Prime-Time First TD Bets — Monday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
The final week of the fantasy football regular season features some significant injuries. With six teams on bye, the identity of some of the big names we either will or might miss this week is pretty damning. Let’s dive in and sort out what the injuries for this week might mean.
Week 14 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
It would be an upset to see Breece Hall suit up this week — he’s listed as doubtful for Sunday against Miami. Braelon Allen will likely be the chalk du jour in DFS and is a strong flex play if he starts. Allen flashed in a couple of games earlier this season, but he’s been a non-entity since about Week 8. The best thing is he should have some fresh legs.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
I’m not sure how much concern we should have about Malik Nabers in this spot. He’s been limited in practice and is listed as questionable, but he’s not been a full participant in practice multiple times before and still played. If he’s out, that could open up plenty of targets for Darius Slayton, but we should also remember that Drew Lock is the quarterback. This is likely more of a DFS situation than anything else.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
I don’t think there is a ton to worry about for Jakobi Meyers He’s not done a lot in practice this week, but as a veteran, he doesn’t need the same reps to get ready for the week. The Raiders don’t have any receivers we should get too excited for if Meyers were to sit. Alexander Mattison is more difficult. He could be back in the mix in the backfield, which would throw in a wrench. Mattison, Ameer Abdullah and Sincere McCormick would all be competing for touches.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It would be a shame if Bucky Irving missed this week. He’s coming off the best game of his career against the Panthers with over 150 scrimmage yards and a score. Irving hasn’t practiced this week — Rachaad White and Sean Tucker would split the backfield if Irving misses and feel like better-starting options since it would only be two backs instead of three.
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Late additions to the injury report are not always a good sign, and George Pickens did get added Friday with a hamstring injury. This seems to be more procedural than anything else because there haven’t been any indications that he’s going to miss this game. He might take a swing at Greg Newsome II of the Browns, but he’s unlikely to miss the game.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Despite a big divisional game against the Cardinals, Kenneth Walker III is up in the air to play. He’s dealing with multiple leg injuries and if he can’t go, Zach Charbonnet is going to take the vast majority of running back touches and be on the flex radar. He may not be the most talented back in the league but the opportunity will be there in spades.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are getting DeVonta Smith back at receiver this week but losing Dallas Goedert at tight end. They likely don’t need him to beat the Panthers but Grant Calcaterra will take over as the lead tight end. That will only be a DFS-style play.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
The Bears might be a little short on skill players this week. DJ Moore is optimistic that he can play despite a quad injury. Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze would be able to fill the gap if he’s out. The same isn’t exactly true for the running back room. D’Andre Swift has his own quad injury, and backup Roschon Johnson is already ruled out with a concussion. Travis Homer would be the next man up, but he wouldn’t be the most appealing option.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Ladd McConkey seems to be unsure if he can make it into the Sunday night game against the Chiefs. He’s dealing with multiple injuries and is fully questionable. If he can’t go, it’s tough to be excited about Quentin Johnston or Joshua Palmer. Tight end Will Dissly has an excellent matchup as the Chiefs haven’t defended that position well. He’s coming off a zero though, so the confidence isn’t there for fantasy.
Original Monday Injury Report
Unfortunately, it was not a great week for injuries, as multiple big-name players went down with potentially season-ending ailments. Many of these could ripple throughout whole offensive units, so let’s take a look at what we’re working with headed into Week 14.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
The horrible season in San Francisco continued on Sunday night. They were not competitive with the Bills in a 35-10 loss and likely lost Christian McCaffrey for the rest of the season. The team said after the game that it was a PCL injury to his knee, so that means Jordan Mason will be shouldering the load with Isaac Guerendo helping as the backup. We know Mason was excellent as the lead back earlier this year, but don’t totally skip Guerendo when putting in waiver claims. For one thing, Mason dealt with his own injury issues, and Guerendo has flashed in his limited opportunities. It’s a small sample size, but he’s averaging 5.9 yards per attempt on 42 rushes.
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence suffered a severe concussion on Sunday that forced him out of the game, and he was ruled out nearly immediately. Concussions can be a very difficult thing to predict, so there is unlikely to be much of a timetable for Lawrence moving forward. In his stead, Mac Jones will be the starter. He played well on Sunday, leading a comeback that fell just a bit short. The expectations for the Jacksonville offense should still be lowered until Lawrence comes back.
Taysom Hill, TE, New Orleans Saints
As if the Saints didn’t already have a lack of weapons, they have lost Taysom Hill for the season. Hill took a carry for a first down but in the process sustained a rough-looking knee injury. Good things don’t normally happen when a player has a leg planted and a defensive player makes contact. It’s tough to say which Saints player(s) will step up since they are now missing Hill, Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and others from this offense.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Ladd McConkey seems to be going down the Puka Nacua career path where he gets banged up every other play but just continues to produce. He was excellent against the Falcons but does have a nagging knee injury to keep an eye on. It doesn’t seem like it will keep him out of action at this juncture.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore offense didn’t play exceptionally well on Sunday, and they saw receiver Rashod Bateman leave the game early with a knee injury. There aren’t many details about the injury and we likely won’t get much over the next week. Baltimore enters its bye week, so Bateman could wind up not missing any time at all. If it comes out that it is a serious issue, Diontae Johnson is waiting in the wings but didn’t play at all against the Eagles.
Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles said they believe Dallas Goedert escaped any major injury to his knee against Baltimore. Grant Calcaterra would be the next man up in the tight end room, but he would be toward the bottom tier of playable options. It’s also possible that receiver DeVonta Smith is back next week, so that would mean even less work for Calcaterra.
