Marshawn Lynch, Alshon Jeffery return for Week 6

Throughout the season, SB Nation Medical Expert Dr. Ali Mohamadi will provide his insights on the most notable injuries in the fantasy landscape and how they might affect your roster decisions on game day. A number of key performers, are on the injury list this week; here’s a look at how likely they are to play and how their status will impact their teams.

Marshawn Lynch is ready to go when the Seahawks face the unbeaten Panthers. He missed last week’s loss to Cincinnati with a hamstring injury. It hasn’t been an easy start to the season for Lynch healthwise; the hamstring strain follows a calf injury that has kept him on the injury report for the majority of the campaign so far. But Lynch checked out in practice this week, and he’s as close to 100 percent as he has been in several weeks. As with any muscle strain, the hamstring is prone to re-injury if tested prematurely, so backup Thomas Rawls, who has played well in Lynch’s absence, will likely get his share of carries Sunday as well.

Rookie RB T.J. Yeldon has been a bright spot for the struggling Jaguars, but he’s been dealing with a groin injury that has kept him out of practice this week. That lack of practice led to him being ruled out for Sunday. Head coach Gus Bradley had said that the team will re-evaluate Yeldon before kickoff, but now he’s been declared out against the Texans. With Yeldon out, Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart will split carries for Jacksonville.

New England’s Dion Lewis has been a pleasant surprise for Patriots fans and fantasy owners alike this season, but he also appears a game-time decision before Sunday night’s game in Indianapolis due to an abdominal strain. New England has not reported much about the severity of Lewis’ injury. Adam Schefter reported Sunday morning that Lewis is likely to play this week.

Also on the running back front, Baltimore’s Justin Forsett has been dealing with an ankle sprain that, although having shown signs of improvement over the week, has him listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup at San Francisco. The Ravens will assess Forsett’s ability to cut and accelerate in warmups before deciding on his availability; if he is unable to take the field, backup Buck Allen would be in line for his first start as a Raven. At last report, the Ravens were expecting him to play.

It’s been four weeks since Alshon Jeffery took the field due to a hamstring injury, but he will be able to play when the Bears take on the Lions. Chicago has been cautious with its star receiver, with good reason due to the risk of aggravating hamstring strains. Jeffery’s recovery moved in the right direction, however, as he was able to participate on a limited basis in practice this week, and the Bears have given him the green light to get back on the field today.

Bills receiver Sammy Watkins is ready to take the field again Sunday, after missing the past two games with a calf injury. Watkins and team officials were initially confident that he would not face a lengthy absence, but similar to the hamstring, the calf muscles are easy to strain, easy to aggravate when strained and turned into a longer-term problem than anticipated.

It didn’t look good earlier in the week, but Ravens receiver Steve Smith, Sr. has made good progress with his back injury this week, and will be back on the field in Week 6. Smith suffered the injury on a hit during Baltimore’s Week 4 win over Pittsburgh and sat out the team’s stunning defeat to Cleveland last Sunday. Although Smith himself seemed pessimistic earlier in the week, he is good to go against the 49ers.