This Given Sunday is examining the biggest injury questions before each week of the NFL season. Here are the top-five health-related storylines entering Week 15.
Robert Griffin III
Griffin practiced on a limited basis Wednesday despite suffering a scary knee injury in Week 14, so there's probably at least a 50 percent chance he makes the start against Cleveland. Monitor his status, especially on Friday. Even if he does play, he won't likely be quite as effective from a fantasy perspective. That said, you'd be crazy not to put him in your lineup. It's an early kickoff in Cleveland, so you'll know.
Dez Bryant
One of the league's hottest receivers has a busted-up finger, and there's a lot of pressure on Bryant to delay surgery in order to help the Cowboys continue their December playoff push. He's yet to decide what he'll do, and we might not get an answer until the weekend arrives. If Bryant does suit up despite the injury, you absolutely must start him — he scored a touchdown after fracturing the finger last week — but have a backup plan in place. The Cowboys host Pittsburgh in a late-afternoon game, so if you don't have his status Sunday morning and have to pull the trigger, you'd be smart to leave him on your fantasy bench.
Sidney Rice
The Seahawks wide receiver could come in handy as a No. 3 WR this week in fantasy leagues, so if you're looking to use him in your playoff matchup, we've got some bad news. Rice was out of practice and in a walking boot to start the week, so there's a decent chance a foot injury will keep him out of a good matchup with the Bills in Toronto. That's a late-afternoon start, so you can't even handcuff Rice with Golden Tate. Just start looking for another option entirely.
Ahmad Bradshaw
I hope that all you Bradshaw fantasy owners have David Wilson ready as a handcuff for the extremely banged-up Bradshaw. You won't ideally have to start either back, but if you have no other reasonable options for the RB2 spot, you might have to go with Wilson in place of Bradshaw on Sunday…regardless if Bradshaw is active or not. The injury-prone veteran has a sprained knee and is considered questionable for Sunday's game in Atlanta, but he was outplayed by Wilson last week anyway.
Jordy Nelson
After missing Week 14 with a hamstring injury, Nelson's a "longshot" to return for a Week 15 matchup with the Bears, according to Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. The good news is it's a 1 p.m. ET start in Chicago, so you'll have plenty of time to throw Nelson into your lineup if he's a surprise start. Still, be ready to go with a replacement for the second consecutive week.
