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Today's injury decisions are more straight-forward than usual for fantasy owners. Two of the most critical decisions -- C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson -- are behind us. Most teams have made our decisions easy today by ruling players out well in advance. Some, like Rob Gronkowski, didn't travel with their teams. Others, like Miles Austin, Darren McFadden and Stevan Ridley didn't have a realistic chance at playing in Week 5 after Thursday's practice. Still there's a handful of skill position players to run down before the inactive lists are released, including three wide receivers that are a tough read today.
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.
1135 ET calvin johnson | knee | questionable >>> inactive
I did not include Johnson here initially. All indications were that he was likely to play, as he's done with similar practice participation listings with his knee issue. He's inactive today. The Lions aren't likely to let any information leak on this and most national media members suggested he was close to playing. But it'll be interesting to see if there's more to this knee injury than there's been in the past -- swelling-related symptoms, aggravation of a potential cartilage issue, etc. More on Johnson in tomorrow's injury rounds feature...
danny amendola | groin | questionable
Reports from the local media are very optimistic on Amendola. He traveled with the team to Cincinnati and has been reportedly moving well over the past ten days. He's now four weeks removed from the torn adductor tendon in his groin. That's within the timeframe in which some players who have decided against surgery have returned successfully. It's an injury that isn't likely to be aggravated during the game, but there is a risk of a compensatory injury to another muscle group.
The Patriots haven't commented on Amendola for weeks. It's unclear whether he'll be used in his usual role or heavily targeted on his return. I think it's likely, however, that if Amendola can move, he'll be one of Tom Brady's early reads.
Fantasy recommendation: There's risk with Amendola -- an early game setback, inability to effectively run option routes, a lesser than usual snap count even if healthy -- but I think he can be considered a WR3+ (with higher upside in PPR leagues) if he's active.
roddy white | ankle | questionable
White says he suffered a setback during last week's game. I didn't notice anything specific during the second half. I thought he was moving better throughout the game, but still struggling to slow down and make clean breaks in his pass routes. With the high snap and target count last week, I was ready to recommend him as a WR3 today. However, White's comments didn't have the feel of a player trying to mislead his opponent. He's saying he needs the bye week to recover, since he won't sit on gameday.
Fantasy recommendation: Sit White if you have other options. He's a marginal WR3 at best and should be considered no more than a boom-bust flex play.
cecil shorts | groin | questionable
Shorts aggravated his groin during last week's game and didn't practice all week. He'll reportedly play today, but is likely to be very limited. Just how limited is a difficult question. Shorts has played through the injury for a couple of weeks now and has yet to see fewer than 11 targets in any week. Despite last week's setback, Shorts managed seven catches on twelve targets.
Fantasy recommendation: Though Shorts has continued to produce through the injury over the past two weeks, aggravations are generally more significant injuries and he hasn't practiced all week. I still think there's a chance he'll be inactive. If he does play, he's a boom-bust WR3 option.
Andre Johnson | shin | questionable
Johnson played through his leg contusion last week and didn't appear limited against Seattle's strong secondary. He had his reps limited in practice this week, but there's been no indication of a setback. Though the Texans listed 17 players probable and only two questionable, I think Johnson is likely to play effectively today.
Fantasy recommendation: Use Johnson as you normally would.
Vernon Davis | hamstring | questionable
Davis is now nearly three weeks removed from his hamstring strain and ten days from his last full speed playing time. He was moving relatively well last Thursday and the extra few days of treatment should have him back to near full strength.
Fantasy recommendation: Davis is safe to start despite the Sunday night game time.
kenbrell thompkins | shoulder | questionable
Thompkins would only say "I'm fine," when asked about his injury this week and there have been no specifics about the nature of his condition. He's expected to play, but his targets could take a hit if Danny Amendola returns to the lineup.
Fantasy recommendation: Thompkins has worked his way into every-week WR3+ consideration. Though there's some risk with him today, if he's active he should be in your lineup. The Bengals will be without their top slot corner, Leon Hall, and there's no guarantee a healthy Amendola significantly limits Thompkins' opportunity.
Best of luck in your fantasy games this weekend. I'll be back on Monday morning to review all the Week 5 injuries in the Injury Rounds column. Follow me on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking news and analysis during the games today.