Week 12 Fantasy Football Injury Report

Week 13 of the NFL season is proving to be a tough week with six teams on a bye week and a boatload of injuries, many to vital cogs of an NFL or fantasy football team. We’re going to have plenty to get to and there are a lot of situations that are going to be less than favorable for fantasy managers.

Week 12 Fantasy Football Injury Report

Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys

We didn’t think Jake Ferguson was going to be able to play Sunday due to a concussion, and that’s what ended up happening. Ferguson is out, which means Luke Schoonmaker is going to be the lead tight end as far as receiving goes. I doubt he sees 10 targets again, but he can be used in a pinch if you have a strong tight end on a bye week. He is also the minimum salary on DraftKings for the weekend slate.

D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears

The starting running back for the Bears was able to log a limited practice Friday, which was an improvement on the rest of the week. D’Andre Swift has been dealing with a groin injury and is listed as questionable, but he says he’s playing Sunday. As of now, we do not have a reason to not think that’s the case. If something changes, Roschon Johnson will be looking at a bunch of work in a tough matchup against the Vikings.

Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Kareem Hunt is going to get one more week as the lead back for the Chiefs since Isiah Pacheco is not quite ready to make his return from a broken leg. Hunt couldn’t ask for a better matchup against the Panthers and should be a great fantasy back for Week 12. Next week will likely be a different story when Hunt and Pacheco are almost surely to both be active.

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers

Jonathon Brooks is set to make his NFL debut this week, but I don’t think that means we should get excited for fantasy. It would be surprising to see him walk into a fantasy-relevant role after weeks of Carolina being careful with his ACL recovery. On the flip side, Adam Thielen is easily the most experienced receiver in the offense and could have a lead role, albeit with Bryce Young at quarterback.

Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Both Alexander Mattison and Zamir White are listed as doubtful, so they are all but ruled out. The reports are that Ameer Abdullah will draw the start and has 34 total touches on the year, but I would be surprised to not see Dylan Laube get involved here as well. The problem is Laube hasn’t been able to jump Mattison on the depth chart yet, so that may not change too much in Week 12. Abdullah doesn’t have a ton of appeal, but managers might be in desperate need of a back who should see 10-12 touches, at least.

Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Arguably the biggest news of the weekend is the fact Brock Purdy is not able to play against the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers are already in a tough spot, struggling to gain any traction this year, and they’ll be without defensive stalwart Nick Bosa. They could also be without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, so this offense could really flop in Green Bay. Brandon Allen is in line to start, and I’m mostly still willing to start any of Jauan Jennings, Deebo Samuel Sr. and George Kittle The expectations have to be lower than normal though.

DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert are going to have to carry the majority of the Philadelphia passing game, because DeVonta Smith has already been ruled out. Jahan Dotson and Johnny Wilson are likely to be on the field for the snaps that Smith typically takes, but I doubt that they have a role that is worth pursuing for fantasy.

Original Monday Injury Report

That’s now two weeks in a row where the injury report is not particularly long, which is a welcome sight. Not only is it nice to see a week’s worth of games without too many injuries, but that’s a bonus for fantasy managers.

Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders 
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

The running back for Las Vegas hasn’t exactly been fantasy gold this year, but there may be one or two fewer bodies in the mix. Zamir White suffered a quad injury, while Alexander Mattison hurt his ankle. Ameer Abdullah likely will be the next man up and could capture some passing work if Mattison or White both miss time. Mattison or White could be a flex player or bye-week fill-in player if they aren’t competing for touches against each other. 

Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans 

This poor guy cannot stay healthy. Tyjae Spears made his way back into the lineup last week after missing multiple games and is now in concussion protocol. That means Tony Pollard will have to go back to touching the ball 20-plus times like he has been lately instead of splitting with Spears, like the Titans had planned on. 

Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons 

There doesn’t seem to be much worry about the hamstring injury suffered by Darnell Mooney on Sunday. The Falcons were getting hammered by the Broncos in Denver, so the game was out of reach by the time Mooney got hurt. The reports are that it’s not a serious injury and there was no reason to push him back on the field.