Fantasy Football Week 16 Injury News: Felix Jones, Vincent Jackson Questionable

The Washington Redskins will be without rookie running back Roy Helu for their Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings. The team announced that Helu was on their inactive list for the game on Saturday morning. Helu is dealing with toe and ankle injuries following last week’s win over the New York Giants.

The news came as a bit of a surprise. Helu practiced, albeit in a limited capacity, on Thursday and Friday this week. Two consecutive days of practicing made many think that Helu would play this week.

For more on the Eagles head over to Bleeding Green Nation. For more on the Cowboys, check out Blogging The Boys.

McFadden had led the Raiders with 113 carries for 614 yards and four touchdowns before the injury, which occurred in the early stages of the Raiders’ 28-0 loss to the Chiefs in Week 7.

According to Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group, McFadden has undergone a battery of tests on the foot, including CT scans, MRIs and X-rays, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the 2008 first-round pick out of Arkansas will only play again in 2008 if the Raiders remain in playoff contention entering the final week of the season.

For more on the Steelers and their quarterback situation heading into the playoffs, be sure to visit Behind The Steel Curtain.

A 2003 first-round pick by the Bills, McGahee ran for 3,365 yards and 24 touchdowns in 46 games during his tenure in Western New York. Oddly enough, the 30-year-old Miami native misses playing in the wintry weather in Buffalo, Tom Kensler of The Denver Post reports.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report.

Johnson is officially listed as “Questionable” with an ankle injury.

Johnson will be facing a Jaguars defense that ranks14th against the run, but has allowed an average of 115.3 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks.

”We’ll see when we get there,” Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said according to The Arizona Republic on Friday. “We’ll make that decision after we travel. We’ve got to see how he (Kolb) responds after the flight today.”

In his first season with the Cardinals, Kolb has completed 57.7 percent of 253 pass attempts for 1,955 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Green leads all rookie receivers with 61 receptions, 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns. With the Bengals still alive in the AFC Playoffs hunt, Green was not going to let the sprained AC joint keep him out of the lineup.

“I had it before and it’s nothing serious. I’m definitely not going to miss these last two games for nothing,” Green said earlier this week according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Despite battling various injuries, Jackson has not missed a game this season and leads the Chargers with 56 receptions for 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns. Jackson has been a key cog in a revitalized Chargers offense that has averaged 405 yards per game over the last three weeks, helping keep the team alive in the AFC West.

For more on the Chargers, check out Bolts From The Blue.

For more on the Cowboys running back situation, check out Blogging The Boys.

The Saints are facing a Falcons defense that ranks fourth in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of 96.6 yards per game.

For more on the Saints, visit Canal Street Chronicles.

For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.

Week 16 gets going on Saturday and Thursday’s practice participation report has raised some question marks heading into the weekend. The most prominent is Dallas Cowboys running back Felix Jones, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. He has sat out two straight days of practice and is likely looking at being fairly limited at best for Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. You will want to monitor if he practices on Friday and then his status on game-day.

You can check out Wednesday’s injury report to compare how player statuses have changed from Wednesday to Thursday. For more fantasy updates, check out @sbnationfantasy.

This week the Vikings travel to Washington to face the Redskins. Washington has a middle of the road rushing defense, presenting a very solid matchup for Adrian Peterson. When AP is starting, as he is this weekend, he remains a must-start every week. The Vikings have nothing to play for, but Peterson has indicated he wants to play for his teammates and also meet some personal statistical goals. Given the Vikings struggles, there is not much else on the table.

For more on the Vikings, check out Daily Norseman. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.

Baldwin has been a bit inconsistent times in his rookie season, but he has shown some serious upside. He is coming off a one catch game against Chicago, but for the season he leads the Seahawks with 46 receptions, 731 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Seahawks have dealt with numerous injuries at wide receiver and questionable quarterback play, but he has still managed solid numbers.

The Seahawks face a 49ers defense that is dominant against the run, but can give up a decent amount of passing yards. They lock down in the red zone, but give up a lot of yards between the 20s, which could benefit Baldwin if he is able to play on Saturday.

Bell faces a Packers defense that has struggled against the run. The Bears will look to establish the run to prevent the Packers from getting to crazy in the pass game. It could be a nice under-the-radar matchup if you are looking for a running back/flex option.

For more on the Bears, check out Windy City Gridiron. For more on fantasy football, check out Fake Teams. Follow @sbnationfantasy on Twitter.

Week 16 of the 2011 NFL season is upon us, which means it is time for championship week in fantasy football. Teams still playing are either going for the gold or are battling it out for third place. Injury concerns are a significant issue this week in a shortened week with most of the NFL schedule switched from Sunday to Saturday due to Christmas. This could impact several of the DNPs listed below.

The schedule kicks off however, with a Thursday Night Football contest between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. There are a few notable names on the injury list that will need to be monitored as game-time approaches. Andre Johnson is out and given that this is likely your last week of fantasy football, feel free to drop him if you need a player and don’t have a roster spot. If you are in a dynasty/keeper league, obviously do not drop him.

After the game, Green said it was an injury he has dealt with before and he was optimistic he would not miss the games. Green indicated he suffered a similar injury in college and played through it. This followed word from an LA-based orthopedic surgeon who said Green could play through the pain if needed. Although it is a short week leading up to Saturday’s Christmas Eve game against the Arizona Cardinals, Green should be good to go.

Green’s 115-yard performance was enough to put him over 1,000 yards in his rookie season. He now has 61 receptions for 1,0006 yards and seven touchdowns. For more on Green and the Bengals, check out Cincy Jungle.