Health Meter: Healthy Fantasy Picks for Week 12

With many key fantasy football injuries that were suffered around the NFL in Week 11, there are probably a wide number of fantasy football owners that are trying to figure out which injured players are still worth inserting into their starting lineup.

Let's face it, now that we are entering Week 12, there just aren't going to be many players, if any, that are playing close to 100 percent health at this juncture. Most players are dealing with some sort of aches, pains and are prepared to grin and bear it for the rest of the season.

Week 12 also means we have a full slate of three NFL games this Thursday as a Thanksgiving present to look forward, so if you are the owner of any players on Green Bay, Miami, San Francisco, Detroit, Dallas or Baltimore, you will need to decide prior to Thursday's kickoff if you are starting or sitting those players.

We are going to present 10 players that are dealing with various degrees of injuries and will recommend five you want to start on your fantasy team this week, and five injured players you want to sit out. Good luck to everyone this week and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

RB to Start: Shonn Greene

The number of key running backs that are currently injured are alarming. By latest tally, all of the following are hurt: Darren McFadden, Adrian Peterson, Fred Jackson, Shonn Greene, James Starks, Frank Gore, Beanie Wells, Ahmad Bradshaw, Monterio Hardesty, Peyton Hillis, and then there are the backs like Chris Johnson that you expect are hurt but have no clue what is going on with them.

From the above group, the first player that his coach has stepped up to confirm he will play this weekend is New York Jets running back Shonn Greene. Rex Ryan confirmed as much on Monday that Greene will play this weekend. The Jets are going against the Buffalo Bills, which is a favorable match up. The Jets may mix in Joe McKnight, but Greene is expected to see the majority of touches, provided that he doesn't hurt his ribs further in the game.

As Mark Sanchez has struggled recently, it would make sense for the Jets to take advantage of their  physical style of play and keep the ball on the ground. At 5-5, this is a must game for the Jets, so I don't see them getting cute. They will ride the sure thing, and that is the ground game.

Fantasy Advice: Start Shonn Greene

RB to Sit: James Starks

There are just too many signs screaming at me that lead to the conclusion that you need to sit James Starks this week against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.

For starters, Starks is clearly banged up. He sprained his knee and ankle in Week 11. It is one thing to sprain a knee, but it is something else to sprain your ankle as well.

Not only that, but they are playing on a Thursday, meaning that Starks is going to have a shorter recovery time than normal to return to full health.

You also have a healthy and rested Ryan Grant that can step in to run the ball. John Kuhn will probably also see some touches this week.

Finally, they are going up against the Lions, and this is a statement game for the Lions to prove that they are ready to take a step up in the NFC North, especially in light of the Jay Cutler injury in Chicago.

Not sure how much more convincing you need, but the warning signs are all there.

Fantasy Advice: Sit James Starks.

QB to Start: Ben Roethlisberger

You read that Ben Roethlisberger has a fractured thumb on his throwing hand and you are wondering what to do. Maybe your second quarterback is either Matt Hasselbeck, Jay Cutler, Michael Vick, Matt Cassel, or Matt Schaub, so you really don't have a lot of other options. The only starting free agents on the waiver wire is Tyler Palko and Caleb Hanie.

If that is what you are looking at, then the decision boils down to Roethlisberger's thumb or Hasselbeck's elbow. The good news for Big Ben owners is that in a report by ESPN, Roethlisberger will probably play Sunday out of the shotgun offense formation, to relieve stress on his thumb by not taking direct snaps from center. Translation is that Roethlisberger will be throwing a lot of passes on Sunday.

With so many injured quarterbacks that could be decimating fantasy rosters this week, if you have Roethlisberger, you should be thankful that he has such a high level of pain tolerance and that he also has a talented group of wide receivers to throw the ball to.

If you still are not convinced that it makes sense to start Roethlisberger, just know that his Week 12 opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, despite the presence of Tamba Hali, are dead last in the NFL with just 12 sacks on the year.

Fantasy advice: Start Ben Roethlisberger

QB to Sit: Colt McCoy

Let's say that you are faced with the following scenario for your Week 12 quarterback. You have to pick between Colt McCoy, Michael Vick and/or Matt Hasselbeck and due to the injuries of all three you have no idea what to do. 

Bench McCoy and take your chances with either Vick or Hasselbeck. McCoy is dealing with a bad shoulder and is going up against the tough Cincinnati Bengals defense. Not only that but the Browns have the No. 23 passing attack in the NFL. Not a very promising scenario.

As for Hasselbeck, the greatest and latest is that despite a sprained elbow, Hasselbeck is expected to start on Sunday, according to local beat writers. You also have to take into account that Hasselbeck is going up against the Tampa Bay defense this weekend, which is ranked No. 31 overall in the NFL. That is too much of a advantage to discount.

As for Vick, there is the possibility that he will not play due to his rib injury. Vince Young showed in the game-winning drive that he can do an adequate job running the Eagles offense. But, just like Hasselbeck, Vick is drawing a plum assignment this weekend, the New England Patriots, with the worst defense in the NFL. Do you really want to gamble that Vick won't play against the horrendous Patriots secondary?

Fantasy advice: Sit Colt McCoy.

WR to Start: Andre Johnson

From Week 5 until now, you have been looking at Andre Johnson sitting there on your bench, just waiting for news that he is finally going to come back and play again. The Texans announce that he is going to try to play after rehabbing the hamstring injury, only to learn that his quarterback, Matt Schaub is now out with a Lisfranc injury and backup quarterback Matt Leinart is now his quarterback.

There was such a wide range of injuries to wide receivers in Weeks 10-11 that chances are you have one of these guys on your roster: Steve Johnson, Donald Jones, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Julio Jones, Miles Austin, Deion Branch, Danario Alexander, Jeremy Maclin and Jeremy Kerley.

Then there are guys that might be playing, but they are just not up to speed like: Braylon Edwards and  Emmanuel Sanders. If you are debating about playing anyone from these two groups instead of Johnson, we think that Johnson is the way to go. 

While we appreciate that Johnson has been rusty, and his chemistry with Leinart hasn't been well established, we would rather take our chances with a seemingly healthy Johnson, than the injured players listed above.

Fantasy advice: start Andre Johnson.

WR to Sit: Steve Johnson

The Buffalo Bills offense is in a terrible funk now, and has been for the past three weeks.

Three weeks ago, Steve Johnson was able to beat Darrelle Revis on some passes, and managed to come up with a strong game, catching three passes for 84 yards, and that game was at home. Since then, the Bills started a long three-game road trip and have scored just one touchdown in two games at Dallas and Miami. Now they finish up the road trip by playing at the Jets and their tough secondary. 

Johnson is battling an ongoing groin injury and now also has a shoulder injury. He was mauled on a pass over the middle by safety Yeremiah Bell, who looked like he was on a headhunting expedition, adding to Johnson's woes.

Not only that, but the timing in the Bills pass offense is struggling badly right now.The Bills lost their best lineman in center Eric Wood. This week there are going to be at least three changes in the starting offensive line as Andy Levitre moves from center to left guard, while left guard Chad Rinehart moves from left guard to right guard, and right guard Kraig Urbik moves to center. Got all that?

If that weren't bad enough, the Bills brought in two wide receivers that they have to integrate into the offense as they signed ex-Raiders wide receiver Derek Hagan on Tuesday, and also promoted Kamar Aiken from the practice squad. So, Ryan Fitzpatrick will be busy breaking in his new receivers all week.

In addition, the Jets played on Thursday night, meaning that they have extra practice days to prepare for the Bills, as both teams are 5-5 in the AFC East and need this game to keep playoff hopes alive.

Fantasy advice: Sit Steve Johnson.

TE to Start: Jake Ballard

New York Giants tight end Jake Ballard suffered a sprained elbow in the game against the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

The latest update courtesy of the New York Post maintains that Ballard is planning to play this weekend, as the injury isn't deemed serious.

That is a good thing, as Ballard has been a fairly steady performer at the tight end position for the Giants. There are only so many consistent tight end options, so if you own Ballard and normally start him, start him again this week with confidence.

Fantasy advice: Start Jake Ballard.

TE to Sit: Lance Kendricks

St. Louis Rams tight end Lance Kendricks took a big hit last weekend, and suffered a mild concussion as a result.

Kendricks is somebody you will need to monitor throughout the week to see if he has to clear any additional concussion-related tests according to NFL concussion policies.

While Kendricks hasn't lit the NFL on fire this year, the Rams do have a favorable draw this week, as they are facing the No. 28 defense in the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals.

If you normally start Kendricks you need to make sure he has received clearance on the concussion, but if you have other options, the advice here is to sit him out.

Fantasy advice: Sit Lance Kendricks.

Flex to Start: DeSean Jackson

During their Week 11 game against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson wound up leaving the game to be tested for a concussion and also suffered a sprained foot. The Eagles placed his foot in a protective walking boot as a precaution.

In Week 12, Jackson goes up against the very porous New England Patriots pass defense. Jackson will still be looking to work his way back into the good graces of head coach Andy Reid and the rest of his teammates after being benched by Reid for missing a team meeting in the Week 10 game against the Cardinals.

Not only that but Jeremy Macklin is injured, so the Eagles will be targeting Jackson more than normal. He should have a big field day against the Patriots, so if you are at all worried about the injuries he suffered, don't be. Start DeSean Jackson with confidence this Sunday.

Fantasy advice: Start DeSean Jackson

Flex to Sit: Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson is a warrior. He doesn't usually miss games or sit out plays due to injuries. But I am trying to be realistic here and look at the big picture.

Jackson injured his calf in the game last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. It had to be pretty bad for him to sit out the majority of the second half. He was not able to practice early in the week, and head coach Chan Gailey said that he will not be able to practice on Wednesday either. Their goal is to try to get most of the soreness out of the calf muscle during the week and see where he is on Friday.

My educated guess is that Jackson will try his best to give it a go. The Bills are in a downward spiral and Jackson will try to rally the offense, but as we sighted in the Steve Johnson slide earlier, the Bills are asking three different offensive linemen to switch to new positions for this week.

Jackson rushed for 82 yards against the Jets at home in Week 9 when he was healthy, and his offensive line was healthy. Since then the Bills lost Eric Wood for the year. The Jets had three extra days to prepare for this game since they played last Thursday. Their defense is physically able to handle the Bills and I wouldn't be surprised if the Bills rotate C.J. Spiller in to try to keep Jackson fresher.

Too many negatives here, so the advice is sit Fred Jackson this week.

Fantasy advice: Sit Fred Jackson.