Championship Week Injury Report
OUT
- QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
- QB Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles
- RB Lamar Miller, Houston Texans
- RB Frank Gore, Miami Dolphins
- RB Marcus Murphy, Buffalo Bills
- RB Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
- RB James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers
- RB Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions
- RB Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons
- RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
- WR Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets
- WR Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
- WR Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs
- WR DJ Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Keke Coutee, Houston Texans
- WR Bruce Ellington, Detroit Lions
- WR Maurice Harris, Washington Redskins
- TE Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins
- TE Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins
- TE Geoff Swaim, Dallas Cowboys
DOUBTFUL
- RB Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
QUESTIONABLE
- QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
- RB Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
- RB Chris Ivory, Buffalo Bills
- RB LeGarrette Blount, Detroit Lions
- RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
- WR Josh Doctson, Washington Redskins
- WR Tajae Sharpe, Tennessee Titans
- WR DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
- WR T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts
- WR Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions
- WR Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
- WR J.J. Nelson, Arizona Cardinals
- TE Matt LaCosse, Denver Broncos
- TE Nick Boyle, Baltimore Ravens
- TE Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals
Quarterbacks
Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles (Back)
Wentz missed Week 15 and has been ruled out for Week 16 as well.
Fantasy Impact: Fortunately, the Eagles have the reigning Super Bowl MVP as their backup quarterback. Nick Foles will fill in under center for the second straight week. Alshon Jeffery gets a slight boost after catching all eight balls thrown his way for a season-high 160 yards. Foles seems to get Jeffery more involved than Wentz.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (Shoulder)
Newton has not been himself for quite a while and it is partially due to his throwing shoulder. In last week’s loss, he didn’t attempt a pass longer than 20 yards. The Panthers have been playing “dink and dunk” football, which has made Christian McCaffrey an absolute stud, especially in PPR leagues. Taylor Heinicke will fill in at quarterback after the Panthers decided to shut Newton down for the rest of the season.
Fantasy Impact: It’s hard to know how this will affect the rest of Carolina’s offense, especially since their only real offensive weapons this season have been Cam and McCaffrey. DJ Moore has shown promise in his rookie year at wide receiver and Heinicke has a very strong arm. Curtis Samuel has also played well in a few games and proved he is more than just a gadget player. We could see some deeper passing plays in the playbook this week. With the Panthers out of Playoff contention, it’s hard to imagine them not wanting to see what they can get from some of their younger players.
Running Backs
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams (Knee)
Gurley has been a bit banged up the last few weeks but hasn’t missed much action during the game. That change in Week 15 when Gurley was spotted with some sort of wrap and ice contraption on his knee. He missed about two series of action but did come back in the game. He was healthy enough to find the end-zone for a second time and contribute in the passing game during their final drive.
Fantasy Impact: Certainly a positive to see Gurley play through the injury but it was clear he was not 100%. Now that the Rams are still fighting for a 1st Round Bye we don’t expect to see the team shut him down in Week 16 (though that may be the case for Week 17). Look for the newly acquired C.J. Anderson to start if Gurley sits, while the Rams will mix in John Kelly and Justin Davis to split time as the backups.
Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars (Foot)
Fantasy managers were wondering why Fournette only saw one carry in the second half vs. the Redskins and it was apparently part of the Jaguars plan all along to limit Fournette’s touches. At least that is what Coach Doug Marrone said after the game. But then a report came out indicating Fournette will be limited in practice all week because of a foot injury.
Fantasy Impact: It doesn’t sound like Fournette suffered an injury but rather the team is just resting him because they are out of contention and their Number 4 overall pick from 2017 has a history of foot injuries. Carlos Hyde, TJ Yeldon, and newcomer David Williams could form a major headache in Week 16.
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers (Knee)
Departing from the game in the 1st Quarter, Jones was eventually ruled out at Halftime, dealing fantasy managers a major blow in the semi-finals. Jones told the media he believes he suffered an MCL sprain (similar injury in 2017-cost him four games).
Fantasy Impact: If Jones is unable to go and we don’t think he will in Week 16, Jamaal Williams would be in line for a BIG workload.
Lamar Miller, Houston Texans (Ankle)
Injured in the 1st Quarter on his only carry, Miller’s ankle injury didn’t appear to be of the high ankle variety but he never returned to action and will be Questionable for Week 16.
Fantasy Impact: If Miller can’t play in Week 16, look for Alfred Blue to carry the workload for the Texans in Week 16 with D’Onta Foreman perhaps making a return to the field for the first time in over a year.
Frank Gore, Miami Dolphins (Foot)
The ageless wonder may have seen his last bit of NFL action. Although Gore’s foot X-Rays came back negative, the sprained foot injury is expected to keep him out the rest of the year. Gore (35) played in 126 straight games, dating back to his 2011 season with the 49ers.
Fantasy Impact: Sad to say it’s possible the last time we see Gore on the field as he turns 36 before next season. With Gore getting shut down look for Miami to turn to rookie Kallan Ballage as it’s pretty clear they just don’t want to feature Kenyan Drake.
Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons (Knee)
The Falcons rookie rusher was questionable with a knee injury heading into Week 15 and it appears he aggravated it in the 4th Quarter against the Cardinals. It was announced on Monday that Smith will undergo knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2017 season.
Fantasy Impact: Tevin Coleman, who finally had a big game, will see a HUGE workload going forward with Devonta Freeman and now Ito Smith heading to IR.
Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks (Knee)
Penny was starting to perform well before he went down with a knee injury a few weeks ago. He is considered questionable to suit in Week 16.
Fantasy Impact: If Penny is unable to go, expect Chris Carson to continue to get the majority of the snaps with Mike Davis serving as the change-of-pace back.
Spencer Ware, Kansas City Chiefs (Hamstring)
Ware sat out in Week 15 and is considered doubtful for the Chiefs’ Sunday Night Football matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. Damien Williams and Darrel Williams each scored touchdowns in Ware’s absence last week.
Fantasy Impact: Damien Williams is the top back on the roster if Ware cannot play and particularly valuable in PPR formats. He is a dual threat back who found the end zone twice against the Chargers last week. He should be considered a safe RB2 or Flex play in Championship Week.
James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers (Ankle)
Conner will officially miss his third straight game with an ankle injury as Jaylen Samuels will continue to serve as the workhorse with Stevan Ridley as the backup.
Fantasy Impact: Fantasy owners were hoping to get Conner back just in time for Championship Week but hopefully these owners were savvy enough to pick up Samuels after Conner suffered the initial injury. The rookie hybrid running back-tight end ran for a career-high 142 rushing yards last week against the Patriots while adding an additional 30 yards receiving in the Steelers’ critical win. Pittsburgh will need a similar performance out of Samuels this week against a strong New Orleans Saints’ unit, especially with the Baltimore Ravens just a half game behind the Steelers in the AFC North.
Wide Receiver
Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants (Quad)
Beckham has been ruled out for Week 16 with a quad injury. The Giants have nothing to play for and are giving their star receiver some well-deserved rest with the postseason out of sight.
Fantasy Impact: Sterling Shepard becomes the WR1 for the G-Men but he is not easy to trust after putting up a dud in Week 15. The Giants will likely rely on Saquon Barkley and the running attack rather than use Corey Coleman and Bennie Fowler in their weak aerial attack. Barkley is the only Giant you can truly trust in the final week of the Fantasy Football season.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers (Hip)
A juicy match-up against the Chiefs was cut WAY short in Week 15 when Allen fell hard to the ground in the 1st Quarter, headed to the sidelines, came back in for one play, and then headed back to the sidelines only the be ruled out for the rest of the game. Fantasy Managers saw teammate Mike Williams have a monster game with Allen out of the lineup, which surely threw some salt in the wound.
Fantasy Impact: The Chargers are being very optimistic regarding Allen’s status for Week 16 as they are reporting he has a “good chance” to play against the Ravens.
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (Ankle)
Hilton is a game-time decision. He didn’t practice on Wednesday but was able to get back on the practice field on Friday. He’s been nursing this ankle for over a week and before that it was a shoulder.
Fantasy Impact:Hilton hasn’t scored a TD since Week 11, but he has eclipsed 125 yards in three of his last five games. The Giants allow the sixth-fewest Fantasy points to WRs so this isn’t a lay-up matchup. I understand the temptation to possibly sit him but you really should stick with the guys who got to Championship Week!
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (MCL Sprain)
A fantastic season for the Bengals wide receiver may now be over after Boyd sprained his MCL vs. the Raiders. He’s the first Bengals receiver to reach 1,000 yards NOT named A.J. Green since 2009. His very productive season will likely come to an end with 76 catches for 1,028 yards and 7 TDs.
Fantasy Impact: Don’t expect to see Boyd back on the field in 2018, which means John Ross will take over as the Bengals WR1 with A.J. Green already on Injured Reserve. You may see Cody Core and Alex Erickson get some extra snaps in Week 16.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (Concussion)
The Packers wide receiver is in the concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head in Week 15 against the Bears. He has been declared doubtful for Week 16.
Fantasy Impact: Cobb has already missed a handful of games in 2018 with various injuries and since Green Bay is out of contention, the Packers should look to get some of their younger wide receivers involved such as Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown.
Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets (Ankle)
Enunwa has been ruled out for Week 16 when the New York Jets take on the Green Bay Packers. Enunwa didn’t play last week either and Sam Darnold looked to Robby Anderson quite a bit.
Fantasy Impact: Look for Anderson to get a huge boost in value against a beatable Packers’ secondary. He could be a Top 20 wide receiver in Week 16. Meanwhile, expect Andre Roberts to see a few extra snaps.
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (Hip/Ribs)
Jones will be a game-time decision according to head coach Dan Quinn.
Fantasy Impact: If he plays, you gotta start him. Jones has three TDs in his last two contests. His reception and yardage averages (7.1 rpg & 107.9 ypg) make him a no-brainer every week. Set it and forget it.
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Tight Ends
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins (Concussion)
Davis was held in check last week against the Jaguars before leaving with a concussion. He was expected to do much more with Jordan Reed already sidelined.
Fantasy Impact: Jeremy Sprinkle should see more targets than usual in Week 16, especially after scoring a touchdown last week. However, he is extremely tough to trust when all the marbles are on the line.
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