Report: Marion Barber expected to miss Week 16

Dec 23, 2011

Running back Kahlil Bell is set to make just his second career start against the Bears' biggest rival.

Veteran Marion Barber is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Packers in Green Bay with a calf injury, according to a league source. That leaves Bell as the primary ball carrier because Matt Forte still is sidelined with a sprained right knee.

Coach Lovie Smith expressed confidence in Bell as the starter.

"There are bigger concerns I have, and Kahlil is not one of them,'' Smith said Thursday. "I vividly remember his first carry he had at Soldier Field (a franchise-rookie record 72-yard run). I see him every day in practice going against our No. 1 defense.

"He can make you miss in the open field. He can run with power inside. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. I'm excited about the opportunity he has.''

Fantasy Impact:

4for4 has been high on Bell all week, ranking him #25 amongst RBs in standard formats and #12 in PPR.

yesterday

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson officially Out for Week 12

Adam Schefter

yesterday · 4:12 PM EST

Cowboys list TE Jake Ferguson as out for Sunday’s game vs. Washington due to his concussion.

Related Players: Luke Schoonmaker

Fantasy Impact:

This puts Schoonmaker more or less in TE streaming consideration, but there are far better options this week, which puts him low on the totem pole.

Eagles WR DeVonta Smith officially Out for Week 12

Mike Garafolo

yesterday · 4:04 PM EST

Eagles ruled out WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) for Sunday against the Rams.

Related Players: A.J. Brown, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson, Dallas Goedert

Fantasy Impact:

It's a bit of a crapshoot as to who the "WR2" on the offense will be, but now that he's ruled out, Brown and Goedert should get a nice boost to their bottom line. That would lock Goedert into a no-doubt TE1 role in Week 12.