Jordy Nelson, Wes Welker, Michael Turner: Injury Updates Week 11
Who's healthy enough to start for your fantasy football team?
By: Corby Yarbrough | 11/18/12, 6:30 AM EST
This is the last of the bye weeks. It’s all up to health and strategy from here on out to get you to a fantasy football championship. Here are some updates on injured players, their status for the Week 11 games or the outlook for their replacements.
Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
A hamstring shelved Jordy Nelson in Week 8 and as soon as he comes back he goes out early with an ankle injury in Week 9, receiving just one target and no catches. Coming off of the bye, Nelson waslisted as probable with the hamstring and not the ankle, but is active. Today he draws a Lions secondary that has been depleted all season long. Despite their injuries, the Lions are still middle of the road against fantasy receivers. Only Percy Harvin (Week 6) and Nate Washington (Week 3 thanks to a circus grab) have gone over 100 yards. Brandon Marshall's 6-for-81 and a TD in Week 7 is the third-best day against Detroit. The numbers might be a bit skewed over the last three weeks having faced Seattle, Jacksonville and Minnesota, but no receiver has gone over 65 yards. The Lions have allowed four TDs to four different receivers over that time, however. Bottom line: Coming off a bye, if Nelson is active, he's active in your lineup. The aforementioned numbers are just fair warning. But, speaking of numbers, Nelson was 14-for-253 with four scores in two games against Detroit last season.
Wes Welker, WR, New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts
Wes Welker practiced for the first time this week on Friday and is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Welker, along with fellow receiver Brandon Lloyd and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, are all listed as questionable. Is this just the typical Patriots injury report or are we looking at an offensive epidemic? For Gronk and Lloyd, they are much better bets to go in today's late game. For Hernandez, he is likely out, and Welker will be a game-time decision. Welker's injury seems a little more concerning than usual. He's had his three lowest scoring outputs the last three weeks since the 2.9 he opened the season with against Tennessee. There's no guarantee whether it will be Julian Edelman or Deion Branch that would see increased targets were Welker and Hernandez not to play. It's looking like the Pats' receiving corps might be like its RB corps — you don't know which one to count on.
Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons vs. Arizona Cardinals
There has been a lot of talk lately about how Michael Turner fits, or doesn't fit, in the up-tempo offense the Falcons are running these days. A lot is still dependent upon the in-game situation. For example, the Falcons trailed the Saints last week and Turner had just 13 carries for 15 yards. It is the seventh time in nine games Turner has been at 18 or less carries this season, however. It is not so much that the role is shifting to the speedy Jacquizz Rodgers as it is just simply Turner will not be the 300-plus carry, 1,200-yard back anymore. He is listed on the injury report this week as questionable with a groin injury. And the Falcons, coming off their first loss, draw a Cardinals team that was gashed by Adrian Peterson (153-1) and C.J. Spiller (110 total yards and a TD) in Weeks 6 and 7 but followed by slowing down San Francisco and Green Bay's running games in losses by 18 and 14 points. Today's Falcons-Cards game is an early start; so monitor Turner's status. If he is out, Rodgers is a must-start.
— By Corby A. Yarbrough @Corby_Yarbrough on Twitter
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