Prime-Time Props — Thursday Night Football, Week 1
Prop God
Another week has rolled around, and we’re still missing key players, especially quarterbacks. The Thursday Night Football game was already a mess with injuries, and it’s not going to get a whole lot better for the weekend.
Let’s get into who’s hurt and what we can reasonably expect going forward.
Saturday Update
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s not a huge surprise, but Ja’Marr Chase is out for at least Week 16, and it could be longer than that. For this week, Tee Higgins should slide into the No. 1 receiver role, while Tyler Boyd should be the second option. It remains to be seen just how quarterback Jake Browning functions without Chase’s presence in the offense, but Browning has played so well and the Steelers defense has been so poor that managers should still be happy to start Browning and Higgins. Boyd is likely better served as a DFS play unless managers are dealing with injuries.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
This will be the second straight game missed for Keenan Allen, and we saw Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston play over 70% of the snaps for the Chargers last week. It was also a little difficult to get a great read on their deployment since the Chargers got trounced 63-21, but it seems clear they’re giving Johnston much-needed experience. Palmer had a big day on the back of a 79-yard touchdown catch, but only four targets is thin to rely on, especially when the targets are coming from Easton Stick and not Justin Herbert.
Jonathan Taylor/Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman is being listed as questionable, but he has been cleared from concussion protocol, which is great to see after the head shot he took in Week 15. Pittman is expected to play and should not see any interruption in his role. As for Jonathan Taylor, he is off the injury report and looks to be the lead back against the Falcons since Zack Moss didn’t practice all week. Taylor is coming back from a thumb injury, so he shouldn’t have to face restrictions in this game.
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson will miss his second straight game, but Week 15 was not the best outing for Antonio Gibson. Even without Robinson, he only played 56% of the snaps, while Chris Rodriguez and Jonathan Williams were both over 20%. Williams had just one touch, but Rodriguez had 10 carries as opposed to nine total touches for Gibson, making this backfield a very risky proposition.
C.J. Stroud/Nico Collins, Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud has been ruled out, so Case Keenum will make a second straight start. He gets Nico Collins back from a thigh injury, which is great news, but the matchup is going to be difficult. The Browns are second in points per game allowed to receivers as a whole, so it’s an uphill battle for Collins, even though he should see 8-10 targets in this spot.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets
Zach Wilson is still in concussion protocol, so Trevor Siemian gets the keys to the Jets offense. He’s only attempted 39 passes so far this year, and they haven’t gone well. He’s completed just 19 of them and has two interceptions. The Commanders are about the worst defense in football, so the matchup is great, but managers need to hope he won’t torpedo Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have listed Alexander Mattison as questionable, but he was only able to practice in a limited fashion. I think he may have lost his job regardless because Ty Chandler was fantastic last week, albeit in a strong matchup. The coaching staff was very happy with Chandler, and I believe that even if Mattison plays, Chandler has a path to get the bulk of the work.
AJ Dillon/Jayden Reed/Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones may have the backfield mostly to himself again this week since he handled more than 15 touches last week and AJ Dillon is questionable again. The receiver room could be thin, as Christian Watson is doubtful with his hamstring and Jayden Reed is questionable but did not practice all week. It sure looks as though Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks could be the top two receiving options for this game with Malik Heath entering the fray as a dart throw for DFS. Doubs and Wicks would both be on the flex radar if Reed is out as well.
Trevor Lawrence/Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
The expectation for Trevor Lawrence is that he’s going to miss this critical game against the Buccaneers with a concussion, so C.J. Beathard is going to step into the starting role. He’s nothing more than a DFS option and is likely to be down one of his receivers as well since Zay Jones is also not expected to suit up. That leaves Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram and Parker Washington as the main three cogs for Beathard in this game.
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Considering Marquise Brown has not scored a fantasy point since Week 12, I’m not sure too many managers are upset that he’s been ruled out. His season was derailed by a heel injury, but at least now nobody has to think about starting him. This should funnel more targets to tight end Trey McBride and receivers Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch if Dortch is active.
Original Week 16 Injury Report
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals may have won the game against the Vikings on Saturday, but they paid a heavy cost. Ja’Marr Chase left right before overtime and came back onto the sidelines without his pads in quick fashion. That wasn’t a good sign for his shoulder injury, nor was the fact he couldn’t get an MRI done on Sunday because he was too sore. It doesn’t sound super promising for Chase to suit up this Saturday against the Steelers, but we also lack the information needed. If Chase misses, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd will play a larger role with Andrei Iosivas likely chipping in.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars suffered a loss at the hands of the Ravens on Sunday Night Football, and even though he didn’t miss a snap, Trevor Lawrence was placed in the concussion protocol after the game. Since it came so late in the game, there is minimal information on what to expect from Lawrence this week. If he is unable to play, C.J. Beathard would be the starting option, but it’s a little early in the week to make contingency plans quite yet.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Will Levis left the game in overtime after getting caught awkwardly while being sacked, giving way to veteran Ryan Tannehill. Levis told reporters after the game that he was going to be fine, but we’ll have to see how the week goes for him. The Titans have been eliminated from playoff contention, so they will want Levis to keep starting as long as he’s healthy enough to do so. Tannehill is no longer the future and already lost his job this season, so any manager who has Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins should hope that Levis will be back for Week 16.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets
It is truly anyone’s guess as to what happened with Zach Wilson on Sunday. The reports varied from a wrist injury, dehydration, a concussion or being benched again. The final word was the Jets claiming he was in concussion protocol, so at this point, we’ll have to take them at their word. Either way, Wilson was unable to generate anything in the first half on offense. It’s really not shocking at this point that the Jets cannot function with Wilson at the helm, even though he had a relatively solid game in Week 14. Any kind of consistency has escaped Wilson his entire career, and that hasn’t changed.
Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens
It looked like Keaton Mitchell might really be taking over for the Ravens in the backfield in the second half of the game against Jacksonville, as he generated 88 scrimmage yards on just 11 touches. He ripped off four runs of over 10 yards until he crumbled on one of those runs, suffering a serious knee injury in the process. He was ruled out almost immediately, and coach John Harbaugh said after the game that it was a season-ending injury. Baltimore will have to lean into the Gus Edwards and Justice Hill backfield now, although they will surely add one more running back from the practice squad or free agency.
Zack Moss/Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts
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The Colts had some tough injuries on the offensive side of the ball on Saturday, as neither Zack Moss nor Michael Pittman were able to finish the game. Pittman is in the concussion protocol, and this season it can be difficult to get out of the protocol in time to play the next game. It’s not impossible, but Pittman dove for a ball head-first and was hit hard. He left the game and never returned, so his status is certainly iffy for Week 16. D.J. Montgomery stepped in and played 63% of the snaps with four targets. He dropped a touchdown but scored one later and finished with 2/48/1. The Colts were in the driver’s seat for most of this game, so they only threw the ball 28 times.
When Moss left after just 28% of the snaps, Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson played 43% and 28% of the snaps, respectively. Sermon handled 17 carries and generated 88 rushing yards, while Goodson had 69 rushing yards on 11 attempts and added 10 receiving yards on two targets. If Moss misses this week, we could see the same split, but Jonathan Taylor could also make it back from his thumb injury any week now. We’ll have to wait and see how the week goes before knowing where to go. But if Taylor and Moss are both out, Sermon and Goodson are going to be on the radar for Week 16 against the Falcons.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
The Packers were already missing Christian Watson for the second straight game, and they lost Jayden Reed after 42% of the snaps. Green Bay used just two other receivers after Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks (who played at least 78% of the snaps each). Malik Heath and Bo Melton each played 33% and 30% of the snaps, but neither player did much with their time on the field. It’s possible Reed and Watson could be back for Week 16, but Watson will need to start the week off practicing to feel good about getting back into the lineup.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
Hunter Henry was having a big day with seven receptions, 66 yards and a touchdown, but he left in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. Henry left late enough in the game that we’re not sure who would be the main beneficiary. Mike Gesicki is the next man up as far as a receiving option, but Pharaoh Brown played more snaps overall at 58% to 40%.
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals had the bye week in Week 14, but Marquise Brown came out of the bye and was still questionable with his heel injury. That’s never a great sign when a bye week doesn’t get a player healthy, and he only managed 32% of the snaps before leaving the contest without registering a target. With Arizona having nothing to play for, it may not be surprising to see Brown get shut down for the year. Greg Dortch, Rondale Moore and Michael Wilson were the main three receivers on the field, but Zach Pascal and Elijah Higgins played some snaps as well. No receiver had more than four targets in large part because Trey McBride saw 11 targets even though he missed some time with a shoulder injury. McBride has taken over as the lead receiving option in the Arizona offense, and it doesn’t look terribly close.
