NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/17)
Alex Christenson
Between injuries and the illness that seems to be going around for everyone, there are a lot of fantasy football question marks heading into Week 17. For this article, we’re going to skip the players who are listed with an illness — there’s really no way of knowing if a player is so sick that they would sit out. (If I had to predict, I would say everyone who is sick is going to suit up.) At least this week there is no Monday game that we have to wait on.
Below is the Saturday injury report update. Scroll to the bottom for Monday’s breakdown.
Week 17 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Marquise Brown, WR, Arizona Cardinals
Fantasy managers haven’t been leaning on Marquise Brown as it is, but he was placed on season-ending IR Friday by the Cardinals. When Brown didn’t play last week, Greg Dortch, Rondale Moore and Micahel Wilson all played at least 65% of the snaps, with Dortch leading the teams’ receivers in targets. However, that lead was only five, while Wilson had four and Moore had three, so this is not a situation anyone should rely on.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have listed Josh Jacobs as doubtful, so that means we should get another week of Zamir White as the lead back. In the past two weeks, White has logged 17 and 22 rush attempts for over 200 total rushing yards and the Colts are just 24th in DVOA against the run. White should be treated as an RB2 for the week and a strong DFS play.
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears
The Bears may need to lean on Robert Tonyan at the tight end position, because Cole Kmet didn’t practice all week and is listed as questionable. When a player doesn’t practice all week, it’s justifiable to get nervous about them playing. If Kmet is out, managers should not get too excited about Tonyan.
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Washington Commanders
Earlier in the week, Jacoby Brissett was announced as the Commanders’ starting quarterback, but now there is some doubt. He’s listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, although he did get in a limited practice Friday. If he can’t play, Sam Howell should be right back in the starting lineup, but he’s also been pulled in each of the past two weeks. Brissett has shown some major chemistry with Terry McLaurin so the hope is he can still play, at least to have a run-back option for San Francisco stacks in DFS.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
C.J. Beathard is in line to start for the Jaguars in place of Trevor Lawrence, who is out with a litany of injuries. We’ve only seen Beathard for some scattered playing time so far this year, with just two games with at least 10 attempts. He has gone 23-29 with a touchdown but that is certainly a high bar to continue. Beathard should be approached with some caution and is best treated as a DFS play or a desperation streamer.
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
Even though he didn’t log any practice this week, I would be surprised if Raheem Mostert actually missed this game. He’s in the top 10 in carries in the league, which was likely not the plan for him when the season started. I would think the Dolphins are just allowing him to get as much rest as possible to preserve his health in the final two weeks of the season. On the other hand, there is nothing that they can do for Jaylen Waddle. He’s going to miss this game with an ankle injury, which should leave Cedrick Wilson to fill that secondary role. He finished second on the team with five targets last week and played 62% of the snaps.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
It seems like Zay Flowers might miss this game since he didn’t practice all week, but he hasn’t been ruled out yet. Flowers missed the whole week of practice — if he’s out, it’s tough to tell who would be the lead receiver. Baltimore could turn to Odell Beckham, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor or Isaiah Likely. The highest probability is they all work together and the targets are spread around fairly evenly.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Kenneth Walker, RB, Seattle Seahawks
I’m not as worried about DK Metcalf despite a back injury since head coach Pete Carroll has said Metcalf will play. Now, back injuries are tricky so things could certainly change before Sunday but the vote of confidence is a great sign. We can’t quite say the same thing about Kenneth Walker, since he also hasn’t practiced but he seems to be much more up in the air. If Walker is out, Zach Charbonnet should be in line for at least 15 touches and should play the vast majority of snaps.
Joshua Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are going to be without Joshua Palmer once again, and they are also still without Keenan Allen. That’s going to leave the receiving room very thin — Quentin Johnston, Jalen Guyton and Alex Erickson are all going to be vital cogs in the offense and play over 50% of the snaps. I would also point out that Gerald Everett has seen eight targets in each of the past two weeks so that trend has a strong chance to continue.
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Marvin Mims, WR, Denver Broncos
The Broncos have already benched quarterback Russell Wilson for financial reasons, and the task is going to be harder for Jarrett Stidham since Courtland Sutton is out with a concussion. He’s also possibly going to be missing Marvin Mims, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. In theory, Jerry Jeudy is going to be the No. 1 receiver in this game but he’s been such a disappointment this season. It’s best to steer clear of this outside of DFS.
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s certainly possible Ja’Marr Chase will only miss one game since he was able to practice in a limited fashion this week. If he makes it back, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd would take a backseat but we’ll have to see if Chase is healthy enough to play.
Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
In a surprising twist, Isiah Pacheco was able to practice Friday even though he is in concussion protocol. The consensus was Clyde Edwards-Helaire would be a great play this week since Jerick McKinnon is on IR, but now everything is much more up in the air. If one of these backs plays and the other doesn’t, they are going to be the last man standing in the backfield and a borderline top 12-15 running back.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson will not be able to make it back in the lineup — he’s listed as doubtful, and he’s already missed multiple games with a hamstring injury. Dontayvion Wicks is questionable but also didn’t practice all week, so I wouldn’t bet on him playing. That should benefit Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs in a big way while the potential return of Luke Musgrave could lead to more two-TE sets with Tucker Kraft. Reed is the most appealing option here.
Original Injury Run
The number of managers left playing fantasy should be down to the championship round this week, but it’s getting tougher every week to field a full roster of stars that you drafted. There are a bunch of players that could miss Week 17, so let’s dig in and find out which teams are missing players.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears
DJ Moore injured his ankle early Sunday and had a subpar game in part due to the injury. He only played 74% of the snaps, his lowest total of the season. Since he came back into the game, he should be all right for Week 17, but it’s certainly a spot to keep an eye on. Cole Kmet also suffered an injury and only played 43% of the snaps so this is one that could carry into Week 17 as well. If he’s out, Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan would split time at the tight end position, but they are DFS options only (if that).
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
It’s been a tough month for the Jacksonville Jaguars — they’ve dropped four games in a row and now Trevor Lawrence has suffered another injury. After somewhat surprisingly being cleared from concussion protocol Saturday, Lawrence hurt his right shoulder during the game against Tampa and was forced to leave the contest. The early report is it’s not a serious injury but he’s getting an MRI to make sure. We should know his status as far as the MRI early in the week but C.J. Beathard did step in and go 11-of-15 for 94 yards. Now, the game was a blowout by the time he entered, so we should be careful projecting him for anything more than a low-end QB2 if Beathard has to play.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
It appears Jaylen Waddle could miss the final two weeks of the season with an ankle sprain. He was in and out of the game against Dallas Sunday but now might be derailed for at least two games. Cedrick Wilson will likely be the WR2 behind Tyreek Hill for this upcoming week, but a matchup with the Ravens is not exactly the best for fantasy. Perhaps Hill could reach 2,000 yards receiving after all.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota lost a tough one against the Detroit Lions Sunday, but they lost more than just the game. Jordan Addison is being labeled as week-to-week with an ankle issue, while T.J. Hockenson suffered a knee injury that “doesn’t look good” according to reports. Hockenson was ruled out quickly after his injury, so you’d have to expect him to miss at least Week 17. K.J. Osborn should slide into the WR2 role id Addison is out (he saw seven targets against Detroit), and Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt will split time at the tight end position.
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
The wide receiver room can’t catch a break in Green Bay right now. Christian Watson and Jayden Reed were already out for Sunday’s game, and then Dontayvion Wicks took a big hit on his lone reception and never returned. With three of the top four receivers dealing with injuries, it’s going to be best to just wait out this situation until later in the week to see who to play. If all three players were to be out, Romeo Doubs and tight end Tucker Kraft would likely be among the best options, while Bo Melton stepped up in Week 16 to catch four receptions for 44 yards.
Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers
It was an absolute nightmare for Brock Purdy and the 49ers Monday night, as they got thrashed by the Ravens at home. Late in the fourth quarter, Purdy left the game for medical attention for what was termed a stinger by the 49ers. It’s difficult to know how serious the injury is yet, because there was no reason to put Purdy back in the game, but it was the second week in a row Purdy suffered a stinger. The 49ers also play the Washington Commanders this week, so they can likely win it even without Purdy. We’ll have to see how the week develops.
