB Justin Bethel (concussion) was forced from the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and is considered week to week.
  • Analysis:  Bethel was initially considered questionable in the first half; however, he did not return and will be evaluated week to week.  Bethel is primarily a reserve, so the Cardinals' D/ST should be fine going forward.

Baltimore Ravens:

• WR: Marlon Brown (knee) was inactive for Week 11 against the Chicago Bears.
  • Analysis: Brown was a late scratch from the game and was also a late addition to the injury report in general this week.  He also suffered a torn ACL during his senior season in college. Brown was on the WR3 fringe anyhow, and even if he's likely to return in Week 12, he's probably not worth playing or even keeping on your roster going forward.
• D/ST: DL Haloti Ngata (knee) was inactive for Week 11 against the Chicago Bears.
  • Analysis:  Ngata was already considered questionable for Week 11 after injuring his knee in Week 10 against the Bengals.  He was held out for this week and he could possibly be out for Week 12.  If Ngata is out another week, is certainly puts a damper on the Ravens' D/ST, especially the run defense.

Buffalo Bills:

• WR: Stevie Johnson (groin) and Robert Woods (ankle) were inactive for Week 11 against the New York Jets.
  • Analysis: Johnson has been battling a number of lower body injuries for the past several weeks and Woods has been dealing with a sprained ankle as well.  The expectation is that both will be back for Week 13 after the Bills' bye week.  With Marquise Goodwin and T.J. Graham playing well, the expectation is that both will eat into Woods' playing time going forward (though he was more of a WR4/FLEX consideration as of late).

Carolina Panthers:

• D/ST: DB Drayton Florence (groin) did not practice on Saturday and is questionable for Week 11 against the New England Patriots.
  • Analysis: Not much to see here as this isn't affecting the Panthers' stout front seven.  While this might cause issues in the secondary, Coach Ron Rivera felt good about Florence's health for Monday Night Football.

Chicago Bears:

• QB: Jay Cutler (ankle) has been ruled out for Week 12.
  • Analysis: His injury sounds worse than it seemed at first and based on quotes from him, there's a serious concern about significant ligament damage to ankle.  Culter is now considered to be week-to-week, and as such, Josh McCown is in store for more starts.
• D/ST: DT Stephen Paea (toe) left the Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
  • Analysis: The Bears' D is already been hurting and this was just another big loss.  With 21 tackles on the season, the Bears can ill afford losing Paea for any period of time.

Denver Broncos:

• WR: Wes Welker (head) left Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs with a possible concussion.
  • Analysis: It was a helmet-to-helmet hit that likely caused the potential concussion.  Welker came back in, but had to leave the game.  As with all concussions, Welker will have to clear the NFL's concussion protocols to be cleared for Week 12's Sunday Night Football matchup against the New England Patriots.  He was officially diagnosed with a concussion on Monday.
• TE: Julius Thomas (knee) was diagnosed with what the Broncos called a sprain
  
  • Analysis: Coach Jack Del Rio labeled the injury as a "sprain" and said he was "day to day."  As much as that's "coachspeak," it does seem like a serious injury can be ruled out.  Regardless, "Orange Julius" status for next Sunday night against the Patriots is looking very shaky right now.  Owners will have an updated status later in the week; however, they should have a backup plan ready just in case.
• D/ST: FS Rahim Moore (leg) has been diagnosed with lateral compartment syndrome.
  • Analysis: Quite a major issue and he'll be out for several weeks.  The Denver Post is reporting IR is a possibility.  He left Sunday night's game and don't expect him to back soon.  Losing him is definitely a downgrade for the Denver D; however, it's unlikely anybody was starting them...still, something to keep in mind.

Detroit Lions:

• WR: Nate Burleson (arm) was inactive for Week 11; expected to return Week 12.
  • Analysis: He's likely on track to play against Tampa Bay and it wouldn't be surprising if he did.  As much as the Lions would like him to spend more time healing/resting, they're tied for the NFC North lead with the Bears, so it's time Stafford spread the ball around some to keep defenses honest.  Not to mention, the Buccaneers have been getting roasted by slot receivers.
• RB: Joique Bell (foot) left the Week 11 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was cleared to return in the game..
  • Analysis: From the sounds of everything coming out of Detroit, Bell avoided any sort of long-term injury; however, he's in the dreaded "day-to-day" category, clouding his status for Week 12.  It's likely Reggie Bush will be in store for a larger workload coming next Sunday.
• D/ST: SS Golver Quin (ankle) was forced from Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
  • Analysis: He went down in the fourth quarter and didn't return.  Quin has been good for the Detroit D, so it will certainly hurt if he's out for an extended period of time. It's likely not an issue going forward however, as he was questionable to return though he was most likely held out for injury concerns.

Green Bay Packers:

• QB: Aaron Rodgers was ruled out for Week 12 on Monday.
  • Analysis: Scott Tolzien was named the starter for again for Week 12 and McCarthy was vague on Rodgers' status .  Depending on his status throughout the week, it's not completely out of the question Rodgers could play; however, it's quite the long shot.  Again, all the Packers' offensive players take a hit in value if Tolzien plays.

Jacksonville Jaguars:

• WR: Mike Brown (shoulder) has been diagnosed with an AC sprain
  • Analysis: AC sprains have hurt a few players this season, including Brown's teammate in Cecil Shorts and the Cardinals' Michael Floyd.  Clearly their severity varies as Floyd went off this week.  However, this is Jacksonville; there's no need to hold onto Brown if he's out for any extended period of time.  If need be, grab Ace Sanders as a weak WR4, WR5, or desperation FLEX.

Kansas City Chiefs:

• D/ST: RE Mike DeVito left Sunday night's game with a knee injury.
  • Analysis: He was ruled out for the rest of the game; however, there wasn't much extra news to go on.  It is the Chiefs' D; there shouldn't be any major worries going forward (at least from an injury standpoint).

Minnesota Vikings:

• WR: Greg Jennings (Achilles) was out for Week 11; expected to play at Green Bay in Week 12.
  • Analysis: His injury acted up  the day of the Week 11 game, so he was held out.  Jennings will likely eat into Cordarelle Patterson's work; however, the passing situation in Minnesota isn't great so one can't expect much.
• RB: Adrian Peterson (groin) stated his groin injury was bothering him significantly.
  • Analysis: He certainly looked like he didn't have the usual quickness and burst he had.  Peterson doesn't seem like he may need time off; however, expectations should be tempered somewhat for the game at the Packers.

New England Patriots:.

• TE: Michael Hoomanawanui (knee) left Monday night's game with knee injury.
  • Analysis: He was replaced by Matt Mulligan for blocking purposes.  Hoo-man isn't on the radar now that Gronk is back, but he certainly helped to make Brady's life easier as a blocking tight end.
• D/ST: CB Aqib Talib (hip) re-injured his hip against the Carolina Panthers on Monday night and  was questionable to return.
  • Analysis: He was questionable and then ended the night on the sidelines after re-aggravating his existing hip injury.  As always, the Patriots' secondary is getting torn to shreds by injuries and opposing receivers; if this is a long-term issue, this significantly dampens New England's D/ST value.  However, they are a streaming desperation play on D anyhow.

New Orleans Saints:.

• RB: Darren Sproles (ankle, knee) was limited during Sunday's win over San Francisco.
  • Analysis: He will likely be limited during practices as it is a short week with the team going to Atlanta to face the Falcons.  If he's doing better, he's best served as a RB2, RB3, or FLEX in PPR leagues and a RB3 or FLEX play in standard leagues.  Then again Atlanta just got gouged by Tampa Bay, and even with the RB committee the Saints have, he may certainly taste the end zone.
• TE: Jimmy Graham (foot, elbow) is likely limited this week.
  • Analysis: It's the mandatory Monday report, and there's nothing new here considering Graham played 51 out of 69 snaps against the 49ers.  Fire him up against the Falcons for Thursday night barring anything new.
• D/ST: CB Jabari Greer (knee) left the Sunday game against the 49ers.
  • Analysis: Coach Sean Payton didn't mince any words when he said the injury is serious; it looked bad in the game and it's likely that his season is over.  For an opportunistic defense that one could stream, it looks to be a tough blow.  Still, the Saints D might still be worth a shot starting on Thursday against Atlanta if the need is there.

New York Jets:.

• WR: Santonio Holmes (hamstring) was active in Week 11 against Buffalo.
  • Analysis: He might still get hurt considering how much he has been hurt lately; however, he looked sharp in his return and was able to provide an explosive burst most Jets' receivers are lacking at the moment.  Regardless, he's still a boom-or-bust option at WR, best served as a WR3, WR4 or FLEX.  The QB situation in New York certainly doesn't help.

Oakland Raiders:.

• QB: Terelle Pryor (knee) was ruled out of the Week 11 game against Houston.
  • Analysis: And it's likely he's ruled out again next week seeing how well McGloin played for the Raiders in the first road win of the season.  He was still questionable in the week prior to the game, so it's possible he's all systems go for Week 12...or not.  Quarterback controversy incoming...
• WR: Denarius Moore (shoulder) underwent an MRI on Monday.
  • Analysis: His production in the game may have well been due to the injury; however, seeing as how the injury didn't come up immediately Sunday night, it's likely this isn't anything major.  Regardless, Moore is a WR3, WR4, or FLEX going forward.

Philadelphia Eagles:.

• WR: LeSean McCoy (hamstring) likely had a cramp in the Week 11 win over the Redskins.
  • Analysis: Seeing as how the entire fantasy football world nearly had a heart attack, this is quite the kickstart to the heart...and a good one at that.   "Shady" came back into the game was clearly looked fine, so a cramp is the only logical explanation.  Regardless, pro-active owners should have handcuff Bryce Brown on their benches just in case.

Pittsburgh Steelers:.

• WR: Emmanuel Sanders (foot) left Sunday's game against the Lions and did not return.
  • Analysis: He was considered questionable to return after he went down; however, by halftime, Sanders was ruled out.  The severity of the injury is unclear, however, so it might not be a bad idea to consider either TD vulture Jericho Cotchery  or Markus Wheaton as replacements.

San Diego Chargers:.

• WR: Keenan Allen (knee) left Sunday's game against Miami and did not return.
  • Analysis: The silver linings are as follows: He hyper-extended his knee and it was the right knee, not the left knee which had a PCL tear that killed his draft stock this past April.  That being said, monitor the situation closely throughout the week.  Allen and coaches may say he's fine, but the fine print is what matters.

Seattle Seahawks:.

• WR: Jermaine Kearse (concussion) left the Week 11 game and Percy Harvin (hip) was active.
  • Analysis: Kearse did not catch a pass prior to the concussion spent the game out of commission; however, he's got the bye week in addition to this week to pass the NFL concussion protocols, so feel free to fire him up as a WR4 or desperation FLEX in Week 13.  As for Harvin, he was on a snap count looked excellent.  The expectation is for him to get back into game shape during the bye week, and let loose come Week 13; considering the game is against the Saints, expect him to be heavily involved, power run game or not.
• D/ST: CB Brandon Browner (groin) may not return this season.
  • Analysis: He has tissue damage in the area and the expectation is Browner will not see the field for at least 4 to 6 weeks.  It certainly puts a damper on the Seattle D, though that shouldn't be a major worry seeing as how good they've been all season.  At this point, the Seahawks are likely hoping he's back in time for the NFL Playoffs.

San Francisco 49ers:.

• D/ST: LG Mike Iupati (knee) has a sprained left MCL and CB Tarell Brown left Sunday's game with a rib injury.
  • Analysis: Iupati should expect to miss at least 2 to 4 weeks as he was simply not able to put any weight on the injured knee.  It's more likely that he'll be out longer.  Brown took a shot from behind and was down for a few minutes; though, he was able to walk off  under his own power.  Expect him to be back for Monday Night Footbal.  Regardless, these are injuries to a 49ers D than cannot afford to take any major hits...not something to worry about per se, but definitely keep in mind.

Washington Redskins:.

• WR: Pierre Garcon (ankle) said he was hurting badly and Leonard Hankerson (knee) left the game Week 11.
  • Analysis: Garcon didn't appear limited, but he did state his ankle was hurting aplenty after the loss against the Eagles.  He'll likely be limited in practice this week, and barring any setbacks, he should be fine for Week 13 against the 49ers.  Hankerson left the game against the Eagles in the first quarter and did not return; reports are stating he may need surgery to repair his left LCL (pending the results of an MRI).  If HankTime misses time, expect Aldrick Robinson or Santana Moss to see time opposite Garcon.
• TE: Jordan Reed (concussion) left Sunday's game against Philadelphia and did not return.
  • Analysis: He didn't take any major hits thankfully and it seemed that Reed suffered the injury while blocking.  As usual, Reed will have to pass the NFL concussion protocols prior to playing.  He'll have an extra day to be cleared as he has a Monday night game.