NFL Photos | NFL Photography Gallery | NFL.com
Fantasy Stock Watch
And we've come to the end. All the draft takes, the deep sleepers, the shrewd trades and savvy waiver wire moves. It all comes down to this. Three days of fake footballing designed to elevate your own sense of self-worth and allow you a chance to gloat over others because you experienced a level of good fortune that they could not. Also ... you get a trophy. Allow the Stock Watch to be the platform that elevates you to victory.

Rejoice! For we bring glad tidings of health for one of the Chargers main offensive weapons. After leaving last week's game on a cart, it seemed like a happy holiday season was not in the making. But hark! It appears that there is no reason to despair. Allen has been a full participant in practice this week, alleviating any fears. Christmas is back on, y'all.

We had reached a point when it felt like we knew what we were doing with the Patriots backfield. Then Rex Burkhead got hurt and now all our dreams have turned to dust. Mike Gillislee is expected to play this week after being a healthy scratch for the past few contests. Everything we thought we learned about how Bill Belichick uses his backs will have to be unlearned. Sigh.

A couple of weeks ago, Perine left a game with a case of (ahem!) bubbleguts. Last week, he gave fantasy managers upset stomachs with just 66 scrimmage yards on 16 touches. This week, he's causing consternation after suffering a groin injury that forced him out of practice this week. That's not encouraging news going into an already unfavorable matchup. Can you trust Kapri Bibbs with your championship life? Godspeed if you do.

Things had been going so well for Lee this season that it seemed inevitable that eventually he would be felled by an injury. The Jaguars leading receiver left early in last week's game with an ankle injury that threatens to keep him on the sideline for the next couple of weeks. The rise of Keelan Cole should continue and we could also see more Jaydon Mickens. Fantasy is maddening, isn't it?

Coleman is on track to take the field again this week with news that he has cleared the concussion protocol. The injury kept him out of last week's win over the Buccaneers while Devonta Freeman was a one-man wrecking crew versus Tampa Bay. This week's matchup against the Saints should be a bit more formidable but considering New Orleans' issues with pass-catching running backs, Coleman's return should be a welcome one.

Everything was shaping up so well for Kerwynn Williams. He was the lead -- and essentially only -- running back in Arizona's backfield and had a plus matchup this week against Washington. That might all be going by the wayside with word of a quad injury that has kept him off the practice field. Next up? Elijhaa Penny and D.J. Foster. Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait. Oh, you already have many? My bad. Carry on.

For all of the good things Devin Funchess has done since Kelvin Benjamin was shipped to western New York, last week was not one of the high points. Funchess had just one catch for 19 yards and suffered a shoulder injury that hampered him for much of the game. This week, a check with Dr. Funchess himself suggests that the receiver is a go for a very good matchup against the Bucs. Hopefully this is an accurate prognosis -- both for the shoulder and the matchup.

This has nothing to do with Kenyan Drake. He's been pretty good for the past few weeks. The issue is that his offensive coordinator, Clyde Christensen apparently can't stand prosperity. Christensen says he hadn't planned to use Drake as much as has been the case recently. Which leads me to say "lolwut?" Drake has been one of the best running backs in fantasy over the past few weeks. Now there's a chance he could cede carries to Damien Williams. This is why we can't have nice things.

This has been a pretty forgettable season for DeSean Jackson. Much of the year has been marked by underperformance and an inability to connect with Jameis Winston on any long throws. It's even harder to run deep routes on a bad ankle. That's what Jackson is dealing with now after suffering the injury on Monday night. It doesn't look good for him playing this week against Carolina -- which should eliminate any headaches about whether to start him. Provided you were still starting him in the first place.

There aren't a lot of silver linings in Green Bay right now. The Packers are eliminated from playoff contention, Aaron Rodgers is on injured reserve, and Davante Adams is ruled out with a concussion. It's only a slightly more depressing ending than The Empire Strikes Back. I mean ... if you're a Packers fans. But with Brett Hundley at quarterback and no Adams, look for Allison to take on a bigger role. He's the deepest of deep sleeper plays against the Vikings. But, hey, some folks like living dangerously.