The Fantasy Football Trainers room is here to update you on all the key Week 15 Fantasy Football injuries, while (more importantly) giving you a backup plan for your lineup. To get up-to-kickoff updates on all actives and inactives, be sure to tune into the Fantasy Tailgate LIVE on Facebook. We’ll cover all these plus answer every single one of your Sit / Start dilemmas. Check out our Week 15 Rankings to help make your decisions easier.
Josh Jacobs “plans” to play, gross RBBC could be on horizon
It’s always good to play your stud rookie tailback through a fractured shoulder, but the Raiders will always do Raiders things. After missing Week 14, Jacobs tweeted out that he “plans” to play, but will obviously have to get cleared by the team. If Jacobs plays, he’ll be a solid RB2 with DeAndre Washington likely getting more touches to ease some of the load off Jacobs. If he doesn’t go, Washington will be a the horse against a shitty Jacksonville defense. Washington is a must-add with legit upside over the next two weeks and is available in 57 percent of leagues.
Update: Jacobs will play today
Alshon Jeffery done for season, Zach Ertz to be showered in targets
Alshon had a pretty gross non-contact foot injury that ultimately ended his season. Meanwhile, Nelson Agholor (knee) and Jordan Howard (shoulder) are trending towards being out yet again. This makes Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Miles Sanders and Boston Scott the only options with a pulse on the Eagles’ offense. From a pass-catcher standpoint, Ertz ($6000 on DraftKings) is the clear beneficiary and is The Wolf’s TE1. In the five games that Alshon has exited or missed, Ertz is averaging 12.2 targets and over 20 fantasy points per contest. Scott is a decent Hail Mary option on DK and is only $3000.
DJ Chark (ankle) declared OUT, Dede and Conley set to eat vs Raiders
Chark was seen in a walking boot throughout the week and the waiver wire pickup of the year could be on ice for the remainder of the fantasy season. In his absence, look for Gardner Minshew to pepper Dede Westbrook ($4600) and Chris Conley (20% owned, $3600). The Raiders are susceptible to the long ball and Conley could be a big money winner for his cheap price tag on DraftKings.
Adam Thielen set to return, we’re higher than most on him
Now that he’s finally healthy, Thielen is back just in time for a fantasy championship run. The Wolf has the slot slut as his WR25 (+9 vs the ECR) and believes he’s startable in a decent matchup against the Chargers. The volume is never clear with Thielen, but he should be locked in at your WR3 or Flex spot if you’re deciding whether or not to trust him in his first game back.
Evan Engram out (again), Elisha Manning set up perfectly for final home game
Engram continues to frustrate fantasy owners on a yearly basis with his lack of durability, and will likely be shutdown for the final two games. However, the big storyline here is Eli Manning in his final home game in the Meadowlands. Elisha gets the depleted Dolphins secondary and a very favorable $5200 price tag on DraftKings. Darius Slayton ($4700) has led the Giants in receiving in four straight games and has been targeted over seven times in all four — yet is still somehow still ranked lower than Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate vs the ECR.
JuJu aggravates knee injury, James Conner returns to action
Smith-Schuster was declared out after aggravating his knee injury on Thursday, meaning Dionate Johnson and James Washington will continue to get targeted by Duck Hodges. However, they face a tough matchup against the stout Bills’ secondary and will be very hard to trust this week. Conner returns this week after his hiatus but he’s down at our RB27, leaving him as a questionable RB2 in a tough matchup. Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels will likely steal some touches away from Conner — limiting his ceiling.
Greg Olsen (concussion) is OUT, leaving Ian Thomas as a top TE streamer
When will Olsen hang up his cleats and grab the microphone for good? Anyways, Ian Thomas (2% owned and $3100 on DraftKings) is a top tight end streamer against the Seahawks. With Olsen out last week, Thomas played 86 percent of the snaps, putting up 5-57-1 on 10 targets. The Panthers lined him up in the slot or out-wide on 47 of his 61 snaps and should feast on a beatable Seahawks defense.
Players Returning / Good-to-go:
- Derrick Henry (hamstring) sat out practice all week but both him and Mike Vrabel said he will start this week against the Texans. Henry has arguably been the league’s best back over the last 16 games and should continue to be a beast this week
- DeVante Parker (concussion) secured the bag (4-year $40m extension) on Friday, practiced in full and cleared concussion protocol… he’s good to go
- Dak Prescott (hand and finger) should be fine to play, but gets a tough matchup against Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald
- Patrick Mahomes (hand) toughed it out last week but could have trouble driving the ball down the field… he’s our QB7
- Jameis Winston (fractured thumb) will play through the pain this week and gets a juicy matchup against the hapless Lions’ secondary
- Devonta Freeman (knee) wasn’t listed on the final injury report and will play Week 15 in a grotesque matchup against the 49ers. Sit this bum.
- David Njoku (knee) wasn’t listed on the final injury report and is a solid streamer against the pathetic Cardinals’ defense that almost guarantees a touchdown to a tight end on a weekly basis
Others to Monitor:
- Will Fuller (hamstring) is questionable for the 100th time in his career… if he goes, he’ll be a WR3/Flex consideration with boom-or-bust upside. Update: Fuller will likely play
- TY Hilton (calf) practiced in a limited fashion this week and could play Monday night against the Seahawks. However, with it being a big question mark and a probable disaster if he’s a late scratch, he should be stashed on the bench for a possible Week 16 fantasy championship return
- Jared Cook (concussion) grabbed two touchdowns on only eight snaps last week before exiting the game. He practiced full in Friday and should suit up as a TE1 in Week 15
- Noah Fant (hip, foot) is officially questionable for Week 15 and could be a TE1 if he suits up against the Chiefs
Already/ Obviously Out:
- Gerald Everett (knee) was declared out on Friday, meaning the GOAT Tyler Higbee will continue to ball out in his absence
- Mike Evans (hamstring) is out for the rest of the reason… See who will get the bump with Evans out of the lineup, here
- Calvin Ridley (abdominal) was placed on IR… Russell Gage and something called Olamide Zaccheaus will get a “bump” against a tough 49ers secondary
- Alexander Mattison (ankle) is out for Week 15, meaning Dalvin Cook will be the unquestioned workhorse against the Chargers
- Paul Richardson (hamstring) and Trey Quinn (concussion) are both OUT, leaving Terry McLaurin as the only option with a heartbeat on the perimeter
- Taylor Gabriel (concussion) was declared out… meaning Anthony Miller should continue to eat
- A.J. Green (hates team) and Auden Tate (MCL) are both out, with the latter placed on IR… Tyler Boyd will likely get erased by Stephon Gilmore. Look elsewhere.
- Not sure why the Lions haven’t officially IR’d Matthew Stafford (fractured back), but we’ll get the David Blough show again in a juicy matchup against the Bucs.
