Eagles Inactives

Brandon Bair DE
Sam Bradford QB
Zach Ertz TE
Tanner Hawkinson OT
Jonathan Krause WR
Ryan Mathews RB
Denzel Rice DB

With Zach Ertz and Ryan Mathews out, Brent Celek and Darren Sproles both get a bump. Celek is a top 10 play this week in a nice matchup. Mark Sanchez is a decent streaming option, though the Lions defense has played much better in the last three games.

Carolina Panthers

DOUBTFUL
CB Charles Tillman (knee)

QUESTIONABLE
WR Corey Brown (shoulder)

PROBABLE
DT Dwan Edwards (ankle), WR Ted Ginn (knee), LS J.J. Jansen (head), G Andrew Norwell (hamstring)

Dallas Cowboys

OUT
CB Morris Claiborne (hamstring, ankle), DE Ryan Russell (abdomen)

PROBABLE
WR Dez Bryant (foot, knee), WR Brice Butler (hamstring), CB Brandon Carr (shoulder), S Barry Church (ankle), DT Nick Hayden (ankle), S Jeff Heath (shoulder), LB Anthony Hitchens (ankle), CB Byron Jones (ankle), DE Demarcus Lawrence (back), LB Rolando McClain (foot), RB Darren McFadden (groin), QB Tony Romo (back, left shoulder), LB Kyle Wilber (toe)

Philadelphia Eagles

OUT
TE Zach Ertz (concussion), RB Ryan Mathews (concussion, groin)

QUESTIONABLE
QB Sam Bradford (concussion, left shoulder), C Jason Kelce (knee), T Jason Peters (back)

PROBABLE
LB Kiko Alonso (ankle), LB Connor Barwin (quadricep), LB DeMeco Ryans (hamstring), DE Cedric Thornton (ankle), S Walter Thurmond (hamstring)

Detroit Lions

QUESTIONABLE
S Don Carey (back), WR Calvin Johnson (ankle), DT Caraun Reid (ankle), CB Darius Slay (neck), DT Gabe Wright (ankle)

PROBABLE
CB Crezdon Butler (teeth), TE Eric Ebron (quadricep, hand)

Chicago Bears

OUT
TE Martellus Bennett (ribs), RB Ka'Deem Carey (concussion), WR Eddie Royal (knee)

QUESTIONABLE
RB Matt Forte (knee), WR Alshon Jeffery (groin), S Sherrod Martin (neck), LB Pernell McPhee (knee), LB LaRoy Reynolds (knee), S Antrel Rolle (knee)

Green Bay Packers

OUT
WR Jared Abbrederis (rib, chest), WR Ty Montgomery (ankle)

QUESTIONABLE
S Micah Hyde (hip), C Corey Linsley (ankle), DE Mike Pennel (quadricep), CB Damarious Randall (hamstring)

PROBABLE
WR Davante Adams (ankle), T David Bakhtiari (knee), T Bryan Bulaga (knee), S Morgan Burnett (ankle), LB Jay Elliott (ankle), RB Eddie Lacy (ankle), G T.J. Lang (shoulder), LB Clay Matthews (ankle, knee), RB Aaron Ripkowski (ankle), G Josh Sitton (knee)

For the Panthers, if Corey Brown is out, then Devin Funchess figures to be a Sneaky Start once again. With Zach Ertz and Ryan Mathews out, Brent Celek and Darren Sproles both get a bump. Celek is a top 10 play this week in a nice matchup with the Lions. Calvin Johnson is questionable but is expected to play. With Martellus Bennett sidelined, Zachary Miller is also a Sneaky Start at the tight end position. He has been very involved the last few weeks and the Packers just gave up a boatload of fantasy points to Kyle Rudolph last week. Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte are both expected to play, but the Bears have been very devious when it comes to handing out injury information. Don't be shocked if either is inactive on Thursday evening. If they both return, it will obviously put a dent in the upside of Marquess Wilson and Jeremy Langford, respectively.

Eagles TE Zach Ertz took a nasty fall at the end of a third-down play at the beginning of the second quarter.

Ertz hit the ground hard, with his neck snapping back, after he attempted to hurdle a defender.

Ertz was taken back into the locker room by the doctors to be examined for a head injury. He was diagnosed with a concussion and didn't return.

Ertz was recovering from a core body injury in preseason and was slowly getting back to 100-percent, putting together some solid fantasy outing over the past few weeks. Brent Celek has stood out in the Eagles offense the past few weeks, too, and could end up being a sneaky TE play if Ertz can't get back on the field.

Heading into this season, Eagles TE Zach Ertz was prepared to have his best year yet. He trained day in and day out to be a difference-maker for the Eagles in 2015, but what he wasn’t expecting was to undergo surgery during Training Camp.

A core muscle injury meant Ertz would not have a preseason. His first time in a game setting with quarterback Sam Bradford and the other new faces on offense would come in Week 1 against Atlanta.

It’s been a process of learning and recovery for the third-year Eagle, but his numbers are back on the rise as he finds himself connecting with his teammates and once again fully healthy.

“I think blocking is something that I’ve improved on. The rolling the hips is kind of something that’s come along since the injury,” Ertz said. “I feel better running, that’s for sure. Breaking into my routes, I feel more comfortable and more confident in that regard. I think I’m 100 percent healthy now and I think that’s the big difference.”

Earlier in the year, the tight end struggled to recover, noting the Cowboys and Jets games were particularly difficult for him to play in. Slowly but surely, he’s begun to feel like his normal self and understand what he can and cannot do post-surgery.

In Weeks 5-7, Ertz had a combined 166 receiving yards on 14 receptions, accounting for over 60 percent of his total production this season. He feels he and Bradford are building a strong rapport on the field, something he thinks will continue to improve as the season progresses, the story said. He still needs to improve on his blocking, because despite improvement, it's something he's still struggled with at times this year, and it can keep him off the field as a result.

Coming into Sunday afternoon’s game against the Saints, the Eagles thought they would be able to get their tight ends involved in the passing game.

They were right.

Brent Celek and Zach Ertz each had their best offensive outputs of the season in the Eagles’ 39-17 win over the Saints at the Linc.

The two combined for eight catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.

It was the first time since last Dec. 14 (against the Cowboys) the Eagles had two tight ends with three catches apiece.

“We kind of knew coming into the game that Brent and I were going to have some more opportunities this week based on the game plan,” Ertz said. “I thought we did a good job and were successful when both of us were in the game. And hopefully it’s something that continues.”

So what was different against the Saints?

“It depends on what the defense gives us,” Celek said. “Chip (Kelly) does a good job of scheming against defenses. It just comes down to whatever a team is giving us, we’re going to have to try to take advantage of it and exploit them.”

Coming into the game, Ertz had 10 catches for 104 yards on the year. On Sunday, he had five for 60. Celek, meanwhile, had just two receptions on the season coming into Sunday. Against the Saints, he had three catches for 44 yards, which included a 13-yard touchdown. The two claimed it was nothing more than a game plan call, but the Eagles have been expected to use a lot two-TE sets since Kelly took over, something that hadn't really happened. The Eagles used a two-TE set for much of the game, which helped them compile 519 yards of total offense, their highest total of 2015. This may be something we start to see more often considering now much the offense has struggled to this point in the season.

Last season, Eagles tight end Zach Ertz was unable to take over the starting job from Brent Celek.

One game into this season, and it's clear the job is his.

In his first game back from a surgery on his abdomen that sidlelined him for just about a month, Ertz played more snaps than Celek did in the Eagles' 26-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.

Ertz was in 52 snaps to Celek's 27. The Eagles did trail a good portion of the game. Ertz has struggled blocking so these numbers may change in a much closer game or a game where the Eagles lead. Still, Ertz was impressive enough in the passing game that offensively it looks like he's passed Celek as the team's top TE target.

Eagles

QUESTIONABLE
TE Zach Ertz
LB Marcus Smith

Falcons

OUT
WR Devin Hester
LB Brooks Reed

PROBABLE
LB Joplo Bartu
RB Devonta Freeman
T Jacob Matthews
S Robenson Therezie
WR Sharod White

Ertz is a game-time decision for Monday night. We would try to avoid using him this week, but some owners may not have that option. The Eagles play on Monday, so owners could look at Vernon Davis, Brent Celek or Jacob Tamme as potential wait-and-see options.