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Ray Rice has already been ruled out of today's game, but there are multiple game-time decisions of interest today. With the exception of Reggie Bush, I'd err on the side of sitting Larry Fitzgerald, Vernon Davis, Maurice Jones-Drew and the other game-time decisions. The big news this morning could come on Rob Gronkowski and I'll have updates on the status of all these situations here and on Twitter as news breaks.
This column will focus primarily on skill position players. Check my Sunday AM IDP Notes feature for updates and expectations on injured defensive players.
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.
reggie bush | knee | Questionable
The extent of Bush's injury remains unclear. It's sounding more like a contusion than a ligament sprain, however, and there were reports that he was moving well in Friday with only a sleeve on the knee. ProFootballTalk has a source that says Bush could be held out for precautionary reasons (a report echoed by Ian Rapoport this morning), but local sources felt he was more likely to play than not on Friday. Will Carroll has the first gameday update this morning, noting that Bush is still experiencing swelling in his knee. Officially a game-time decision, we'll know whether or not Bush is active by 1130 ET. If he's active, there's a risk that he'll leave the game early again if he's not feeling his usual level of explosiveness and that Joique Bell will be used more heavily than usual.
Fantasy recommendation: The tide seems to be trending toward Bush missing this week's game. If Bush is active, I think he belongs in a boom-bust RB2 tier. Despite the risk, he should be in your lineup unless you have another top 15 option.
1135 ET: Bush is officially inactive. It's too early to know if the swelling in his knee is a sign that he's recovering slowly from a knee contusion that could linger for another week or a sign that the injury is cartilage-related and may necessitate a longer term maintenance plan this season.
LARRY FITZGERALD | HAMSTRING | QUESTIONABLE
Fitzgerald said he wished he was 80% after last week's game but insists he's going to play through his injury. He's at high risk of a limited snap count by design, leaving the game early (as he did last week) or aggravating his injury. At minimum, he's unlikely to have his usual explosiveness.
Fantasy recommendation: Fitzgerald has a strong matchup today, but he's a boom-bust WR3. If you have another top 25-30 option, strongly consider sitting him today.
Rob Gronkowski | back | questionable
Early week reports suggested Gronkowski was well on the doubtful side of questionable, but his week of practice and the questionable tag (upgrade from last week's doubtful listing) have some tuned-in local media members hedging and saying Gronkowski has a chance to play today. The Patriots will submit inactives by 1130 ET and I'd bet that the major media members will have news before that. It feels like the Patriots have had a script with Gronkowski for the past eight weeks and we've heard Week 3-4 is the sweet spot for his return.
Fantasy recommendation: If the Patriots deem Gronkowski healthy enough to return, expect them to use him heavily and in high usage situations. There's enough downside in the Jared Cook, Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron tier to consider rolling the dice on Gronkowski immediately. If you're looking at a lesser option or play in a multi-TE flex, TE-premium scoring league, Gronkowski should be in your lineup if active.
1100 ET: Ian Rapoport reporting that Gronkowski still limited by strength in injured arm. He's unlikely to be active today. More on what thay may mean for Gronkowski in tomorrow's column. For now, don't panic.
JULIO JONES | KNEE | QUESTIONABLE
RODDY WHITE | ANKLE | QUESTIONABLE
White increased his practice participation this week (limited on Thursday and Friday after not practicing until Friday last week), but we don't know whether he's done more in his limited practice time than in past weeks. Jones played through his knee issue last week and looked fine.
Fantasy expectation: I'll continue to recommend sitting White until he practices fully on consecutive days during the week or we see him running his usual route tree again on gameday. I think we're getting closer to seeing one or the other happen and with luck, White can be put back into lineups next week. Jones should be in all lineups as usual.
Vernon Davis | hamstring | questionable
I felt Davis' injury was a bigger deal than he was letting on -- it's doubtful he'd miss snaps in a huge division matchup with a large ice wrap if his injury wasn't a concern. He's not practiced this week and told reporters that he was bruised up and would only say "we shall see" when asked about his Sunday availability. There's a chance that another 48 hours of treatment will allow him to play today, but I doubt he'll be effective.
Fantasy recommendation: I'd sit Davis today whether he's active or not. If you're planning to roll the dice, make sure you've got a hedge should Davis be announced as a late inactive.
Maurice Jones-Drew | ankle | questionable
I never felt that the tendon strain reported earlier this week was a more "reassuring" diagnosis than the less specific ankle sprain. Without knowing which tendon is injured and the severity of the tear, this injury is as likely to be a multi-week injury as any other ankle injury. Jones-Drew only made it through a limited Friday practice and is considered a game-time decision.
Fantasy recommendation: This one is easy. Jones-Drew is a game-time decision in a 400 ET game, has an injury that prevented him from practicing all week, and he faces an incredibly tough matchup on the road. Find another option this week.
Mike Wallace | groin | questionable
Wallace was added to the injury report on Thursday with a groin injury. He was listed as a full practice on Thursday -- though the Dolphins didn't practice at all -- and was limited on Friday. Midweek groin injuries are usually a worry for me with wide receivers, but it's difficult to know what those practice participation notes actually mean. Local media members expect Wallace to be active and play.
Fantasy recommendation: If Wallace is active, I'd use him as you normally would. I think he's a boom-bust WR2 at baseline, with high variance target counts and fantasy production. There's slightly more risk today, but there's risk of a possible 2-21 today whether he's battling a groin injury or not. If you're on the fence and can't wait for assurance that he's moving well in pre-game warmups before the late afternoon game, go with another option.
Daryl Richardson | foot | probable
I've had lots of questions on Richardson this week. He has fully participated in practice on Thursday and Friday and will continue to play through his toe/foot injury. Though he had only 10 carries last week, he was targeted six times out of the backfield and Isaiah Pead had only three touches. I haven't seen anything to suggest that Richardson's split and workload will be limited.
Fantasy recommendation: Richardson remains in a low ceiling RB2 tier for me. If you like the matchup in Dallas, he's a solid start.
1150 ET: Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporting that Richardson did much less in practice than his full participation would suggest. That's reason to be leery of his usage today. Would downgrade him to flex status in PPR leagues, with extreme bust risk in non-PPR leagues.
Rashard Mendenhall | toe | questionable
There hasn't been any specifics provided on Mendenhall's injury, but the types of toe injuries running backs suffer generally limit their effectiveness whether they elect to take a pain-killing injection or not. Mendenhall did not make it through a full practice this week, but local observers feel that he'll be active and see a reasonable workload.
Fantasy recommendation: Mendenhall's matchup against the Saints looks promising, but too many things have to go right for him to hit his RB2+ ceiling today. He must prove himself ready in pregame, avoid an in-game setback and the game flow needs to be favorable enough for him to get 15+ touches. He's a flex play at best.
Le'Veon Bell | foot | questionable
I doubt we see Bell on the active roster this week. If he is active, I don't expect the Steelers to give him a significant number of touches after just one week of practice. With his consecutive full practices this week, there's a chance we'll see Bell next week, but don't count on him seeing a high number of touches until after the Steelers' Week 5 bye.
Fantasy recommendation: Sit Bell until the Steelers show they trust him with 10-15+ touches and he proves he can be effective behind a patchwork offensive line.
Best of luck in your fantasy games this weekend. I'll be back on Monday morning to review all the Week 3 injuries in the Injury Rounds column. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking news and analysis during the games today.