Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
The Arizona Cardinals received a boost on Friday afternoon when quarterback Kyler Murray returned to practice.
The Cardinals did not miss an offensive beat without Murray in Week 9, as Colt McCoy and James Conner led them to a blowout win over the San Francisco 49ers.
While it was nice for Arizona (8-1) to see its backup quarterback thrive against an NFC West rival, it needs Murray back in the fold to continue its charge for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Sunday’s clash with the Carolina Panthers is not threatening based on the records of the two teams, but the Panthers (4-5) could provide a good test for Murray’s ankle before he visits Seattle in Week 11, if he plays.
The Cleveland Browns are not as fortunate with their injury report, as Nick Chubb will miss another game, this time due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Cleveland will call on D’Ernest Johnson for the second time in less than a month to carry the heavy workload at running back.
Fantasy football players that kept Johnson around after his performance against the Denver Broncos should be rewarded with another high-usage outing.
Below is a look at the rest of the injuries that will affect Sunday’s Week 10 games.
- Kyler Murray, QB, ARI: Game-time decision (ankle), per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss.
- Sam Darnold, QB, CAR: Out (shoulder), per team injury report.
- Nick Chubb, RB, CLE: Out (illness)
- T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND: Will play (concussion), per team injury report.
- Myles Jack, LB, JAX: Will play (knee), per team injury report.
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, JAX: Will play (ankle)
- Cam Robinson, OT, JAX: Will play (back)
- James Robinson, RB, JAX: Questionable (heel)
- Corey Davis, WR, NYJ: Will play (hip), per Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
- Alvin Kamara, RB, NO: Out (knee), per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
- Antonio Brown, WR, TB: Out (ankle), per team injury report.
- Rob Gronkowski, TE, TB: Out (back)
- Chris Godwin, WR, TB: Game-time decision (foot)
Kyler Murray Returns To Practice
Murray’s status for Sunday has not been confirmed yet, but he took a step in the right direction on Friday by returning to practice.
Murray is still listed as a game-time decision by Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who wants to evaluate how his quarterback feels over the weekend, per Darren Urban of the team’s official website:
Darren Urban @Cardschatter
Kingsbury said it was good to have Kyler Murray back on the practice field, but he remains a game day decision.
Asked if the Cards are considering giving him one more week to be careful, Kingsbury said all situations considered, but if Murray is ready to play, he will play.
If Murray plays, he may not have his full complement of targets to throw to. DeAndre Hopkins and Rondale Moore are both listed as game-time decisions and Chase Edmonds is out with an ankle injury.
Murray still has A.J. Green, Zach Ertz, James Conner and backup running back Eno Benjamin among the players at his disposal if he does play.
If he is active, Arizona’s No. 1 signal-caller should receive a decent test from the Panthers passing defense that has conceded the third-fewest passing yards in the NFL.
The Panthers held each of their last three opponents under 200 passing yards and they limited the Atlanta Falcons to 13 points in their Week 8 victory.
With Carolina also dealing with injury issues at quarterback with Sam Darnold on injured reserve, Sunday’s clash could be a low-scoring affair.
Murray is worth the start in most fantasy football leagues because of his high output, but if you have another top-10 or -15 quarterback on your roster with a better matchup, they might be the play with Arizona hampered by injuries elsewhere on offense.
Nick Chubb Ruled Out
If you held on to D’Ernest Johnson after Chubb returned to the field, you are about to be rewarded.
Johnson will handle the majority of the carries against the New England Patriots in Week 10.
Chubb tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week and he was officially ruled out on Friday afternoon.
Johnson produced 146 rushing yards on 22 carries in the Week 7 triumph over the Denver Broncos. Since then, he featured in a minimal backup role in place of the injured Kareem Hunt.
Johnson earned 12 carries and one reception in the last two weeks. The low production could have warranted drops from some fantasy players.
For those who kept him around, Johnson has a chance to be one of the top fantasy running backs in Week 10 because of his expected workload.
New England gives up 4.1 yards per carry and allowed 163 rushing yards two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Chargers.
If you do not have the luxury of picking up Johnson off the waiver wire, he would be a good piece for daily fantasy lineups as the Browns try to earn consecutive victories for the first time since Weeks 3 and 4.
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