by Will Overton

A lot of decisions on injuries won’t be made until tomorrow, but you need to be planning ahead. Injury reports can’t be looked at only on Sunday morning, they need to be monitored and planned for earlier than that. You need to pick players up, make adjustments and have a plan in place for your game time decisions.

So with that in mind here is the most recent injury news on some of fantasy football’s biggest players:

Greg Jennings – WR, Green Bay Packers: This is a tough one. Jennings was a limited participant in practice yesterday, after not going at all on Thursday. Jennings insists he’ll be ready to go on Monday Night, but even he admits he won’t be 100% for the game. Most likely Jennings will ultimately come down to a game time decision, so you really can only gamble if you have someone like James Jones or one of the Seahawks on your bench.

Austin Collie – WR, Indianapolis Colts: Stay tuned for news on Collie today. He’s listed as probable and he feels ready to go, but he has to get all the clear today. Before getting yet another concussion in the preseason Collie seemed to be connecting well with Luck and if he’s cleared he could step right in and make an impact right away. Keep an eye out for what the word is coming out of Indy today.

Daniel Thomas – RB, Miami Dolphins: Another concussion injury that needs to be cleared before game time is Daniel Thomas. He’s practiced all week long for the Dolphins so if it’s up to him he’ll go, but it’s up to the doctors. Chances are he gets cleared, but even if he does Reggie Bush is coming off the best game of his life and he’s clearly the number one back in Miami without much competition. At this point Thomas isn’t worth using even if he is cleared.

Sebastian Janikowski – K, Oakland Raiders: Yes, I am mentioning a kicker, but this is the best kicker in the league and he’s listed as questionable on the injury report. He’s been limited all week long at practice, but word coming out of Oakland is that he’ll play. Make sure you check back before kickoff, but it looks like Sea Bass is good to go.

Brandon Lloyd – WR, New England Patriots: At some point this week Lloyd came down with a  thigh injury and is now listed as questionable on the Pats injury report. No one seems overly concerned about the injury, but if you have a few guys who are all close for a starting spot a hampered Lloyd against the Ravens might be the guy you sit.

Marques Colston – WR, New Orleans Saints: For most of the season Colston has been slowed by a nagging foot injury and it has landed him as a questionable on the injury report this week. One would assume Colston will play through it, but no guarentees on that one. He has been limited all week so who knows for sure. And he hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire these first couple weeks either. Consider him a game time decision.

Ryan Matthews – RB, San Diego Chargers: While he’s listed as questionable on the injury report, what I am hearing out of San Diego makes me a feel a lot more like he’s probable. Matthews has practiced fully every day this week and hasn’t experienced any setbacks. Unless something happens today and the pain flares up, Matthews looks set to make his first start of the season today.

Marshawn Lynch – RB, Seattle Seahawks: It’s not the best sign in the world that Marshawn Lynch just participated in his first practice yesterday. But it went well and he does have an extra day before Monday. Lynch is determined he’s gonna play and Seattle’s coaching staff seems to agree. It’s risky considering he’s a Monday night play, but starting him could pay off big against a weak run defense in Green Bay.

Pierre Garcon – WR, Washington Redskins: Garcon has been practicing all week, but he’s been a limited participant the whole time and has yet to go full on. Because he hasn’t been able to practice fully yet Garcon is listed as doubtful. At this point it is more than just a pain issue, there is an issue with him injuring himself worse if he tries playing on it. I don’t think Garcon is going to be playing Sunday.

Steven Jackson – RB, St. Louis Rams: It’s certainly not a good thing that Jackson didn’t practice yesterday for the Rams. He is still being considered a game time decision for the Rams this Sunday. This isn’t a great matchup with the Bears anyway so Jackson is an especially tough start this week. Grabbing Daryl Richardson as a just in case for if Jackson becomes inactive would make sense. Ultimately though Jackson should be a flex play anyway and you should have suitable backups on your bench to cover that.