Hey, fellow Giants fans: On the bright side, you were able to go to bed before the end of the third quarter of last night's debacle thanks to the outcome being decided. I stayed awake, but only for fantasy and yelling-at-the-TV reasons.

On to the news:

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• Eagles QB Michael Vick (ribs) and WR Jeremy Maclin (shoulder, hamstring) missed Monday's walkthrough practice. If they're not on the field today, they'll probably miss Thursday's game against the Seahawks. Vince Young could have fantasy relevance again this week, as could WR Riley Cooper, who has caught eight passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games. Maclin's absence would also give DeSean Jackson more chances to drop touchdown passes.
• Raiders RB Darren McFadden is out of his walking boot and participated in a light workout on Monday, but head coach Hue Jackson talked about getting McFadden's conditioning back to a proper level before letting him play again. I wouldn't expect to see him in Week 13. The Sacramento Bee article at the link above isn't optimistic about WR Jacoby Ford (foot) either. WR Denarius Moore (foot) is more of a wait-and-see situation.
• Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that RB Adrian Peterson's ankle is "improving." Thanks for the specifics, coach. We'll know more when practice resumes on Wednesday. Since Peterson's status was still in question for Week 12 until a Saturday walkthrough, his chances to play this week seem pretty good.
• QB Kyle Orton will get some first-team snaps in Wednesday's practice, but it's not yet clear if he'll start this week against the Bears. Actually, it is pretty clear if you've seen Tyler Palko play, but it's not yet official because the coach hasn't announced it.
• The Lions signed RB Aaron Brown on Monday, technically to replace Jahvid Best on the roster (Best has been placed on season-ending injured reserve). While Brown doesn't project to get any meaningful playing time, his presence serves as insurance in case Kevin Smith (ankle) can't play this week. Hang in there if you own Smith, because his injury doesn't sound too serious.
• Redskins RB Roy Helu will get another start this week against the Jets after racking up 162 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown against the Seahawks. Normally I wouldn't even trust Mike Shanahan with holding my place on a men's room line, let alone with something as important as using one of his running backs late in a fantasy season, but I think I'm in on Helu. Sure, it's possible that Shanahan will do something crazy like give rookie Evan Royster 10 carries, but I doubt it. Helu is clearly the 'Skins' best option.
• With Matt Leinart out for the season, rookie T.J. Yates is the Texans' new starting quarterback. While we can expect the Texans to run a lot and keep things as low-risk as possible, head coach Gary Kubiak said some nice things Monday about Yates' mobility. Here's Kubiak, per the Houston Chronicle: "We’ll encourage him — if (receivers) are locked up and (the defense is) playing man coverage and you’ve got a chance to leave the pocket — go make a play." I don't want to oversell Yates, but not all fantasy backup QBs can get you rushing yards.
• The Cardinals seem to think that QB Kevin Kolb (foot, toe) will return to action against the Cowboys. Kolb's not great, but he averaged 244 yards in seven starts before getting hurt. He'll be good for Larry Fitzgerald's production, too.
• Cowboys WR Miles Austin (hamstring) didn't participate in Monday's walkthrough practice. It doesn't sound like he'll be back for Week 13.
• Seahawks WR Sidney Rice suffered a concussion on Sunday, missed Monday's walkthrough practice and has a game coming up on Thursday. If he's normally in your lineup, find an alternative.
• Rams QB Sam Bradford tweaked his previously injured ankle on Sunday, but is expected to play Sunday at San Francisco. Try to control your excitement.
• Joel Beall will be in the FOXSports.com fantasy chat room today at 3 p.m. ET, and I'll make my weekly appearance Thursday at the same time. Make to stop by and post your questions!

See you back here Friday morning.

Here are the NFL injuries with fantasy impact owners should monitor heading into Week 13:

QB

Michael Vick - ribs
Matt Leinart - collarbone (out)
Kevin Kolb - foot
Tyler Palko/Kyle Orton - quarterback competition

RB

Darren McFadden - foot
Adrian Peterson - ankle
Ahmad Bradshaw - foot
Kevin Smith - ankle
Montario Hardesty - calf
LaDainian Tomlinson - knee

WR

Jeremy Maclin - shoulder/hamstring
Malcom Floyd - hip
Denarius Moore - ankle
Jacoby Ford - foot
Miles Austin - hamstring

Out

Kevin Kolb - UPDATE (9:30 am - OUT)

LaDainian Tomlinson - UPDATE (11:55 am - OUT)

Michael Vick - UPDATE (12:40 pm - OUT, according to NFL.com)

Jeremy Maclin - UPDATE (2:30 pm - Report: OUT)

Denarius Moore - UPDATE (2:35 pm - Report: OUT)

Jay Cutler

Adrian Peterson

Ahmad Bradshaw

Darren McFadden

Fred Jackson

Jacoby Ford

Malcom Floyd

Dallas Clark

Questionable

Montario Hardesty - UPDATE - Active, but apparently hurt in warmups

Peyton Hillis - ACTIVE

Joseph Addai - ACTIVE

Mario Manningham

Darrius Heyward-Bey - Report - ACTIVE

Percy Harvin - ACTIVE

Visanthe Shiancoe - ACTIVE

Probable

Ben Roethlisberger

Matt Hasselbeck

Beanie Wells

Ryan Mathews

Shonn Greene

Willis McGahee

Andre Johnson

Sidney Rice

Julio Jones

A.J. Green

Devin Hester

Santana Moss

On Thursday, fantasy owners didn’t know what to do with themselves. There was no need for a “Red Zone Channel” or to accelerate the chase toward carpal tunnel syndrome. The computers remained powered down as owners were able to focus, for better or worse, on one game at a time. For fantasy purposes, the number of Flops far outweighed the Heroes, and the biggest story of the day came out of Detroit.

No, I’m not referring to the petitions to shut down the halftime performance of Nickelback. It was the “stomp heard across the NFL” that got a defensive hero ejected. Phone lines to sports talk radio shows lit up on a normally quiet night as discussions about Ndamukong Suh took center stage. In his immediate post-game comments, Suh tried to push a lame “separating myself from the linemen” excuse and deflected blame toward the officials. On Friday, the Lions released a statement against Suh’s conduct, and Suh himself posted a more contrite message on his Facebook page. I’m projecting a multi-game suspension (2-3) with an appeal taking it back to one.

Now, what did we see on the field? Let’s do some quick-fire Thursday breakdowns.

Green Bay at Detroit

The notes in the Twitterverse about the Packers-Lions contest were funny. Aaron Rodgers passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns, yet fantasy owners cursed his “weak” day. They could curse him for not completing passes to Jermichael Finley or Jordy Nelson. They could curse the team’s continued use of John Kuhn at the goal line (James Starks’ owners, holler if you hear me!). That final stat line was just fine.

Matthew Stafford owners were not quite as fortunate, though he did run for 31 yards to help offset some of the devastation caused by his three interceptions. Stafford passed for 276 yards, and his late touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson appeased some anxious owners. It doesn’t matter whether the score occurred in the first five minutes of the game and in the waning moments of a terrible overall effort. The touchdowns count just the same.

Brandon Pettigrew owners can join those Packer backers in shaking their fists at the fantasy gods.

Week 11 hero Kevin Smith was on his way to another strong fantasy day against the Packers (57 total yards on 10 touches), but left the game with an ankle injury early in the second quarter. Smith was set to be a blocker on a running play when pulled up out of his stance without contact. Fantasy owners that won the bidding rights to Smith’s services cursed the fates when it was initially reported that he had sustained a high-ankle injury. They breathed a moderate sigh of relief on Friday when Smith’s status was updated to a mild sprain. The Lions hold out hope that he’ll be available for next week’s matchup against the Saints.

Maurice Morris excelled as a receiver in his absence. Keiland Williams scored a rushing touchdown and posted 52 total yards on his six touches.

• It was also announced on Friday that Jahvid Best was placed on injured reserve.

Miami at Dallas

Tony Romo’s fantasy owners groaned following a blown opportunity on a deep middle route to Laurent Robinson early in Dallas’ win over the Dolphins. They received some immediate relief at the end of the first half when a botched shotgun snap to Matt Moore (recovered by DeMarcus Ware) gave the ball to the Cowboys inside the Miami 10-yard line. Romo connected with Robinson for the first of their two touchdown passes and all was right with the world. Did you realize that Robinson now has seven touchdown receptions? That total ties him for fifth place among all receivers. Robinson will rank as a WR1 until Miles Austin returns, and things will get interesting in the pecking order and in defensive meeting rooms once he does.

Jason Witten and Dez Bryant left you wanting.

DeMarco Murray continued his run of dominance with another 128 total yards on 26 touches (87 rushing yards). Murray passed 1,000 total yards (1,011) on Thursday.

Brandon Marshall’s 35-yard touchdown reception from Matt Moore ranks as one of the best individual efforts you’ll see from a receiver this season. He literally carried Terence Newman piggy-back style into the end zone and managed to haul in Moore’s pass. Aside from the brutal exchanges in shotgun formation, Moore and the Dolphins failed miserably in red zone opportunities. They settled for field goal attempts time and again.

San Francisco at Baltimore

It was the offensive shootout you expected! No, that’s not it. The defenses ruled the day in Baltimore, as expected. San Francisco continued its dominance at the goal line, shutting down Ray Rice and the Ravens in short-yardage situations.

The lone touchdown of this game came from Baltimore tight end Dennis Pitta, who was floating around in the waiver world in all but the deepest of leagues. Anquan Boldin caught four passes for 63 yards. Torrey Smith’s lone contribution came when he drew a 50-yard pass interference penalty.

Billy Cundiff out-kicked David Akers by a count of 3-2, and the injury-riddled San Francisco offensive line became a veritable turnstile. Baltimore recorded nine sacks of Alex Smith. Smith was under duress all night long, and those questions about his ability to win come January started to circulate once again.

* A total of 10.7 million fans reportedly tuned in to watch the first battle of the Harbaughs on NFL Network.

Mmm ... 5,000 calories in one day.

Three games and an upcoming Ndamukong Suh suspension are in the books, but we've got 13 more contests to go this weekend. Here's your weekly reminder about where you can find fantasy advice as kickoff approaches:

• Tweet the FOXSports.com fantasy team. I'm at @jhalpin37, and you can also contact Ryan Fowler (@FOXSportsFowler), Joel Beall (@FOXSportsBeall) and Mike Harmon (@SwollenDome).
• Post a message on the Facebook pages for Harmon, Fowler and me.
• Listen to FOX Fantasy Freaks Harmon, Peter Burns and Nate Lundy, on FOX Sports Radio Sunday from 9 a.m. until noon ET. You can also tweet those guys (@FantasyFreaks).
• Chat with Beall and me on FOXSports.com Sunday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. He'll manage the first half of the festivities, and I'll jump in at 11:30 to close things out.

On to the news:

FANTASTIC
Check out the greatest fantasy
performances over the last 10
years.
• Vikings RB Adrian Peterson hopes to return to the practice field today and play on Sunday despite a sprained ankle. This is far from a done deal, and at this point I wouldn't bet on Peterson being active. However, if you own Peterson OR if you just picked up Toby Gerhart, you'll need to monitor this situation. If Peterson misses practice again today, we can probably count him out. If he doesn't, we might not know anything official until noon ET on Sunday.
• With Fred Jackson done for the season due to a broken leg, C.J. Spiller gets first crack at the lead back role for the Bills. Spiller is explosive but not very big, and some people are speculating on rookie Johnny White because he seems to be a better between-the-tackles runner than Spiller. White may be an interesting flier in a deep league, but for now, Spiller is your target if you can still get him. On projected workload alone, he's worth a start against the Jets.
• P.S. The Bills picked up RB Tashard Choice. The mention of Choice's name gets fantasy people intrigued, but remember that he's been cut by two teams in the last month.
• Chargers RB Ryan Mathews (knee) missed Thursday's practice, and his status for Sunday is TBD. Here's head coach Norv Turner: "Hopefully Ryan will be all right. But if he’s not, (Mike) Tolbert and (Curtis) Brinkley will take the load." Fellow Mathews owners, you're not alone in beating your heads against the wall due to this guy's brittleness. He's like a porcelain doll, but more delicate.
• Michael Vick (ribs) missed another practice for the Eagles on Thursday, and appears unlikely to play against the Patriots. WR DeSean Jackson (foot) practiced after sitting out Wednesday, while WR Jeremy Maclin (shoulder, hamstring) sat out after practicing Wednesday. The Eagles-Pats game is late, so if we don't hear news on this trio later today, you might need to resort to your backup plans. Jackson is the most likely of the trio to play, and the Vince Young-Riley Cooper connection may once again evoke memories of Montana-to-Rice. Or not.
• In other Eagles' news, CB Nnamdi Asomugha was carried off the practice field Thursday with a knee injury. That's not something you want to happen with the Patriots coming to town.
• Here's an update on the Raiders' long list of injuries. It sounds like we might see WR Denarius Moore (foot) on Sunday, with the chances not as good forWRs Jacoby Ford (foot) and Darrius Heyward-Bey (concussion), along with still-inactive RB Darren McFadden (foot).
• After posting a quick 57 yards from scrimmage on seven carries and three receptions, Lions RB Kevin Smith left Thursday's game with a sprained ankle. Smith's Week 13 status is TBD, but keep your fingers crossed, because his role in the team's offense is big. I started Smith in one league, and after getting excited about his strong start, his injury almost ruined my Thanksgiving dinner. Almost.
• Getting depressed about all the bad injury news in today's blog post? How about the positive story that Falcons WR Julio Jones appears on track to return to action this week? It's a Thanksgiving miracle!
• Speaking of Thanksgiving, a woman in a California Wal-Mart reportedly pepper-sprayed people while waiting on line for an xBox late Thursday night. I love the holiday traditions like retail store violence.
• A week after predicting his Week 12 return, Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) still isn't practicing, and is unlikely to play Monday night. Teammate Mario Manningham (knee) missed Thursday's practice, so let's keep an eye on him as well.
• Browns RB Montario Hardesty reportedly might return Sunday after missing four games with a calf injury. If he does, look for some sort of timeshare between he and Chris Ogbonnaya.
• Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb practiced again Thursday, and may return this week after missing three games with a toe injury. In other Cardinals news, you may have missed this Monday article about the team needing to manage RB Beanie Wells' workload due to his knee problems. A healthy Wells would be in a great spot against the Rams, and while you can still start him, don't expect 20 carries.
• Did everyone notice yesterday that Felix Jones' new job description is "kick returner?" Raise your hand if you picked him in the fourth round of a draft.
• Kyle Orton will not be ready to start for the Chiefs on Sunday night, so Tyler Palko once again gets the chance to reward owners of the fantasy defense that plays against him. This week, it's the Steelers.
• You remember that WR Andre Johnson will return for the Texans on Sunday, with Matt Leinart throwing to him, right? You should, since the Jaguars are likely to be without five defensive starters for the game. Leinart won't throw enough for you to take a big risk on him, though.
• Colts RB Joseph Addai is practicing again, and Indianapolis Star beat writer Philip B. Wilson tweeted on Wednesday that if Addai practices fully this week, he'll probably start against the Panthers. You may remember the Panthers as the team that made Kevin Smith look like Emmitt Smith last week. With that in mind, keep a close eye on Addai's status.
• WR Emmanuel Sanders will return for the Steelers on Sunday night. You need to be in a deep league for that to mean anything.
• Attention, PPR owners: 49ers WR Michael Crabtree caught six passes for 54 yards last night, and has 33 receptions in his last six games. I'm just saying.
• Redskins WR Santana Moss (hand) practiced fully on Thursday, and is on track to return after a four-game absence.
• Seahawks WR Sidney Rice (knee) hasn't practiced yet this week. Ben Obomanu has been limited. Doug Baldwin might be the last man standing in the Seattle receiving corps.

See you back here Tuesday morning, and make sure to buy me something during your Black Friday shopping trip!

Well, last night's game went just about the way we all figured, right?

On to the news:

FANTASTIC
Check out the greatest fantasy
performances over the last 10
years.
• Look for Vikings RB Adrian Peterson to miss Sunday's game due to a high ankle sprain. Peterson is in a walking boot and will reportedly try to practice Friday, but his chances of playing this week are remote. Toby Gerhart projects to get most of the carries in Peterson's absence, and should be a free-agent target even though he's playing against the Falcons' second-ranked rushing defense. Head coach Leslie Frazier noted Monday that WR Percy Harvin, who carried five times for 21 yards against the Raiders, will be called on to help out as well. The Vikings want to get Harvin the ball more often, and Peterson's injury has given them the opportunity to be more creative about how they do that. If you own Harvin, his value just improved.
• Jay Cutler's broken thumb will keep him out until at least the end of the regular season, and you should cut him now if you haven't already. Backup Caleb Hanie takes over at quarterback for the Bears, and while he doesn't seem like a disaster waiting to happen, he'll probably be more of a game manager than playmaker. Hanie is a low-end fantasy option this week, even against a soft Raiders' pass defense.
• One more Bears note: Cutler LOVED throwing to WR Earl Bennnett. The same might not be true for Hanie, and if you own Bennett, look for his fantasy impact to decline.
• Remember to set your lineups early due to the Thanksgiving Day schedule: Packers-Lions, Dolphins-Cowboys and 49ers-Ravens. Remember a couple of years ago, when people were screaming that America shouldn't be forced to watch the terrible Lions every year on Turkey Day? That game is going to be a shootout.
• Raiders head coach Hue Jackson says RB Darren McFadden (foot) won't return until he's completely healthy. With the way Michael Bush has been running, I wouldn't rush McFadden back, either. If McFadden isn't on the practice field Wednesday, he probably won't play Sunday. Don't count on him.
• Texans WR Andre Johnson is expected to return this week after a six-week absence, but what should we expect with Matt Leinart throwing passes in place of the injured Matt Schaub? They'll continue to be the most run-heavy team in the league, so don't expect miracles from Leinart, who should rank among fantasy's bottom eight QBs until he proves otherwise. Also, even bad quarterbacks - which Leinart may not be - have to complete some passes, so Johnson's owners shouldn't panic.
• Raiders WR Darrius Heyward-Bey suffered a concussion on Sunday, and his status for Week 12 is TBD.
• Speaking of concussions, some people thought Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski might have suffered one on one of his TD catches last night, but he did return to the game afterwards. Let's keep an eye on Gronk this week.
• The Giants aren't yet sure if RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) will return to practice this week, but it sounds like they'll play it safe with him. I wouldn't expect to see him Monday night.
• If James' Starks' sprained knee keeps him out of Thursday's game, Ryan Grant will get more carries than usual against the Lions' soft run defense. Starks' status is up in the air, and we should know more later today.
• Browns RB Peyton Hillis (hamstring) will be out again this week, while we'll have to wait and see again on Montario Hardesty (calf). It looks like The Chris Ogbonnaya Experience will have its run extended.
• Lions RB Jahvid Best (concussion) didn't practice Monday, and is unlikely to return against the Packers. When I was a teenager, we used to sleep out on sidewalks overnight to get good tickets to concerts. I feel like that's what people are doing at their local fantasy free-agent wires to get Kevin Smith this week. I don't blame them, though they should keep in mind that every team isn't as horrible at defending the run as the Panthers are.
• The Titans seem to think that QB Matt Hasselbeck (forearm) will be ready to go on Sunday.
• Philly.com reports that Michael Vick will start for the Eagles this week "if he's healthy," which is pretty vague and unhelpful. WR Jeremy Maclin (shoulder, hamstring) is still questionable, while fellow wideout DeSean Jackson is dealing with a bruised foot that doesn't sound serious. If Vick can't play, I'm wondering if Vince Young might run a little more in his second start.
• The Colts say there's a "possibility" that RB Joseph Addai will play this week. Since the Panthers can't stop the run, Donald Brown looks like an interesting free-agent pickup. He's been getting the ball more than Delone Carter lately, and could have a strong game.
• Thanks to the Chiefs for turning their backfield into a full-fledged committee. Fantasy owners love uncertainty.
• I like this column about Cam Newton and the towel on his head.
• Bills RB Fred Jackson is suffering from a bruised right calf, and might miss some practice time this week. Read head coach Chan Gailey's quotes in this Buffalo News story, and let's agree to keep an eye on Jackson this week.
• From Julio Jones' Twitter account yesterday: "I don't know if I'll be playing this weekend but I'm working everyday so keep praying for me." We will, Julio.
• We won't know who's starting at quarterback for the Cardinals until later in the week. I'm glad I traded for Kevin Kolb a month ago. He's been a huge help.
• Joel Beall will be in the FOXSports.com fantasy chat room today at 3 p.m. ET, and I'll make my weekly appearance Wednesday (not the usual Thursday) at the same time. See you there!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I'll be back here Friday morning with another entry.

Here are the NFL injuries fantasy football owners should monitor heading into Week 12:

Thanksgiving Day games:Green Bay at Detroit, Miami at Dallas and San Francisco at Baltimore

QB

Jay Cutler - out (thumb)
Kevin Kolb - foot
Mike Vick - ribs
Matt Hasselbeck - elbow
Ben Roethlisberger - thumb

RB

Peyton Hillis - out (hamstring)
Darren McFadden - foot
Adrian Peterson - ankle
Ahmad Bradshaw - foot
Frank Gore - knee
Beanie Wells - knee
Fred Jackson - calf
Montario Hardesty - calf

WR

Miles Austin - hamstring
Andre Johnson - hamstring
Jeremy Maclin - shoulder/hamstring
Santana Moss - hand
A.J. Green - knee
Malcom Floyd - hip
Julio Jones- hamstring
Danario Alexander - hamstring

TE

Here are the injuries we are monitoring.

BYES: Colts, Texans, Steelers, Saints

QB

Mike Vick - out
Matthew Stafford - active (finger)
Kevin Kolb - inactive (toe)
Matt Cassel - out

RB

Darren McFadden - out
Frank Gore - active (knee)
Beanie Wells - active (knee)
Felix Jones - active (ankle)
Montario Hardesty - out (calf)
BenJarvus Green-Ellis - questionable (toe)
Jahvid Best - out
Peyton Hillis - out
Ahmad Bradshaw - out
Tashard Choice - active

WR

Jeremy Maclin - out
Miles Austin - out
Jacoby Ford - out
A.J. Green - out (knee)
Julio Jones - inactive (hamstring)
Nate Washington - active (illness)
Stevie Johnson - active
Michael Crabtree - active (foot)
Braylon Edwards - active (knee)
Malcom Floyd - out
Lee Evans - active
Danario Alexander - inactive

TE

Jeremy Shockey - out
Visanthe Shiancoe - active

K

Dan Carpenter - out
Rian Lindell - out