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Injury Wrap: Ahmad Bradshaw ruled out; news remains cloudy on Robert Griffin

It's semifinal week in most fantasy leagues and there's a lot going on with the medical news, so let's get right to the clipboard.

The Giants aren't going to make us wait for the backfield story — Ahmad Bradshaw (he of the assorted ailments) is not going to play at Atlanta. This sets up David Wilson to pick up his first pro start, and presumably a healthy share of touches, though he will probably be spelled liberally on passing downs. The team still isn't sold on Wilson's ability to pick up the blitz.

The Falcons have their own intrigue in this game, as Roddy White (knee) didn't practice all week and is being termed a game-time decision. It's an early game, which we appreciate, but it's frustrating to have a talent like White hanging in the balance. At least we can point to White's track record and feel good - he's yet to miss a start over his eight-year career. My gut feeling is that he'll play, but I'm not assuming anything until we hear it on game day.

The status of Robert Griffin is obviously one of the biggest stories of the week, as Andy Behrens discussed in his Friday blog post. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports has reported that RG3 didn't take any first-team reps this week, which sure sounds like Kirk Cousins will be the game-day starter at Cleveland. I'm not blessed with any Griffin shares on my teams this year, but if I did have such a luxury, I would not roll the dice with him on Sunday. At least it's an early game, so we'll know the situation before the first wave kicks off. The Redskins will probably have their decision on Griffin put to bed no later than Saturday, but good luck getting an early lean from Mike Shanahan.

Dez Bryant is expected to play through his broken finger, but it's going to be a pain tolerance issue for him. It's also likely he'll need special protective equipment to protect the digits; we can only guess to how he'll adjust to the discomfort and new challenges. And to make things even more tricky, the Cowboys have a second-wave game on Sunday, and they're up against Pittsburgh's superb pass defense (though Ike Taylor won't be on the field). I'm slotting Bryant in the mid-30s on the wideout board.

The Saints concede that Jimmy Graham has been playing through wrist problems all year. Maybe that's why Graham's hands have turned to jelly, shockingly, for much of the season. You still have to view Graham as a high-end TE1, but if you're in a stock-market game where the entire tight end board is in play, Graham would not be my first selection.

Speaking of elite tight ends, Rob Gronkowski made a stunning return to Patriots practice on Friday. He's coming back from a broken forearm in the middle of November. This has the hint of a notorious Bill Belichick smokescreen - perhaps he's looking to put the fear of Gronkowski into the Niners. I can't see any reason why the Pats would rush Gronkowski back for Sunday night's game, but you never really know with this franchise.

The Packers won't have Jordy Nelson (hamstring) back at Chicago, though Clay Matthews should be able to go. The Bears have a slew of injuries on defense, including cornerback Tim Jennings (he's out with a shoulder injury). Running back Michael Bush (ribs) is listed as questionable.

Brandon Pettigrew (ankle) didn't practice all week and doesn't seem likely to play at Arizona. Tony Scheffler picks up extra work in the meantime.

Cecil Shorts (post concussion) had a full workout Friday and the Jaguars consider him probable for Sunday's match at Miami. I figure you have to downgrade the Shorts expectations slightly given what he's dealt with lately, but I've squeezed him into my Top 30 at the position.

Danny Amendola (heel) had a full workout Friday and is now considered probable for the de-facto elimination game with Minnesota.

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