Week 10 NFL injuries that matter for fantasy

Staying on top of injuries throughout the week, and especially on Sunday mornings, is one of the easiest ways to maintain an edge in fantasy football. Outside of, you know, just making sure you don’t have inactive players in your starting lineup, it’s important to understand how one injury can greatly impact the fantasy potential of other skill position players within a game.

Lucky for you, this weekly series is here to help. Rather than just frantically refreshing each team’s injury report, I’ll do the heavy lifting each Saturday night and update injuries and provide analysis once inactives are released and early game-time decisions finalized on Sunday mornings.

Early Inactives

Zay Jones, WR, Buffalo Bills (knee) – Out
Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (ankle) – Out
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys (suspended) – Out
Dan Bailey, K, Dallas Cowboys (groin) – Out
Ryan Griffin, TE, Houston Texans (concussion) – Out
Dede Westbrook, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (abdomen) – Out
Malcolm Brown, RB, Los Angeles Rams (knee) – Out
Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots (shoulder) – Out
Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets (knee) – Out
Jeremy Kerley, WR, New York Jets (suspended) – Out
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers (ankle) – Out
Trent Taylor, WR, San Francisco 49ers (ribs) – Out
Pierre Garcon, WR, San Francisco 49ers (neck) – Out
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (shoulder) – Out
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (suspended) – Out

Doubtful

Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins (hamstring) – Not likely to play

Questionable

Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills (knee) – Likely to play
Dion Sims, TE, Chicago Bears (illness) – Game-time decision
Markus Wheaton, WR, Chicago Bears (groin) – Likely to play
Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (knee) – Likely to play
Kenny Britt, WR, Cleveland Browns (knee) – Likely to play
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys (knee/ankle) – Likely to play
Emmanuel Sanders, WR, Denver Broncos (ankle) – Likely to play
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver Broncos (hamstring) – Likely to play
Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions (hamstring) – Questionable
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts (groin) – Game-time decision
Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (knee) – Likely to play
Arrelious Benn, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (groin) – Likely to play
Damien Williams, RB, Miami Dolphins (illness) – Likely to play
Martellus Bennett, TE, New England Patriots (shoulder) – Questionable
Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots (knee) – Likely to play
Kyle Juszczyk, FB, San Francisco 49ers (neck) – Likely to play
Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans (ankle) – Likely to play
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington Redskins (hamstring) – Likely to play
Niles Paul, TE, Washington Redskins (concussion) – Game-time decision

Updates/Analysis

Jordan Reed, TE, Washington Redskins – Inactive – With Reed out, Vernon Davis jumps to No. 6 in my tight end rankings. Across the six games Reed has missed over the past two seasons, Davis averages 91 percent of the team’s snaps, 5.5 targets per game, and 11.5 PPR fantasy points per game. Last week, with Jamison Crowder out, Josh Doctson inexperienced, and Terrelle Pryor underperforming, he led the team in targets (nine) and receiving yards (72).

Redskins offensive line – Active – All five of Washington’s offensive linemen are active today. This is a huge boost for the fantasy value of Kirk Cousins, who was held below 11 fantasy points in each of his past two games.

Dion Sims, TE, Chicago Bears – Inactive – Two weeks after Zach Miller dislocated his knee, Sims is out for Week 10. Adam Shaheen and Daniel Brown are the only tight ends to record a snap (104 to 16) or a target (two to one) this season. Neither is worthy of a start this week, but if truly desperate, I’d add Shaheen for his touchdown upside. (He set the Division II record for touchdown catches last season.)

Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets – Inactive – As expected, Forte is out for Week 10. Forte missed Weeks 4 and 5 with an injury earlier this season, and Powell totaled 23 carries, 10 targets, and 36.3 fantasy points in six quarters over this span, before succumbing to an injury himself. Over the final month of last season, when Forte saw only eight touches while dealing with an injury, Powell outscored all players at every position, except for only Le’Veon Bell and Aaron Rodgers. Though Elijah McGuire will syphon some touches away, Powell is still a strong low-end RB1 this week.

Charles Clay, TE, Buffalo Bills – Active – Clay is active, but is a poor start in his first game back since Week 5. He draws a brutal matchup against a New Orleans Saints defense that has held every tight end they've faced (except for the superhuman Rob Gronkowski) to fewer than 30 receiving yards.