Rob Gronkowski injury: What status means for Week 11 fantasy football

Game day update: Greg Auman reported that all expectations are Gronk will play on Monday Night Football. Adam Schefter reported later in the morning that Gronk will play so long as there are no pre-game setbacks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released their final Week 11 injury report on Saturday and tight end Rob Gronkowski is listed as questionable for Monday Night Football. Gronk was a full participant in practice on Thursday and Friday but then sat out Saturday’s practice. He has been dealing with a back injury and has been sidelined since suffering the injury in Week 8.

Fantasy football impact: Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski (back)

The speculation right now is that Gronkowski was getting a rest day on Saturday and this was not in fact an aggravation of the injury. Head coach Bruce Arians told the media he was encouraged by what he saw from Gronkowski this week, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine.

It would appear Gronk is going to play on Monday, but if you are making fantasy football decisions, waiting until Monday to be sure is not ideal. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Adam Schefter or Ian Rapoport have a positive report before 1 p.m. kickoffs.

If you think Gronk will play on Monday, he’s a solid start. He might not get a ton of targets, but he was a huge red zone threat early in the season prior to a lung injury and now these back issues. There’s strong upside against a mediocre Giants defense. We think he plays on Monday, but it does carry some risk given how back injuries can flare up.