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Thursday NFL preview: Fantasy football guidance for Thanksgiving

NFL, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions

NFL Nation reporters look ahead to what Thursday has in store for each team.

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills: The Bills were as healthy last week as they've been all season, but that changed after Monday night's loss to New England. Defensive end Mario Williams is on a scooter because of a foot injury and quarterback Tyrod Taylor did not throw during Wednesday's walk-through practice because of a shoulder injury. He expects to resume throwing Thursday and should play Sunday against the Chiefs. -- Mike Rodak

Miami Dolphins: New Dolphins addition Quinton Coples is happy to join Miami and play exclusively at defensive end. Coples hinted several times this week that playing outside linebacker in the Jets' 3-4 defense wasn't the best use of his skills. Coples said "it brings me chills" that he gets to play against his former team in his first game with the Dolphins. Expect him to be motivated to earn playing time. -- James Walker

New England Patriots: It was notable that wide receiver Danny Amendola was present for Wednesday's walk-through after leaving Monday's game because of a knee injury late in the third quarter. That reflects how Amendola's injury -- reportedly a sprain -- isn't overly serious. Amendola is expected to be limited in practice throughout the week. -- Mike Reiss

New York Jets: The Jets are preparing to play without cornerback Darrelle Revis (concussion) against the Dolphins. Revis, still feeling the effects of the head injury, was sent home Wednesday by team doctors. He would be replaced in the starting lineup by Marcus Williams or nickel back Buster Skrine. Chances are, it'll be Williams with Skrine staying in the slot. -- Rich Cimini

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens: Matt Schaub practiced for the first time as the Ravens' starting quarterback Wednesday. He is starting his first regular-season game since 2013 and he's trying to end a personal six-game losing streak. "You can't afford to have any [rust]," Schaub said. "You have to do whatever you can to shake it off here at practice and go out, take a deep breath and cut it loose on Monday night." -- Jamison Hensley

Cincinnati Bengals: Quarterback Andy Dalton ended up on the Bengals' injury report Wednesday as a limited participant because of a groin injury. Healthy much of his career, he hasn't made very many injury reports the past five seasons. The injury doesn't appear to be anything to worry about, but it certainly will be worth monitoring as the week progresses. Cincinnati will practice on Thanksgiving Day, but the entire facility is closed to media. The team will provide an injury report, though. -- Coley Harvey

Cleveland Browns: Left tackle Joe Thomas said there was no reason for quarterback Johnny Manziel to address the team about the video and weekend that led to his demotion from starter to third string. "I've had a lot of [meetings]," Thomas said, "and still haven't been to the playoffs." -- Pat McManamon

Pittsburgh Steelers: Wide receiver Martavis Bryant practiced Wednesday, and he could be in line for another big performance in Seattle. Bryant has 13 touchdowns in his first 15 NFL games. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says he won't force things to Antonio Brown if the Seahawks' Legion of Boom pays extra attention to Brown. That leaves Bryant as a dangerous weapon downfield. Roethlisberger leads the league with 11 completions when throwing more than 30 yards downfield. Bryant is a frequent recipient of those downfield gains. With Richard Sherman probably shadowing Brown, Bryant should have some one-on-one matchups with DeShawn Shead, who has two career starts in three-plus seasons. -- Jeremy Fowler

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans: The Texans will be the first team to have played the Saints since New Orleans fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. To prepare, the Texans have studied new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's defenses at previous stops. "Anywhere he's worked, we're going back to watching what he's done there." The Texans' video goes back to 2006.  -- Tania Ganguli

Indianapolis Colts: Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston is a rookie, but he has the respect of the Colts. The Colts can't do anything but respect the No. 1 overall pick after he threw five touchdown passes against Philadelphia last weekend. Winston has led Tampa to victories in three of its past four games. "There's not a throw that he can't make and he can extend plays," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "He's big and physical and strong. It's hard to get him down, and, when he does take off, he can throw on the run. He's playing excellent football and it's going to take everything we've got to try to contain that guy." -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars received good news Wednesday when left guard Zane Beadles was cleared per the NFL's concussion protocol, which means he'll be able to start Sunday's game against San Diego. Jacksonville's run game has struggled, but the Chargers are giving up 126 yards per game on the ground and allowing 4.86 yards per carry, the second-highest total in the league. -- Mike DiRocco

Tennessee Titans: Outside linebacker Brian Orakpo has five sacks in November, more than anyone in the NFL besides Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. But the Raiders have given up only 14 sacks and he'll have to get around Raiders left tackle Donald Penn to get to Derek Carr on Sunday in Nashville. -- Paul Kuharsky

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos: Guard Evan Mathis, who suffered an ankle injury in the Broncos' win over the Bears on Sunday, did not practice Wednesday and coach Gary Kubiak said Mathis' ankle was "pretty sore.'' What it means is the Broncos could well have rookie guard Max Garcia in the lineup against the Patriots on Sunday night, blocking for a quarterback -- Brock Osweiler -- making his second career start. Garcia is a power player and will battle each and every snap, but at times he gets caught leaning in pass protection as he works his way on the learning curve. The Patriots probably will go at him at times to see how he reacts. -- Jeff Legwold

Kansas City Chiefs: Punter Dustin Colquitt has often given the Chiefs a huge field-position advantage with his ability to drop punts inside the 20-yard line, and he was recognized for that by being named AFC special teams player of the week. Colquitt put four of his five punts inside the 20 last week against the Chargers. His statistics were identical in that regard in the previous week's game against the Broncos. -- Adam Teicher

Oakland Raiders: The release of Ray-Ray Armstrong, who started the first two games of the season, is another sign rookie linebacker Ben Heeney will continue to get more work. The fifth-round pick got his most extensive work of the season at Detroit, playing in the nickel defense. Heeney had good and bad moments against the Lions, but he had a sack and the coaching staff liked how hard he played. With fellow fifth-round pick Neiron Ball probably a couple of weeks away from returning from a knee injury, expect both Heeney and Ball to get more looks on defense down the stretch so the Raiders can evaluate them for the future. -- Bill Williamson

San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns his final season at Wisconsin. But through 10 games Gordon has yet to rush for 100 yards in a game or score his first touchdown as a pro. Even though his rookie season has been a struggle, Gordon said he's committed to turning things around the final six games. "It's tough for me, but I know things are going to get better," Gordon said. "You can only go up from here, and we are going to continue to get better. We're going to get better up front, and we're going to get better as a team all around, including myself." -- Eric D. Williams

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys: With cornerback Morris Claiborne missing his second straight game because of a hamstring strain, the Cowboys will start Byron Jones at cornerback. The impact of Claiborne's absence, however, is felt in what Jones might not be able to do: defend tight ends. Jones did solid jobs on Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham with the Cowboys using him in man coverage on their premier tight ends. Greg Olsen leads the Panthers with 48 catches for 718 yards and six touchdowns. With Jones needed outside, the Cowboys don't have another good man-to-man option for Olsen among their other safeties. Olsen could be in store for a big day. -- Todd Archer

New York Giants: Expect the Giants to continue rotating safeties, as they ease off on rookie Landon Collins' late-season workload and use Craig Dahl and possibly Cooper Taylor in some key spots moving forward. The Giants have been trying to piece things together all year at safety, and starting Collins and Brandon Meriweather together has hurt them in coverage. So they'll continue to try different combinations moving forward in a continued effort to find solutions. -- Dan Graziano

Philadelphia Eagles: This might be a good week to have tight end Brent Celek in your fantasy lineup. He is coming off his two best weeks of the season -- 4 catches for 139 yards against Miami, 7 for 79 yards against Tampa Bay -- and seems to have good chemistry with Mark Sanchez. Mostly, Zach Ertz is out of Thursday's game because of a concussion, so Celek should get more opportunities. -- Phil Sheridan

Washington Redskins: One stat jumped out for Redskins tight end Jordan Reed: He has yet to catch a touchdown pass against an NFC East opponent. In nine division games, Reed has caught 42 passes, averaging only 8.79 yards per catch, but none have gone for scores. Quarterback Kirk Cousins missed him twice in the end zone in two games vs. the Giants earlier this season. New York has allowed more catches to tight ends than any other team. -- John Keim

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears:  The Bears arrive at Lambeau Field with almost a full cast of characters on offense. Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery are expected to return, giving Jay Cutler more options to work with as he searches for an elusive win in the state of Wisconsin. In 12 career regular-season starts against Green Bay, Cutler has thrown 15 touchdowns and 22 interceptions (67.2 passer rating). In one postseason appearance against the Packers, Cutler completed only 6-of-14 passes for 80 yards and one interception before exiting the 2010 NFC Championship Game at halftime because of a sprained MCL. The Bears are looking to win at Lambeau for the first time since Josh McCown quarterbacked the club to a surprise upset in 2013. Aaron Rodgers also left that game because of a broken collarbone. -- Jeff Dickerson

Detroit Lions: Matthew Stafford has been money for the Lions the past three Thanksgiving games, so unless you have a top-tier quarterback, he could be worth sliding into your lineup -- especially if you start two quarterbacks. Stafford has thrown for at least 330 yards on Thanksgiving the past three seasons and the Eagles' defense is a mess, so he's worth taking a chance on as you're gobbling down your turkey and other Thanksgiving fun-time foods. -- Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers: Remember when Charles Woodson called Jay Cutler "the same old Jay" after the Bears' quarterback threw four interceptions against the Packers in a 2012 game? That saying still holds true, which makes the Packers' defense a good fantasy play this week. Cutler has thrown at least one pick in every game against the Packers since he came to the Bears in 2009. In 12 regular-season games, he has 23 interceptions against the Packers, including one in the season opener this year. -- Rob Demovsky

Minnesota Vikings: Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who was a finalist for the inaugural Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award last season, was nominated by the team for this year's award Wednesday. The 10th-year linebacker returned to the Vikings on a restructured contract this year, and he started his first career game at middle linebacker in place of injured rookie Eric Kendricks on Nov. 15. Greenway won the NFLPA's Byron "Whizzer" White Award for his work in the community last year. -- Ben Goessling

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons: Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is tired of addressing questions about his health after speculation mounted in correlation with his poor performance of late. "I'm 100 percent healthy,'' he said, "and I think I've said this probably five or six different times now. And hopefully, this will be the last time I have to talk about that." Meanwhile, fellow offensive players Devonta Freeman and Leonard Hankerson were held out of Wednesday's practice because of injuries. Freeman continues to go through the concussion protocol, and Hankerson is hampered by a lingering hamstring strain. -- Vaughn McClure

Carolina Panthers: Quarterback Cam Newton stayed at Bank of America Stadium until 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning studying film of Dallas. This kind of preparation has helped him complete 70 percent of his passes in his last two starts. He threw a career-best five touchdowns in Sunday's win over Washington. He won't keep up that pace on Thursday at Dallas, but look for him to remain Carolina's biggest offensive threat as a passer and runner. -- David Newton

New Orleans Saints: Although the Saints' defensive woes have dominated the conversation over the past two weeks, their biggest matchup problem Sunday will come on the other side of the ball. They'll have to face Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who once again leads the NFL with 11.5 sacks. Watt will primarily line up against Saints right tackle Zach Strief, but he moves around a lot. "It's not like we can just run away from him, since we don't know where he's gonna be." Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. Brees said the most important thing is to get rid of the ball quickly because Watt is so relentless. -- Mike Triplett

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: It's good news for the Bucs that running back Doug Martin has an interest in staying with the team. On Monday, coach Lovie Smith said it would be a priority for Tampa Bay to re-sign the running back after declining his fifth-year option in May. On Wednesday, Martin said he loved Tampa and that he would be interested in continuing his career with the Bucs. Work remains before the situation can be settled. But when asked about his contract situation, Martin said, "That will take care of itself. I'm just going to go out there and do my job on the field. I know if I do my job everything else will fall into place." -- Andrew Astleford

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals: Injuries on the defensive line could make the Cardinals' front seven extremely thin heading into Sunday. Arizona probably will be without defensive tackles Frostee Rucker and Cory Redding, and DT Ed Stinson missed practice Wednesday as well. "It's always a concern when you lose guys in the same position, but we've got some young guys," coach Bruce Arians said. -- Josh Weinfuss

St. Louis Rams: The Rams do not practice Thursday but will have wide receiver Stedman Bailey on their mind as he recovers in a Florida hospital after he was shot Tuesday evening. Bailey is out of surgery and will remain in intensive care for the next few days or so. Coach Jeff Fisher said the key to keeping his team focused will be providing them with information and updates moving forward. -- Nick Wagoner

San Francisco 49ers: WIth a 3-7 record and a game against a team that already beat them 47-7 earlier this season in the Cardinals, does coach Jim Tomsula wonder about his job security? "We're in a performance-based business and all of us in it get it. So, I don't think or work that way. ... My long-term goal is Sunday. It's just where I stay." -- Paul Gutierrez

Seattle Seahawks: One key for the Seahawks on Sunday will be limiting explosive plays. They've allowed 34 pass plays of 20-plus yards after giving up 32 in all of 2014. Coach Pete Carroll will have a decision to make at right cornerback. He benched Cary Williams last week against the 49ers. Does he go back to Williams or turn to backup DeShawn Shead? Either way, the secondary will have its hands full against Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and the Steelers' prolific passing attack. -- Sheil Kapadia

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