Blount out on Sunday: It’s official. Get Earnest Graham back into your fantasy lineups. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris says LeGarrette Blount won’t play in Week 7 as he continues to recover from a knee injury. This is likely the last week that Graham has this much value as the Bucs have a bye next week before a rematch against the Saints in Week 9. As for this week, the Bears aren’t awful against the run, but Graham’s ability as a pass catcher gives him an added dimension. He is a good No. 2 or 3 running back play.

Gates missed Thursday practice: There was mild panic around fantasy land on Thursday when word got out that Chargers tight end Antonio Gates missed practice. Turns out, that was by design and Gates is still expected to play against the Jets on Sunday. Gang Green has been tough on fantasy tight ends this year, allowing the seventh-fewest points against them. Then again, a healthy Gates isn’t your run-of-the-mill tight end. And with a number of quality options on byes this week, fantasy owners should gladly welcome arguably the league’s top player at the position back to their lineup.

Theismann touts Torain: If you follow the @NFLFantasy twitter account, you know that we’ve warned of Shanahanigans all week. Unafraid to jump into the fray, former Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann offered his opinion on Washington’s running back situation via Twitter, saying he would start “[Ryan] Torain vs this D”. The “D” he speaks of belongs to the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs on average this year. It makes perfect sense, but as long as Mike Shanahan has final say, any Redskins runner is a risky play. If you’re feeling confident, start Torain. If he gets the bulk of the carries, he’ll produce on Sunday. But beware…Roy Helu and Tim Hightower are always lurking.

–Marcas Grant

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