Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski practices Friday, won't play in Week 15

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is nearing a return after fracturing his left forearm in Week 11. He practiced Friday for the first time since sustaining the injury, but it won't be enough to get him on the field Sunday night against the 49ers. A league source has told ProFootballTalk.com that Gronkowski will not play in that game.

Fantasy Analysis:

In typical Patriots fashion, the team listed Gronk as questionable on the injury report, right along side Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez, who are in absolutely no danger of missing this attractive showdown. We'll see what he does leading up to the Week 16 game in Jacksonville, but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported earlier this week that the Pats have their eyes set on a Week 17 return for Gronkowski. That would pretty much make him worthless to the majority of fantasy owners out there. However, you can bet he'll be listed as questionable on next week's injury report, too.