NFL Quick Hits: Gronkowski returns to practice

By John Halpin
Published

Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (knee) was back at practice in a limited capacity on Thursday and Friday. The Providence Journal reports that Gronk's appearance is "not necessarily a sign that he is ready to return to game action," while the Boston Herald says Gronk's status "has not yet been finalized." Gronk appears to be tracking toward a gametime decision.

If you own Gronk, you'd obviously like the option to play him if he's active, but with a Sunday night game, you might not have official word until 7 p.m. ET. If you already have Scott Chandler (owned in 57.4 percent of FOXSports.com leagues), you can wait out the Gronk news. Other tight end options that will allow you to do the same are Will Tye (2.6 percent owned), Ryan Griffin (0.8 percent owned) and possibly Jordan Cameron (42.2 percent owned). Tye isn't bad, but using Griffin or Cameron for this purpose might cross the line from bold to crazy.

Or, you could flex Gronk and open yourself up to a variety of Pats, Texans, Giants and Dolphins as alternatives -- DeVante Parker is just 13 percent owned, you know. The Friday morning bet here is that Gronk won't play, but we'll keep a close eye on his status.

In other news ...

Saints WR Brandin Cooks didn't practice Thursday due to a previously undisclosed concussion. He's been listed as probable, though.

In other Saints news, RB Mark Ingram (shoulder surgery) is done for the season. Look for Tim Hightower and C.J. Spiller to share most of Ingram's work, with Hightower as the early-down back. Neither is a recommended fantasy option; I've got Hightower at RB33, and Spiller at RB41.

Bengals TE Tyler Eifert (pinched nerve) has been practicing, and should be ready to go against the Steelers.

RBs C.J. Anderson (ankle) and Ronnie Hillman (foot) both missed Thursday's practice, and Anderson isn't expected to play Sunday. Juwan Thompson (0.5 percent owned) is an interesting stash.

J.J. Watt says he'll play despite breaking his left hand at Wednesday's practice. 

Jets CB Darrelle Revis (concussion) practiced Friday, and expects to play Sunday.

With QB Matt Schaub (chest injury) not practicing, the Baltimore Sun reports that "signs continue to point toward Jimmy Clausen starting" on Sunday against the Seahawks. If you drafted the Seahawks' defense this season, you couldn't have asked for a better way to start your fantasy playoffs. Ravens TE Crockett Gillmore (back) isn't practicing, either.

Eagles RB Ryan Mathews (concussion) practiced fully on Thursday, and appears set to return after a three-game absence. With the DeMarco Murray saga driving Philly into hot take hysteria, Mathews' return makes things even more interesting. Mathews averaged 10 touches in the five games prior to his injury, so we should assume a similar workload if he's active. He's at RB30 in my rankings.

While Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is "opening the door" for Eddie Lacy to get his starting role back this week, this article doesn't inspire much confidence for Lacy's ability to keep it. I have Lacy at RB19 this week, but I can't exactly say I'm excited about it.

Bills RB Karlos Williams (shoulder) will probably miss another game.

The Titans expect to get RB Dexter McCluster back, but WR Kendall Wright is out for Week 14.

With Stevie Johnson (groin) and Dontrelle Inman (neck) hurting, the Chargers resigned Vincent Brown this week, and he actually might play on Sunday. Brown shouldn't play for you, though.

DFS notes (salaries from DraftKings): Ben Roethlisberger ($6,800) is the most expensive QB I'd play, as Steelers-Bengals could be a shootout. Cheaper options include Blake Bortles ($6,000), Jameis Winston ($5,500) and Ryan Tannehill ($5,200). I love Jameis against the Saints, but so does everyone else ... I don't mind Lacy at $4,700, have a hunch about Gio Bernard at $4,100, and feel the same way about Ameer Abdullah at $3,600 ... Hillman ($4,700) will be a nice play if CJA is out ... Both Jags WRs are solid, with Allen Hurns ($5,500) a good tournament play and Allen Robinson ($8,000) strong in any format ... Vincent Jackson ($4,500) is a cheap Buc you can grab ... Did you know that Golden Tate ($4,500) has caught 23 passes in his last three games? ... Another Buc: You can't quite trust TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($2,700) after seeing him on a limited snap count last week, but as a tournament play he offers lots of upside ... The Seahawks ($3,500) are the no-brainer chalk at DST, but the Chiefs ($3,200), Lions ($2,700) and Jags ($2,300) can also be considered if you'd like to separate yourself from the crowd.

Need help over the weekend? Find us on Twitter (@jhalpin37, @FOXSportsFowler, @FOXSportsMeyer, @FOXSportsFoster), check out our Week 14 rankings and come to our chat on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET (I'll have the 11 o'clock hour). We'll have your questions covered, but can't stress enough that waiting until 15 minutes before kickoff is a bad plan.

Good luck this week!