NFL Quick Hits: Hopkins, Forte top Week 11 questions
Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins hasn't practiced since injuring his knee on Monday night. However, Hopkins labeled himself "100 percent" on Thursday, and added that the injury is "not that big a deal." Head coach Bill O'Brien concurred, saying, "I think he'll be ready to go." Hopkins' matchup with Darrelle Revis isn't great, but get ready to roll with him on Sunday.
Bears RB Matt Forte has missed the last two games due to a knee injury of his own. There has been some optimism surrounding Forte this week, but the Chicago Sun-Times reports that it's "less likely he'll play Sunday against the Broncos at Soldier Field, because the Bears play the Packers at Lambeau Field four days later on Thanksgiving night."
Forte said, "I've got to play it smart. Say I play Sunday and get banged up a little bit. Thursday's a really quick turnaround." Plan to be without Forte for one more week, even though he's listed as questionable.
In other news ...
Bears WR Alshon Jeffery (groin, shoulder) also didn't practice Thursday or Friday, and he's listed as questionable. Have a backup plan ready.
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch missed Thursday's practice with the same abdominal injury that had him questionable heading into Week 10. Lynch will probably be fine, and his matchup with the 49ers is excellent, but would he get pulled early with a big lead? Hmm ...
Reminder: The Browns, Saints, Giants and Steelers are off this week. Some good quarterbacks will be missing -- Johnny Football and three other guys.
Cardinals WR Michael Floyd's (hamstring) availability sounds shaky for Sunday. He didn't practice all week, and with a Sunday night game coming, you'll probably need to bench him due to word of a possible gametime decision.
In case you missed it, the Cowboys released RB Christine Michael this week. They signed Robert Turbin, who could be active as soon as this Sunday. That could matter if Darren McFadden's groin injury doesn't improve, but it's likely that the Cowboys were just keeping DMC fresh by holding him out of Thursday's practice. Rod Smith is another backup option for DMC.
49ers RB Carlos Hyde (foot) "appears unlikely to be available" against the Seahawks, according to CSNBayArea.com. Get ready for another Shaun Draughn week, everyone!
It sounds like concussions will have the Eagles without both QB Sam Bradford and RB Ryan Mathews on Sunday.
Texans QB Brian Hoyer (concussion) is not expected to play, so the Jets DST could have a big day against backup T.J. Yates.
Multiple sources around the Dolphins are reporting that rookie RB Jay Ajayi could start getting more carries after getting five and six in his last two games. QB Ryan Tannehill might start running more, too. As a Lamar Miller owner, I'm not panicking, as he should stay busy.
Bucs WR Vincent Jackson (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday, but his outlook for Sunday is unclear. Don't count on him playing.
DFS notes (salaries from DraftKings): Chiefs RB Charcandrick West is the no-brainer play of the week at $4,500. West has averaged 22 carries, three receptions and 138 yards from scrimmage over his last three games while scoring four TDs. Maybe the pricing algorithm broke when it tried to spell "Charcandrick" ... Chiefs-Chargers and Raiders-Lions both look like good sources of points. Matthew Stafford ($5,400) will be in one or more of my lineups, while Alex Smith ($5,000) looks pretty good as well ... If you're looking for cheap wideouts, Danny Amendola ($4,000) and Stevie Johnson ($3,900) fit the bill, as does Charger Dontrelle Inman ($3,000) as more of a longshot ... If you want to spend at WR, Dez Bryant ($7,700) and Mike Evans ($7,300) look good ... Falcons TE Jacob Tamme ($3,600) has caught 16 passes in his last two games ... The Seahawks ($4,000) are the obvious DST choice, with the Panthers ($3,400) not far behind. If you want to save at that spot, consider the Bears ($2,000) versus Brock Osweiler.
Need help over the weekend? Find us on Twitter (@jhalpin37, @FOXSportsFowler, @FOXSportsMeyer, @FOXSportsFoster), check out our Week 11 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!
