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 immediately retweeting any breaking news with quick bits of analysis, so make sure you're following me at (@JeneBramel) and checking my timeline on Twitter on Sunday mornings.
Danny Amendola did not travel with the Patriots to Denver and will not play today. He'll join Devonta Freeman, Marshawn Lynch, Case Keenum, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and Leonard Hankerson on the inactive list today.
In a season full of injury -- Tony Romo is the latest to go down with a season-ending injury -- we're now scraping the bottom of the barrel in this expectation column. Today's feature is headlined by Charcandrick West, which shows just how far we've come through 12 weeks of the regular season.
charcandrick west | hamstring | questionable | early sunday start
Early this week, Andy Reid said West's hamstring injury was minor and considered his running back day to day. West didn't practice at all this week. On Friday, Reid refused to rule West out and the Chiefs listed him questionable, saying "he'll be ready mentally as long as he's healthy." While there may be a slim chance West will respond to treatment through the weekend -- it helps the Chiefs play at home -- and be healthy enough to play today, it's very unlikely he's fully healthy and in condition. With Spencer Ware running effectively last week, there's little reason to push West.
Fantasy expectation: Even if West is active, I don't believe he'll see close to his usual workload. 8-10 touches would likely be his ceiling. Consider West a desperation flex only today unless there are very positive pregame reports.
jarvis landry | knee | questionable | early sunday start
Landry didn't practice Wednesday, was limited on Thursday, and then missed Friday's practice. That line is rarely a good sign. It usually means the player tried to go on Thursday and didn't respond well to the physical challenge overnight. It's a line that usually means a player will be inactive. But Dan Campbell told reporters Landry was just being "rested" on Friday and "feels like" Landry would be able to play today. We'll find out this morning if Campbell was telling the truth.
Fantasy expectation: Landry should be safe to use if he's looking good during pregame warmups and makes the active gameday roster.
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Mark Ingram, Thomas Rawls, Frank Gore, Chris Johnson, Allen Hurns, Emmanuel Sanders, John Brown, Kendall Wright, Malcom Floyd, Ladarius Green, and a handful of other key skill position players are listed probable on this week's injury report and expected to play. None of these players have an obvious red flag -- other than Emmanuel Sanders, who continues to recover from a high ankle sprain -- but any could aggravate their injuries and see a limited workload. I'd be comfortable using any of these players as you normally would.
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tyrod taylor | shoulder | probable | early sunday start
Taylor quickly progressed in practice this week. He was cleared to do light practice on Wednesday, but was able to throw passes on Thursday. His shoulder responded well overnight and Taylor reportedly did even more on Friday morning. Listed probable, Taylor is expected to start today. But even a low grade shoulder sprain carries a fair amount of risk when it's a quarterback's throwing shoulder. Taylor could battle inaccuracy and loss of downfield throwing strength, even without taking a hit to the shoulder. If Taylor does take a hit on the injured area, he may not be able to finish the game. Kansas City has the type of pass rush to threaten Taylor's day.
Fantasy expectation: Taylor enters the game healthy, but it's difficult to handicap how likely it is he can finish the game. Use Taylor with caution today.
michael floyd | hamstring | questionable | late sunday start
Floyd reportedly looked near full strength during last Sunday night's pregame warmup and was able to get through consecutive limited practices this week. He's listed questionable and expected to be active today. What's not known is how much Floyd will be used in the Arizona offensive game plan. With the rest of the Cardinals' offense getting healthier, Carson Palmer should have enough weapons if the team chooses to limit Floyd's workload after two weeks of light activity.
Fantasy expectation: Floyd's usual ceiling, which includes a long touchdown catch, remains if he's active today, but his target expectation and floor are lower than usual. Consider him a boom-bust WR3 today.
travis kelce | groin/ankle | questionable | early sunday start
Kelce has been on the injury report for weeks with a variety of minor injuries, but is always listed probable and has never been in danger of missing a game. Kelce tweaked an ankle during Friday's practice, however, and that bought him a questionable listing. There's very little to go on here and it's possible there's nothing of concern. It's an early game and reporters will be watching pregame warmups carefully to determine Charcandrick West's status. Hopefully, we'll hear multiple reports on Kelce's movement during pregame. We'll definitely have his gameday active status ahead of roster lock.
Fantasy expectation: If Kelce is active, you can use him as you normally would.
Best of luck in your fantasy contests this weekend. I'll be back on Monday morning to review all the Week 12 injuries in the Injury Rounds column. Follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking news and analysis during the games today.
