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NOTE: This column is a living document and will be updated throughout the morning. Major changes to the content will be in red. Check back often for additions as gameday inactives are announced and lineup / depth chart changes are reported. I'll also be retweeting those reports with quick bits of analysis, so make sure you're following @JeneBramel and checking my timeline on Twitter.
Week 17 is always an odd week. Many injured players on teams out of playoff contention have been moved to injured reserve or were ruled out of today's games earlier this week. Others, like Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker, Jordan Cameron and Dwayne Bowe are less likely to play today than they may have been two weeks earlier in the season.
Generally, Week 17 is a week to avoid questionable players on non-playoff teams. There's little incentive for a team to put a player at risk for an aggravation of an injury or a cascade situation and a player who tweaks an existing injury is much less likely to finish the game. Unless a player has been very optimistic during the week or has a long history of playing through injury, look elsewhere today.
It can also be risky to trust injured players on teams chasing a playoff spot. Players like Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, Jermaine Gresham, Shane Vereen may play but may be playing through an injury that would otherwise have had them on the inactive list. These players are also high variance plays.
Hopefully, those with Week 17 fantasy championships aren't stuck with a tough decision today.
Most of the questions I'm seeing this week are on a trio of key Green Bay Packers.
Aaron rodgers | fractured collarbone | probABLE
eddie lacy | ankle sprain | probable
randall cobb | fractured tibia | activated off IR-R
It's been eight weeks since Rodgers was injured. His collarbone hasn't entirely healed but it's now strong enough that the conservative Green Bay medical staff is allowing him to play. He's been throwing for multiple weeks without issue and took all the first team snaps this week. Though there may be a little rust early, Rodgers doesn't carry the usual risk most players returning from a long term injury do. The Packers are likely to scheme more protection today and build in some shorter routes to limit the number of hits Rodgers takes. That shouldn't limit Rodgers' upside much.
Lacy admitted this week that he's playing through a painful ankle sprain. He'll be at risk of aggravating his injury with each carry, but he's been productive despite his situation over the past two weeks. His upside is worth the risk today.
Cobb is a tougher call. He's been running and practicing over the past two weeks, but it's unlikely he's fully back in football condition yet. The Packers have enough receiving weapons to limit Cobb's usage to certain spread packages if they choose. However, Rodgers and Cobb have great chemistry and Cobb may not need 50+ routes to be productive.
Fantasy recommendation: I'd start Rodgers today without hesitation and I trust Lacy as a RB1 despite the low floor. Cobb is a high variance WR3. There are enough wide receivers who will be sitting today that Cobb might be high enough on your depth chart to consider.
ray rice | thigh | questionable
torrey smith | thigh | questionable
Rice now has a thigh injury in addition to his ongoing hip flexor soreness. Reading between the lines of Rice's comments this week, I think Rice is struggling enough that he would have missed this week's game if the Ravens weren't in a must win situation. There's a high risk that he'll be ineffective, especially on the road against a solid Cincinnati front seven, or leave the game early.
Smith will also likely play through the questionable tag today. The Bengals' secondary is a good matchup, but the limitations of Smith's thigh injury and ongoing concerns with Joe Flacco's knee sprain could make it tough for Smith to take advantage.
Fantasy recommendation: I'd lean toward avoiding Rice if you have another option capable of a 15-20 touch week. Smith remains a boom-bust WR3.
Shane Vereen | groin strain | questionable
Vereen was limited in practice all week. That doesn't tell us much in New England. There are rumblings from the most reliable beat writers that Vereen could be inactive today, which is a strong indication that Vereen is unlikely to have a big role in today's gameplan. The Patriots are always tough to handicap and have enough options to move away from Vereen if he's active but ineffective early.
Fantasy recommendation: Avoid Vereen today if he's active unless you have no other viable options in a PPR league.
emmanuel sanders | torn meniscus | questionable
rueben randle | knee | questionable
Sanders practiced fully on Friday and the Steelers are in a must win situation. But the meniscus injury will be tough to play through. Sanders will be in pain and will likely struggle to separate. Randle's knee "flared up" earlier this week and kept him from practice. Though Randle was able to take some reps on Friday, he's a game time decision today.
Fantasy recommendation: Neither wide receiver is a clear fantasy play in most healthy weeks. Both have WR3+ upside if active, but a lower than usual floor.
Best of luck to those in Week 17 championship games. My thanks for reading this season. I'll continue to cover injuries around the NFL during the offseason on the Second Opinion page at Footballguys. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking news and analysis throughout the offseason.