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Fantasy football sit/start advice, Week 12: Tony Gonzalez is not the great start he once was

Tony Gonzalez is dealing with a toe injury but should play against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday. We break down the fantasy implications.

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Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez hasn't missed a game due to injury since 2006, when he played for the Kansas City Chiefs. That's not likely to change when the Falcons take on the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football.

Gonzalez is dealing with a toe injury that kept him out of practice on Monday and Tuesday, but he did return to the practice field on Wednesday. He might be limited, but it sounds pretty certain that he’ll suit up for the game. Gonzalez doesn’t exactly need every day of practice at this point in his career, and it makes sense that he would have rested Monday and Tuesday given a game was played on Sunday.

The Falcons certainly need Gonzalez in the lineup. He hasn’t been as effective this season as he has in the past, but he’s still a threat to break open a game on any given day, toe injury or not.

Fantasy Impact: As to whether or not Gonzalez should have the confidence of fantasy owners ... it's a bit unclear. If there's other fantasy options on your roster, Gonzalez may not be a smart choice just based on how physical the Saints defense has been recently. They just went toe-to-toe with the San Francisco 49ers and came out on top and again, it's been something of a tough year for Gonzalez. With his injury, Gonzalez might have pushed himself into "deep start" territory this week.

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