Sit Start Injury Report Sunday Morning Week 12 2021

Every fantasy manager knows that injuries can have a huge impact on a fantasy team's performance.

That makes properly navigating each week's injury report a must. To assist in this effort, this weekly article series will analyze the fantasy football impact of the Friday and Saturday injury reports.

The injured players are noted by player position and then their injury status. Out means the player has been ruled out of this week's contest. Doubtful means the player is very unlikely to start. Questionable indicates the player might start. Start likelihood is increased if a player has participated in practices that week, so practice participation levels are frequently noted in these posts.

Let's look at the Week 12 injury report. The initial edition of this article is generated following the league's Friday injury report. It is then updated on Saturday night with any injury changes that have been posted since the Friday update.
 

Atlanta at Jacksonville

Atlanta injuries

RB Cordarrelle Patterson: Questionable
Patterson was able to put in limited practices all week, so the odds are good that he plays this week. If Patterson does miss this contest, Mike Davis and Wayne Gallman will split the workload, as Qadree Ollison has not been activated due to a non-COVID-19 illness.

Jacksonville injuries

CB Shaquill Griffin: Out
Griffin is a starting cornerback, so his absence does give an upgrade to the Falcons receivers, as coverage liability Nevin Lawson is likely to get more work in Griffin's place. It adds marginal value to Russell Gage and could make him a viable flex candidate in deeper leagues.

Carolina at Miami

Carolina injuries

The Panthers have no notable injuries.

Miami injuries

S Brandon Jones: Questionable
Jones is one of the Dolphins starting safeties and was limited in practice all week with ankle and elbow injuries. His absence might afford a bit of an upgrade to the Panthers receivers, but Miami does a very good job of cross training their secondary players so it's not enough to warrant a rankings upgrade for D.J. Moore or Robby Anderson.

Cleveland at Baltimore

Cleveland injuries

CB Troy Hill: Questionable
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones: Questionable
RB Kareem Hunt: Questionable
T Jack Conklin: Questionable
Hill has been something of a liability in coverage this year, but three limited practices indicate he is likely to come back following the neck injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago. It may make Sammy Watkins a good longshot upside play given that Hill is likely be in coverage against Watkins for much of the day. Peoples-Jones did put in two limited practices this week and thus could be trending towards a Week 12 return, but he's still too much of a risk to put into most fantasy lineups.

Saturday night update: Hunt and Conklin were added to the injury report because they were activated from injured reserve, so their questionable status is just a reflection of that.

Baltimore injuries

CB Anthony Averett: Questionable
WR Marquise Brown: Questionable
DE Calais Campbell: Questionable
G Patrick Mekari: Questionable
CB Jimmy Smith: Questionable
DT Brandon Williams: Questionable
CB Tavon Young: Questionable
Brown did have three limited practices this week and thus it looks like he will play, but there is a risk in waiting for him to be cleared given that this is a Sunday night matchup. Sammy Watkins could get more targets if Brown is out, but Watkins could also get a lot more coverage attention that nullifies the target increase advantage. Keep an eye on the Ravens cornerback situation, as Smith did not practice all week and Averett and Young were both limited. If Averett and Young were declared out, it would make Jarvis Landry a higher percentage flex play and possibly make Donovan Peoples-Jones a viable flex candidate.

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver

Los Angeles injuries

CB Asante Samuel: Out
G Matt Feiler: Questionable
Samuel's absence could be just what is needed to get Courtland Sutton out of his slump, so give strong consideration to granting Sutton one more chance to redeem himself.

Denver injuries

S Kareem Jackson: Doubtful
T Bobby Massie: Doubtful
T Garrett Bolles: On COVID-19 list
The Broncos could be without both of their starting offensive tackles in this one. The Chargers invite teams to run the ball against them and Denver's offensive line has been dealing with injuries all year, so this may only warrant a minor downgrade to Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams. Jackson is a key part of why the Broncos have been superb at covering tight ends this year, so Jared Cook does get enough of an upgrade to consider him as a possible stream start.

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay

Los Angeles injuries

CB Donte Deayon: Questionable
Deayon has played 88 percent or more of the Rams defensive snaps three times this year, but he hasn't played a snap since Week 9 and thus would not be a major loss if he is out.

Green Bay injuries

T David Bakhtiari: Out
CB Kevin King: Doubtful
RB Aaron Jones: Questionable
WR Allen Lazard: Questionable
The Packers really could have used Bakhtiari to return to the lineup last week after losing Elgton Jenkins to an ACL injury last week. Yosh Nijman will get the start at left tackle in their place. Nijman started three games earlier this year and the Packers gave up six of the 22 sacks they have allowed this season in those contests. This won't keep any of Green Bay's stud players out of fantasy lineups, but it may lower the ceiling a bit. The Packers defense has been playing at a high level this year even without King in the lineup, so that loss can be overcome.

It had been thought that Jones would miss this game, but there looks to be a solid chance that he will return. If he does, the Packers are likely to split carries between Jones and AJ Dillon like they have much of the season, but they may end up giving Dillon a larger share. It would keep them both in flex territory, with Dillon likely having slightly more value.

Minnesota at San Francisco

Minnesota injuries

DE Everson Griffin: Out
The Vikings placed Griffin on the reserve/NFI list this week.

San Francisco injuries

RB JaMycal Hasty: Out
RB Elijah Mitchell: Questionable
It's tough to tell if Mitchell is returning to the lineup this week, as varying reports indicate myriad possibilities for him. If he does return, fantasy managers should probably expect RB2 production and leave Jeff Wilson on the bench. If Mitchell is out, Wilson would vault back to the starter's role and have RB2/flex value.

New York Jets at Houston

New York injuries

RB Michael Carter: Out
WR Corey Davis: Doubtful
DT Folorunso Fatukasi: Questionable
DE John Franklin-Myers: Questionable
DE Shaq Lawson: Questionable
LB C.J. Mosley: Questionable
Carter is slated to be out for a few weeks with an ankle injury. Ty Johnson and Tevin Coleman will now split the workload in what should be a platoon setup, so rate them both a middling flex candidates. Davis has posted only one solid fantasy point total since Week 8, so he should be considered a risky flex candidate even if he is able to return from a groin injury this week.

The defensive injuries could be a major factor in this matchup, as the three defensive linemen listed above constitute three quarters of the Jets starting defensive line. Add Mosely, who is their leading tackler, to the mix and David Johnson could actually have flex value in some leagues. It should also help to move Tyrod Taylor to the upper half of the QB2 tier.

Saturday night update: Davis has been downgraded to doubtful, so he is very unlikely to play in this game. Carter was placed on injured reserve, so he is going to be out for at least the next three weeks.

Houston injuries

The Texans have no notable injuries.

Philadelphia at New York Giants

Philadelphia injuries

RB Jordan Howard: Out
Miles Sanders and Boston Scott will take over in this backfield now, with Sanders serving as the lead back with RB2/RB1 value and Scott holding down the alternate back role with potential flex value in deeper leagues due to his goal line prowess.

New York injuries

WR Sterling Shepard: Out
WR Kadarius Toney: Doubtful
RB Saquon Barkley: Questionable
WR John Ross: Questionable
With Shepard definitely out and Toney almost certainly out, the Giants are going to with Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, and Collin Johnson as their top three wide receivers. Golladay's value took a hit with the news that Darius Slay will play in this matchup, so Golladay is now a very risky flex candidate given the tough coverage and his lack of production. Barkley was on the field for nearly every offensive snap last week and his three limited practices this week indicate that is likely to happen again, so value him as a borderline RB1/RB2.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

Pittsburgh injuries

TE Eric Ebron: Out
CB Joe Haden: Out
Haden has posted superb yards per target totals for most of this season. If he is out, it will give Ja'Marr Chase a good chance to post a true impact point total for the first time since Week 7.

Saturday night update: Haden is now listed as out, so Chase has a very good chance of posting one of his 20+ point totals in full PPR leagues. Ebron was placed on injured reserve and thus will be out for at least the next three weeks.

Cincinnati injuries

The Bengals have no notable injuries.

Tampa Bay at Indianapolis

Tampa Bay injuries

WR Antonio Brown: Out
G Ali Marpet: Out
DT Vita Vea: Questionable
LB Devin White: Questionable
Brown won't be able to make it back to the lineup this week. That should help Chris Godwin and Mike Evans continue to dominate the wide receiver target counts in this offense. Marpet is one of the best guards in the NFL, so his absence does lead a bit more of a downside path for Leonard Fournette. Vea and White are two of the run stuffers on this defense, so if they end up missing this contest, it increases the likelihood that Jonathan Taylor has another dominant performance.

Saturday night update: Marpet has been downgraded to out.

Indianapolis injuries

LB Darius Leonard: Questionable
G Quenton Nelson: Questionable
Leonard and Nelson are two of the best players in the league at their respective positions, but their absence really wouldn't be a deciding factor in whether to start any of the impact Tampa Bay fantasy prospects or Taylor.

Tennessee at New England

Tennessee injuries

WR A.J. Brown: Out
G Nate Davis: Out
LB Rashaan Evans: Out
LB David Long: Out
RB Jeremy McNichols: Out
CB Greg Mabin: Out
CB Elijah Molden: Questionable
TE Geoff Swaim: Questionable
The Titans remain one of the most banged up teams in the league. Now that Brown is out, Tennessee will go with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Chester Rogers, and Dez Fitzpatrick as their top three wide receivers. Only Westbrook-Ikhine has potential value in a starting lineup, and that is only as a desperation play in very deep leagues. The defensive injuries indicate that the Titans will be hard pressed to slow a New England offense that has scored 24+ points in seven straight games, so don't hesitate to start Damien Harris or Rhamondre Stevenson if they are healthy enough to play (more on which below).

Saturday night update: Mabin has been downgraded to out. Brown has been placed on injured reserve and thus will be out for at least three weeks.

New England injuries

LB Ja'Whaun Bentley: Questionable
T Trenton Brown: Questionable
K Nick Folk: Questionable
RB Damien Harris: Questionable
TE Hunter Henry: Questionable
LB Don'ta Hightower: Questionable
TE Jonnu Smith: Questionable
RB Rhamondre Stevenson: Questionable
Harris and Stevenson both had limited practice this week, which wasn't a surprise for Harris but was for Stevenson, as he was added to the injury list on Thursday. They both belong in fantasy starting lineups if they play due to their production and the injured state of the Titans defense, but if Stevenson is out, it potentially lifts Harris into the RB1 tier.

Seattle at Washington

Seattle injuries

RB Rashaad Penny: Out
RB Alex Collins: Not on final injury report
RB Travis Homer: Out
CB D.J. Reed: Not on final injury report
Collins is trending to be the lead back in this offense this week, but his lack of production and subpar status of this platoon of late makes Collins a risky flex candidate at best. Reed will likely cover Terry McLaurin in this matchup, so if Reed ends up missing this game it increases McLaurin's upside potential.

Saturday night update: Penny and Homer are now listed as out, but Collins is not on the final injury report. This indicates Collins will be the lead rusher for the Seahawks and thus is a solid flex candidate. Reed is not on the final injury report, so McLaurin's value remains at its usual level.

Washington injuries

T Sam Cosmi: Out
TE Ricky Seals-Jones: Doubtful
RB Antonio Gibson: Not on final injury report
WR Adam Humphries: Questionable
RB J.D. McKissic: Not on final injury report
WR Curtis Samuel: Questionable
G Brandon Scherff: Not on final injury report
Gibson's 43 carries over the past two weeks indicates that he is over his shin ailment, so the limited practice is likely just a rest measure. It's possible that Samuel returns to the lineup this week but given the potential for injury rust it's really a bad idea to even consider playing him. If Cosmi and Scherff both end up out of this contest, it will add a lot of downside risk to any Washington player given that they are both starting offensive linemen for this club.

Saturday night update: Cosmi is now listed as out. Seals-Jones is listed as doubtful and will likely miss the game, which will assure that Logan Thomas gets as many tight end targets as possible. Humphries and Samuel are listed as questionable, which makes them non-start candidates in most leagues. Gibson, McKissic, and Scherff were not on the final injury report and thus are going to play on Monday night.