The first week of the fantasy football playoffs is officially in the books, and it was a landscape-altering several days, especially regarding fantasy football injuries. Late scratches occurring right before kick-off, torn ACLs and hamstring pulls galore were not precisely what managers were clamoring for their Christmas stockings to be stuffed with. Yet, here we are.
Due to the vast number of players who were banged up in Week 15, I’ll skip the rest of the preamble and get right to the nitty-gritty, in terms of the latest news and what folks should do when making waiver wire bids over the next few days. Let’s jump right in.
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Fantasy Football Injuries to Know
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC)
Late in the fourth quarter during Kansas City’s 16-13 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers, Patrick Mahomes went to the ground when tossing away an incomplete pass. The video review showed his knee buckling awkwardly, and he was in obvious pain and discomfort. Helped off to the sidelines and declared out within minutes, Mahomes had an MRI to confirm the worst news on Sunday evening — he had torn his ACL and LCL, and would be sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Fantasy Impact: Gardner Minshew will serve as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, and he represents a noticeable downgrade from Patrick Mahomes in all aspects. His presence on the field will lower the ceilings of Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, most notably, and render Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown into desperation Flex starts in deeper formats. Minshew isn’t worth acquiring.
Jayden Daniels (QB – WSH)
The latest news on Jayden Daniels is more of a procedural update than anything else. With Washington now out of playoff contention, the Commanders have decided to rest Daniels for the remainder of the season, and he will be shut down to give his injured elbow time to heal. Marcus Mariota will continue to serve as the primary option under center and will start in Week 16 against Philadelphia.
Fantasy Impact: This changes little, since Marcus Mariota was already expected to start regardless. He isn’t as fleet of foot as Jayden Daniels, but is an above-average backup capable of getting the ball into the hands of Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin, which is all fantasy managers can ask for. Washington will continue to operate as a ground-and-pound team that uses play-action passing to move the ball downfield.
Running Back
RJ Harvey (RB – DEN)
RJ Harvey was declared questionable to return late in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s game against Green Bay with a rib injury, and the team has remained quiet about his status for Week 16. When healthy, Harvey is an upside RB2 play who has come into his own, scoring rushing touchdowns in each of the past three contests.
Fantasy Impact: Denver has been quiet about providing any sort of update on RJ Harvey, so I’ll assume he will enter Week 16 with a questionable tag. If he misses any time, I’d expect a committee approach to soak up his touches between Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin. McLaughlin would be my preferred grab between the two as a Hail Mary dart throw.
Woody Marks (RB – HOU)
At this point, Woody Marks should start earning some frequent flier miles with how often he heads to the blue medical tent on Sundays. Anticipated to have a larger workload with backup Nick Chubb nursing a rib injury, Marks rushed seven times for 30 yards and a touchdown on Sunday before injuring his ankle and missing the remainder of the game. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said Marks could have returned to the game if necessary, but given their significant lead over Arizona, his presence wasn’t needed.
Fantasy Impact: Rookie Jawhar Jordan was elevated to the active roster last week and made the most of his opportunity, rushing 15 times for 101 yards and catching two passes for 17 yards. Jordan is sure to be one of the top pickups of the week, serving as an insurance handcuff for Woody Marks. DeMeco Ryans’ comments were positive about Marks’ ability to play in Week 16, but managers should keep an eye on practice reports to gauge his availability as the week progresses.
Bhayshul Tuten (RB – JAX)
Bhayshul Tuten was forced out of action in the fourth quarter of Jacksonville’s 48-20 stomping of the New York Jets, with what was initially described as a hand injury. Following the conclusion of the game, Jaguars beat reporter Garry Smits of The Florida Times-Union reported that Tuten’s injury requires surgery. The explosive rookie will miss several weeks, hopefully returning in time for the playoffs.
Fantasy Impact: Travis Etienne will remain the starter for the Jaguars, and I’d anticipate him continuing to see more than 60% of the backfield snaps. Seventh-round rookie LeQuint Allen will step into Bhayshul Tuten’s shoes, seeing time as a checkdown option for Trevor Lawrence in passing situations. Similar to Tuten before him, the presence of Etienne heavily caps Allen’s upside, and for the short term, he should be viewed as an upside handcuff rather than a Flex-worthy start.
Devin Neal (RB – NO)
Devin Neal was set to be an upside RB2 play in Week 15 against Carolina, and things started very positively, with him finding the end zone on a short score during the first quarter. Unfortunately, during that play, Neal pulled his hamstring and was later spotted limping off to the locker room. Later ruled out, Audric Estime and Evan Hull split carries for the remainder of the game.
Fantasy Impact: Devin Neal was filling in for veteran Alvin Kamara, who has missed the past three games with an MCL sprain and has yet to return to practice. Before any manager pivots to pick up Audric Estime or Evan Hull (a risky move to start with), they should keep an eye on Kamara’s status. New Orleans has little incentive to rush him back as they have been eliminated from playoff contention, but he should be getting close to full health. The Saints square off against the New York Jets in Week 16, who currently rank as the fourth-worst rushing defense in the NFL.
Bam Knight (RB – ARI)
This Arizona backfield is a true mess. First, James Conner was placed on injured reserve (IR), then Trey Benson was unable to return from a knee injury after Week 4. Bam Knight has been splitting touches with Michael Carter and Emari Demercado since, creating a “best-left-avoided” situation for fantasy purposes. Perhaps this injury will clarify things somewhat. Knight was carted off the field in Week 15 with a bad ankle sprain and is expected to undergo further testing to determine how much time he will miss. Carter carried the ball 14 times for 56 rushing yards in his absence, and also caught four receptions for 38 yards.
Fantasy Impact: Michael Carter is my preferred pickup in this backfield and should draw the start in Week 16 against Atlanta. With both teams officially eliminated from playoff contention, this represents a good opportunity for Arizona to see what it has in Carter moving forward. He is worth a flier on the waiver wire as a Flex start in deeper formats.
Wide Receiver
Davante Adams (WR – LAR)
Davante Adams entered Week 15 with a hamstring issue and had his practice reps limited leading up to the contest with Detroit. During the fourth quarter, while running a route downfield, Adams collapsed to the ground after badly pulling his balky hamstring. Although Adams was optimistic about his status after the game and head coach Sean McVay stated he “wouldn’t rule out Adams just yet” for Week 16, it would be challenging to envision a scenario in which he would start against Seattle on Thursday Night Football.
Fantasy Impact: Should Davante Adams miss Week 16 like we expect, his targets would be split between wideouts Tutu Atwell and Xavier Smith, with tight ends Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen seeing slight bumps in usage. Los Angeles has already clinched a playoff spot with their 11-3 record, but a victory would place them in line to earn homefield advantage and a bye.
Rome Odunze (WR – CHI)/Luther Burden III (WR – CHI)
Talk about a frustrating situation. Initially labeled as active for Sunday’s contest against Cleveland, Rome Odunze aggravated a stress fracture that he has been trying to play through during pregame warmups and was ruled out just moments before kickoff, leaving fantasy managers scrambling. Following the Bears’ dominating victory over Cleveland, head coach Ben Johnson said that “all options were on the table” regarding Odunze’s health. Provided the depth that Chicago has at the position, it would make sense for the team to consider sitting Odunze for the rest of the regular season, as Chicago gears up for a playoff run. Rookie Luther Burden III picked up the slack in Odunze’s absence, catching six passes for 84 yards on seven targets, before he was removed with an ankle injury.
Fantasy Impact: If Luther Burden can start against Green Bay during Week 16, he would be a high-end WR2 for fantasy managers. If both Burden and Rome Odunze miss action, veteran DJ Moore would be in line for a massive number of targets, with Olamide Zaccheaus seeing a slight bump in looks. Chicago would ultimately revert to a more run-heavy approach if necessary.
Christian Watson (WR – GB)
You have to feel bad for Christian Watson. It seems like every time he is on the verge of a true breakout, he inevitably succumbs to an injury of some kind. Green Bay’s primary deep-threat option, Watson was forced out of Week 15 while competing for a pass with cornerback Patrick Surtain, and he landed hard on his chest/shoulder area. Remaining motionless and down for several minutes, Watson was later taken to a local hospital for evaluation, but he was thankfully able to travel back to Green Bay with the team. The team has expressed optimism that this isn’t a major injury that will keep Watson out long-term, but given his track record, he should be viewed as iffy, at best, for Week 16.
Fantasy Impact: Should Christian Watson miss Week 16’s pivotal divisional matchup with Chicago, his downfield looks would likely transfer to Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden, with Romeo Doubs continuing to function as the chain-moving safety blanket for quarterback Jordan Love.
Tyler Lockett (WR – LV)
It is doubtful that any teams still in the fantasy playoffs were heavily counting on Tyler Lockett, but perhaps you play in an “AFC West-only” format. Who knows. Regardless, Lockett left Week 15’s contest against Philadelphia with a wrist injury after catching two passes for 10 yards. Lockett’s current status remains unknown.
Fantasy Impact: Tre Tucker and rookie Jack Bech would see a slight bump in value, pushing Tucker into the Flex-worthy realm in deeper formats. Bech remains off my radar for anything other than deep franchise formats.
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