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Who's in and who's out of the early games in Week 8?



Are you enjoying your breakfast football? If you started Matt Ryan, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" [UPDATE: Second half, not so much.] If you are facing Ryan, don't fear; there is still plenty of time to forge a comeback today. To that end, we'll be here to give you the latest on this morning's injured stars. There aren't many game-time decisions to track in the early games -- A.J. Green, Shane Vereen and Vincent Jackson are about it -- but keep refreshing this post until those 1 p.m. Eastern kickoffs as we pass along anything worth noting.-- In a late-game note: The Colts are reportedly leaning toward sitting out Trent Richardson. He didn't practice all week because of a hamstring injury. He is not a fantasy option even if he plays, at clearly less than full strength. Conversely, Ahmad Bradshaw looks like an RB1 versus Pittsburgh.-- NFL Network's Stacey Dales has heard, via a Bengals source, that A.J. Green won't play today versus the Ravens. However, she adds that Green was "close" to suiting up and gives him a 70 percent chance of playing next week versus the Jaguars. Mohamed Sanu and Andy Dalton will have their work cut out for them versus an aggressive Ravens defense. Giovani Bernard can't be as unproductive as he was last week, but no A.J. hurts his stock as well. I still think he's a high-end RB2 today. A few minutes later, Green was deemed inactive, officially.-- Storm Johnson is inactive for the Jaguars. He's a healthy scratch with Toby Gerhart back. Denard Robinson will start at RB for the Jags again. He is a low-end RB2 versus Miami.-- Speaking of healthy scratch, Bernard Pierce is out for the Ravens. Justin Forsett remains the lead back for Baltimore. He is an RB2 versus Cincy. However, Lorenzo Taliaferro is worth a shot-in-the-dark flex as he is expected to be the goal-line back.-- As expected, RB Anthony Dixon will start today for the Bills. Bryce Brown will back him up. Neither is more than a desperation flex against the Jets. Dixon is the "safer" option, but Brown has a lot more upside.-- Josh McCown is active for the Bucs after dealing with a thumb injury. However, he is still pretty far behind starting QB Mike Glennon.-- Jadaveon Clowney is active for the Texans. He'll be on a "pitch count" for today's game against the Titans, but the Houston defense is a solid start against sixth-round rookie Zach Mettenberger making his NFL debut.-- Shonn Greene is active for the Titans. However, RB Bishop Sankey will continue to start. He is a middling flex option versus the Texans.-- Dolphins RB Lamar Miller is active. He's being nagged by a minor knee injury, but he is a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 versus the Jaguars.-- In another late game note, Eagles RB Darren Sproles is not expected to play against the Cardinals today. He wasn't doing much for fantasy owners anyway. You can put him safely on your bench. Chris Polk should see some work behind LeSean McCoy.-- Giovani Bernard is active for the Bengals. He took some hard hits last week that resulted in a rib injury. He is an RB2 for the struggling Bengals. It'll be much easier for the Ravens to shut him down without A.J. Green to worry about.-- Patriots RB Shane Vereen is active despite missing Friday's practice due to an injury. He is a strong RB2 in PPR leagues versus the Bears.-- Jets WR Eric Decker is active for the Jets. He's basically over his hamstring injury. Percy Harvin should help draw some coverage away from the former Bronco. He is a serviceable WR3 today against Buffalo.-- Buccaneers WR Vincent Jackson is active for what might be his last game with Tampa Bay. He is a WR2 against the Vikings today despite a lingering rib injury.-- Panthers RB Chris Ogbonnaya is active. He has an injured groin. He is not worth your time.-- Seahawks TE Luke Willson is active after missing Week 7 due to a groin injury. He is a low-end TE2 versus Carolina.-- And Patriots WR Aaron Dobson is a healthy scratch once again. He has fallen hard and fast. Players who have already been ruled out for Week 8 include C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, Pierre Thomas, Khiry Robinson, Reggie Wayne and Owen Daniels. For a full rundown of injuries across the league this week, click the source link below to the NFL's official injury report.



-- The Bills will move on to their third- and fourth-string running backs today in Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown. Jackson will miss at least a few weeks due to an injured groin while Spiller has been placed on short-term injured reserve. He will be ineligible to play until Week 16. Dixon is expected to get the majority of the snaps in a subpar matchup versus the Jets, but Brown has much, much more upside. Neither is more than a desperation RB3 this week. For more of my thoughts on this "redesigned" backfield, hit this thing.-- With Thomas (shoulder) and Robinson (forearm) both out for the Saints, Mark Ingram should receive at least 15 touches versus the Packers. He's a safe bet for a score in what should be a shootout. However, Travaris Cadet is a really intriguing prospect for PPR leagues. He saw nine targets in last week's game versus Detroit, including six in the fourth quarter alone while Thomas was in the locker room. Again, in what should be a high-scoring contest, Cadet is a solid plug-and-play flex option.-- Wayne will miss a game or two because of an elbow injury. He wasn't doing a whole lot in the box score anyway, but Andrew Luck will probably miss Wayne's reliable hands versus Pittsburgh. Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief will help pick up the slack, but this could really mean that T.Y. Hilton might see 13-17 targets. That kid is just on fire and is a locked-in WR1 against a shoddy pass defense.-- Daniels underwent a procedure to clean out his knee Friday. The team is hoping he misses no more than one game, but that seems overly optimistic. It's a shame, too, because Daniels will miss out on facing the Bengals, who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to tight ends. Instead, Colorado State rookie Crockett Gillmore will get the start. For fantasy owners, it's a waste of a terrific matchup.