Player Notes

David Garrard (Jac - QB)

Nov 24 - QB David Garrard has led the team to fourth-quarter comeback victories two weeks in a row, but he only has an 83.9 quarterback rating with eight touchdown passes and six interceptions.

Nov 23 - Garrard completed 21 of 30 passes for 215 yards, with a touchdown and an interception Sunday in a 18-15 win over Buffalo.
Advice: Garrard led his second game-winning drive in the last two weeks. "It's just something that continues to give this team, this offense, confidence," Garrard said. "You're not going to get it every time, but when you do, you've got to relish it, learn from it and understand what it's like to be in that moment." Fantasy owners should be aware that Garrard is on the upswing.

Nov 22 - QB David Garrard had only an 87.5 quarterback rating and threw for only 215 yards Sunday, but he directed a game-winning 68-yard drive in the fourth quarter against the Bills.

Adrian Peterson (Min - RB)

Nov 26 - Peterson (ankle) was limited in practice again on Thursday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Recommendation: The media didn't have access to Minnesota's practice on Thanksgiving, so there isn't much information on his injury. Still, he played with the injury last week and it's probably not a concern this week against Chicago.

Nov 25 - Peterson was limited in practice Wednesday because of an ankle injury, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Judd Zulgad reports.

Recommendation: Peterson nicked his ankle in last week's win over Seattle but returned to the game, so we'd be surprised if he's in any danger of missing Sunday's matchup with Chicago. His limited participation was probably a precaution.

Nov 23 - Peterson rushed for 82 yards in Minnesota's 35-9 win over Seattle on Sunday.
Advice: Peterson was held out of the end zone after scoring four times in his previous three games.

Steve Slaton (Hou - RB)

Nov 26 - Slaton (shoulder) practiced Thursday, the Texans' official site reports.

Recommendation: We'll see where Slaton lands on Friday's injury report, but what his role will be Sunday against the Colts seems like more of a question mark than whether or not he will play.

Nov 25 - Slaton doesn't seem overly concerned about the shoulder issue that kept him out of practice Wednesday, the Texans' official site reports. "It's feeling good. I should be back hopefully tomorrow, just running around a little bit," Slaton said Wednesday.

Recommendation: "Yeah, it's a short week and turnaround," Slaton added. "So we took a day off to rest it." More on his status in the coming days, but what his role will be in Week 12 seems more of a question mark than his availability.

Nov 25 - RB Steve Slaton (sore neck) did not practice Wednesday but expects to play Sunday.

Nov 25 - Slaton (shoulder) missed practice Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.

Recommendation: Coach Gary Kubiak indicated that Slaton is listed as day-to-day for Sunday's game against the Colts. Unlike many of his peers, Kubiak is normally pretty frank about the status of his injured players, so we should get a better handle on Slaton's Week 12 availability in the coming days.

Nov 24 - RB Steve Slaton, who hasn't run well and has lost five of seven games, has still scored seven touchdowns. He scored 10 as a rookie last season. Four of Slaton's touchdowns have been as a receiver. Because he hasn't run effectively or consistently, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has involved him in the passing game. Interesting that Slaton would experience a sophomore slump and still have a shot at scoring more touchdowns than he did last season.

Nov 21 - RB Steve Slaton will start against Tennessee on Sunday, according to the Houston Chronicle. Ryan Moats started the team's last game.

Calvin Johnson^Q (Det - WR)

Nov 26 - Johnson will start Thursday against Green Bay for the Lions.
Advice: Johnson, who has knee and hand injuries suffered injuries in Sunday's dramatic win over Cleveland, missed three days of practice this week.

Nov 26 - Johnson (knee) is listed as active for Thursday's game against the Packers.

Recommendation: It's uncertain how close to 100 percent Johnson is, but the Lions' top wideout is out there starting and surprisingly will have Matthew Stafford throwing to him Thursday.

Nov 26 - The Detroit Lions practiced Tuesday without quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The injured players watched the workouts.
Advice: Johnson has hand and knee injuries. Both Johnson and Stafford don't have much time to get healthy for the next game. Detroit hosts the Green Bay Packers in its annual Thanksgiving game.

Nov 26 - The Lions plan to work Johnson (knee) out before the team's Thanksgiving tilt against the Packers to determine his availability for the game.

Recommendation: ESPN's Adam Schefter says he has a "hunch" that Johnson won't go, but this looks like a true game-time decision, with the odds perhaps slightly tilted against him. More on his status as kickoff approaches.

Nov 25 - Johnson (knee, hand) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against Green Bay, Adam Caplan of Scout.com reports.

Recommendation: We'll have official word on Johnson's status as soon as the inactive list is released on Thanksgiving morning, making it easy for you to step away from your turkey duties for a few minutes to verify Johnson's availability. If he does play, he'll be catching passes from Daunte Culpepper, who will be starting in place of the injured Matthew Stafford.

Nov 24 - WR Calvin Johnson did not practice Tuesday because of hand and knee injuries. Coach Jim Schwartz said he was improving but would be a game-time decision.

Nov 23 - WR Calvin Johnson was listed with hand and knee injuries Monday. Asked if Johnson would play against the Packers, coach Jim Schwartz said: "We'll see."

Nov 23 - Johnson had seven receptions for 161 yards and a score in Detroit's 38-37 win over Cleveland on Sunday.
Advice: Johnson has had two straight strong games after being held to three catches fro 29 yards in his previous two.

Greg Jennings (GB - WR)

Nov 23 - WR Greg Jennings (five catches for season-high 126 yards) had a few rare moments in the spotlight during his underwhelming 2009 season, none brighter than a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown off a short slant in the second quarter.

Nov 23 - Jennings had 5 catches for 126 yards and a TD Sunday in a 30-24 win over the 49ers.
Advice: Jennings has three 100-yard efforts this season after his first since Sept. 27.

Sidney Rice (Min - WR)

Nov 24 - WR Sidney Rice made a spectacular jumping 7-yard touchdown catch of a Brett Favre pass in the third quarter and added another scoring grab from Tarvaris Jackson as he finished with six receptions for 89 yards against Seattle. Rice leads the NFC and is third in the NFL with 875 receiving yards on 50. That leads the Vikings and gives him four more catches than he had in his first two years combined.

Nov 23 - WR Sidney Rice had a cramp in his leg after making a 7-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter Sunday but said he was fine.

Nov 23 - Rice caught two TD passes in Minnesota's 35-9 win over Settle on Sunday.
Advice: Rice has developed into Brett Favre's favorite target, catching 33 passes for 642 yards over his last five games.

Jeremy Shockey (NO - TE)

Nov 24 - TE Jeremy Shockey caught two passes for 17 yards with a long of 12. He also served as a blocker in the running game as the Saints piled up 183 yards and a 5.1 average on 36 attempts.

Adam Vinatieri (Ind - K)

Nov 25 - Vinatieri (knee) did not practice Wednesday, the Colts' official web site reports.

Recommendation: There's no need to rush him back, as long as the capable Matt Stover is holding down the fort, but we do expect to see Vinatieri at some point down the stretch.

Nov 24 - PK Adam Vinatieri says that his rehab from last month's minor knee surgery is going well. He hopes to be back on the practice field sometime within the next few weeks. Vinatieri is not pushing the time for his return, however. He will not be back in a game until he has been fully cleared by the Colts' athletic training and medical staff.