The Packers have said all the right things about Rodgers' ability to play this weekend. Indeed, it would take something rather catastrophic to keep him off the field in such a big game. But recent news that the Packers quarterback has a slight calf tear to go along with a significant strain is not reason for optimism.

Edelman hasn't played since suffering a concussion in Week 15. While the Patriots receiver is officially listed as probable this week against the Ravens, he was spotted wearing the red "no-contact" jersey last week and only logged limited practices this week. It's looking like Edelman will play, but it will be interesting to see how he integrates back into the offense after so many weeks away.

LaFell's comments that he's not used to playing in cold conditions like he could experience this weekend is a little bit troubling. But that's easy to overcome. What's a little more concerning is that LaFell has been a "DNP" in practice this week as he deals with shoulder and toe injuries.

Do we really think Tom Brady's not going to play? No. No we don't. But the Patriots insist on putting him on the injury report week after week, so we're going to talk about it. Are we falling for another one of Bill Belichick's uber-subtle injury-report related jokes? Probably. Let's just roll with it and have a good time.

It's encouraging that Thomas was a full participant in practice earlier this week despite battling an ankle injury. The bigger thing to watch will be how much of a factor he can be against the Colts' defense. But with Peyton Manning struggling to push the ball downfield, there could be more targets in line over the middle for the athletic tight end.

Romo has been held out of practice early in the week as the Cowboys try to protect their quarterback's balky back. It seems like an impossibility to think he doesn't play this week and his stock will quickly take a U-turn once he's back on the field. Either way, a bad back and super cold temperatures in Green Bay don't seem like a recipe for a comfortable afternoon.

Just when you thought Trent Richardson's fantasy stock couldn't fall any lower, there's this: Richardson was seen getting reps on special teams covering punts at practice on Thursday. This comes after a week in which he played just one snap. It's now safe to say that Richardson's fantasy value has thoroughly evaporated.

Terrance Williams had the big day last week in a win over Detroit, but Beasley has been the more reliable target over the past few weeks. In the Cowboys' last two games, Beasley is second on the team in targets behind Jason Witten. Yep, that's right ... Beasley has been targeted more than Dez Bryant in the past couple of weeks. What's not to love this week against the Packers?

Another in a deep class of rookie receivers, Brown has become a nice deep threat for the Panthers late in the season. However, a shoulder injury threatens to keep him out of action this week. In fact, the injury is serious enough that the Panthers are thinking about promoting Stephen Hill from the practice squad. Considering smaller receivers have generally found more success against the Legion of Boom, Brown's absence could be a big loss.

Forget anything Crockett Gillmore might have done last week (which admittedly wasn't much), Daniels is practicing and looks like he should be ready to go this week against New England. That's obviously good news for Joe Flacco and the Ravens -- especially since the Patriots struggled to slow down tight ends at times this season.