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Week 9 Injuries:

Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT) sustained a foot injury on an Aldon Smith sack, which ended up being a mid-foot sprain and will likely sideline him until after the Steelers’ week 11 bye. Initially, it was suspected that he may have sustained a LisFranc injury to his left foot, which could have ended his season. Big Ben is still trying to play in week 10, but we believe that the starter will be Landry Jones. Thankfully, Jones has shown that he is capable of running the offense to some degree (and unlike Michael Vick, he has been getting the football to Antonio Brown on a regular basis), but the Steelers have never wanted to start Jones and he doesn’t perform well under pressure (as evidenced by his start against Kansas City earlier this season).

Teddy Bridgewater (QB, MIN) was knocked unconscious in week 9 and sustained a concussion, but he appears on track to start in week 10 against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are giving up 18.9 points per game to opposing fantasy QBs, so things look good for Bridgewater assuming that he is in good health.

Andrew Luck (QB, IND) has a partial tear of an abdominal muscle and a lacerated kidney. Yikes! These injuries will keep Luck off the field for a few weeks at minimum and bring in veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck to start under center going forward. Not good news for the Colts at all. Hasselbeck was previously able to score a few TDs when he filled in for Luck earlier in the season, but to rely on him for any more than a game or 2 at a time will likely spell trouble for fantasy production in Indianapolis.

Dion Lewis (RB, NE) was a huge pickup off the waiver wire for many fantasy football teams, but unfortunately he suffered an ACL tear in week 9 which will sideline him until 2016. This reinforces LeGarrette Blount as the primary RB in New England, but we will definitely see a committee of James White and Brandon Bolden on the field sucking up the snaps that Dion Lewis handled previously. As far as predicting which, if any, RB besides Blount will now be fantasy relevant? Might as well flip a coin.

Latavius Murray (RB, OAK) suffered a concussion this past week, but looks to be on track to play in week 10 already. If he’s not able to suit up, some combination of Taiwan Jones, Roy Helu and Marcel Reece will be in line to handle Murray’s touches.

Eddie Lacy (RB, GB) was on the injury report with a groin injury from week 9. Only in his 3^rd year, we expected Lacy’s production to be similar to what it was in 2013 and 2014, but he’s currently only on pace to reach about 50% of that production this season. It’s hard to see James Starks carving out a permanent role as the lead RB for the Packers, but an underperforming Lacy is forcing that to happen. As of right now, Starks appears to be taking that job.

Allen Hurns (WR, JAX) was injured at the very end of the game in week 9 with a sprained left foot. Hurns has been great, turning in a touchdown in each of the last 6 games and as long as he can dress for week 10’s match-up against Baltimore, he should continue that trend. We’ll have to wait until later this week to see if Hurns has shed the walking boot and is able to practice.

Malcolm Floyd (WR, SD) suffered a torn labrum on Monday night and will likely be out for the remainder of the season and perhaps be done for his career. This points to Stevie Johnson, Antonio Gates and Danny Woodhead sucking up all of Rivers' passes for the rest of the season. Fantasy gold, Jerry! Especially in PPR leagues.

Previous Injury Updates:

Tony Romo (QB, DAL) is still expecting to return in week 11, against the Dolphins.

Matt Forte (RB, CHI) news is not forthcoming, but the current expectation is a return in week 11 against the Broncos.

Carlos Hyde (RB, SF) had a stress fracture and there are no new updates on his recovery, though he could very well be out for the rest of 2015.

Kendall Wright (WR, TEN) is still sidelined with a sprained MCL and won’t return this week unless he can get out on the practice field.

John Brown (WR, ARI) said he would ‘be healthy after the bye [week 9]’ and we expect him to be ready for the Seahawks in week 10.

Breshad Perriman (WR, BAL) has not yet been able to practice after sustaining a knee injury in training camp. With Steve Smith out for the season, the Ravens need him to return and provide a boost to the passing offense. As of now, we don’t expect him to play in week 10.

Week 6 brought us tears of pain and of joy, depending on what side of the match-up you were on. When setting your lineup each week, it's important to have the very latest information and analysis in order to make the best possible decisions on any given Sunday. We're not 100% accurate (and neither is anyone else!) but we hope to guide you on your way to the playoffs, and from there onto sweet, sweet victory. So take these recommendations under advisement and add in your own gut feelings and fantasy knowledge. Go forth, and kick some ass!

Week 6 Quarterback Starts

Brian Hoyer (HOU) vs. MIA- Hoyer, you ask? Yeah, we're higher on him than most experts because of his efficiency so far this year (8 TDs with only 2 INTs) and how prolific his main target (DeAndre Hopkins) is on the football field. The Texans are also struggling with their defense in the first half of the season, forcing the offense to throw the ball downfield.

Week 6 Quarterback Sits

Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. MIN - Stafford killed it last week against a Bears' secondary that is questionable at best, but likely won't have the same success this week against a Vikings' pass defense that has only given up 6 TDs through the air. 

Week 6 Running Back Starts

T.J. Yeldon (JAX) vs. BUF - Yeldon is just now coming back from a groin injury in week 5 and his return is not assured just yet, but it looks promising. The Bills have a great defense, but when Yeldon is healthy he has soaked up the majority of the touches at RB and this week should be no different.

Antonio Andrews (TEN) vs. ATL - Andrews is a risky RB2 or flex play this week, but he should still get around 10 touches including some goal line carries against an Atlanta defense that is allowing less than 80 yards per game on the ground, but has given up 10 TDs. 

Week 6 Running Back Sits

Duke Johnson (CLE) vs. STL - In weeks 4 and 5, Duke was an unexpected asset to some fantasy teams (especially in PPR), but his lack of TDs and membership in a RBBC that includes Isaiah Crowell and Robert Turbin does not bode well for fantasy production in week 7. Add to that an opposing Rams' defense that has only given up 3 rushing TDs this season and the stars aren't exactly lining up for Johnson.

Ameer Abdullah (DET) vs. MIN - Last week may have been Abdullah's final chance for quite a while to prove himself as a bell-cow back for the Lions. Not that he won't have a part in the offense on a weekly basis, but another RBBC has started up in Detroit co-starring Theo Riddick and Joique Bell, whenever he can get healthy. Abdullah may have another chance to prove himself, but it won't be right away.

Week 6 Wide Receiver Starts

Tavon Austin (STL) vs. CLE - Austin has been lighting it up recently, and without many receiving options, the Rams are starting to look to him quite often. Unfortunately, he has yet to practice this week so keep your eyes peeled to any updates that come out before Sunday. Regardless, I'm continuing to start him as long as he's out there.

Vincent Jackson (TB) vs. WAS - Jackson has been a boom or bust receiver this season, really disappointing fantasy owners in his last start with only 1 catch for 14 yards in week 5 against the Jaguars. A lot of that can be explained by the run-first scheme that the Bucs used in that game, though, and I expect them to utilize Jackson much more this week.

Week 6 Wide Receiver Sits

Mike Evans (TB) vs. WAS - Evans was soooo good last year, but that was a different season and with a different QB. I'm certainly not suggesting to drop Evans just yet, but two weeks of sub-par stats and 0 TDs so far this season warrant a benching until he can figure it out. We're rooting for you, Mike, but not starting you until we see something good.

Week 6 Tight End Starts

Crockett Gillmore (BAL) vs. ARI - Gillmore is healthy again after missing a few weeks. The Ravens offense is just in shambles outside of Steve Smith, but Flacco loves a good dump-off target and Gillmore has has been averaging about 4 receptions per game. Conventional logic says to avoid playing TEs against an Arizona defense that has been exceptional against the position this year, but I have confidence that Flacco will need to slag the football over to Gillmore at least 4 or 5 times in week 7, which makes him a low-end TE1.

Week 6 Tight End Sits

Kyle Rudolph (MIN) vs. DET - Over the past 3 games, Rudolph has managed just 2 receptions per game for relatively few yards. He is only fantasy relevant, then, when he's able to score TDs (which is only 40% of the time, to this point). This TD dependence is not a good sign going forward and makes Rudolph a coin-flip kind of play.