First TD Bets — Wild Card Monday Slate
Alex Christenson
The only thing longer than this week of football is the fantasy football injury report for the next couple of days. There are plenty of question marks over the next three days, so let’s not waste any time.
Fantasy Football Injury Report: Week 17
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
J.K. Dobbins is being listed as questionable, but all signs point to him playing and being mostly full-go. The Chargers have ruled out Gus Edwards, so even though Dobbins is just back from the IR, he seems like he’s locked in for double-digit touches. With just Kimani Vidal as a backup, Dobbins has a reasonable shot at a touchdown as well.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s reported that Tee Higgins is expected to play against the Broncos, but he has been limited all week in practice. On top of that, Higgins has a history of being active, running a couple of routes and being done for the day, so it’s not hard to see why some managers might be skittish. Andrei Iosivas would be in line for the No. 2 receiver duties if Higgins was a surprise inactive.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
It looks like James Conner is trending toward playing against the Rams, but it can’t feel super comfortable. He’s dealing with a knee issue, he left last week’s game, and the Cardinals have nothing to play for. That makes life difficult for managers, because if Conner is active, he’s nearly impossible to sit on the bench. Trey Benson being questionable doesn’t help either, because if both players are out, it would be just DeeJay Dallas.
Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
This one is puzzling, because all of the signs point to Anthony Richardson not playing. He hasn’t practiced all week and Joe Flacco has taken the first-team reps. Thursday, the Colts were “optimistic” that he was playing, but the tune changed a bit Friday. Coach Shane Steichen said it will depend on how the next 48 hours turn out, which is different than optimistic. This one seems truly up in the air, but Flacco wouldn’t have the worst matchup ever against the Giants.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
The Giants seem to think Malik Nabers is going to suit up Sunday. He didn’t do much in practice this week, but that’s not the first time that’s happened this year. If they didn’t think he could play, they would likely have already ruled him out. Instead, he’s being listed as a game-time decision. If he’s active, it’s hard to bench the player who leads the NFL in targets, regardless of quarterback play.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
Kendre Miller will have a better shot at being fantasy-relevant this week against the Raiders since Alvin Kamara is out again. The game against the Packers was out of hand fast last week, but Miller still had 10 touches in the worst script imaginable. Chris Olave being back wouldn’t hurt, but we’re not sure about that one yet. The Saints have to activate Olave by Saturday to use him, but it’s not fun to start Olave in this spot with a backup quarterback coming back from a bad concussion.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sterling Shepard, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Payne Durham is going to get another game as the lead option for Tampa as far as tight ends. Cade Otton is out again, and last week, we saw Durham garner seven targets. He was on the field for most of the routes as well, so he’s somewhat of an interesting DFS play, especially in Tampa Bay stacks. Additionally, Sterling Shepard is out, so that’s not going to hurt Jalen McMillan. He should comfortably be the No. 2 receiver this week.
Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans
This situation feels impossible. Tony Pollard hasn’t been practicing for a while, but he isn’t missing game action, so it’s tough to tell how hurt he really is. Last week, Tyjae Spears got more work, but the Titans were also facing a very lopsided score. I’d bet Pollard plays and, if the game stays close, gets the bulk of the work.
Davante Adams, WR, New York Jets
There doesn’t seem to be much of a level of concern here that Davante Adams misses the game. It seems like a veteran who isn’t going to practice a whole lot but if he did miss, maybe Garrett Wilson could actually see some targets this week.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
The writing was on the wall when the Eagles signed quarterback Ian Book. Jalen Hurts remains in the concussion protocol, so Kenny Pickett is going to draw the start. That’s a massive downgrade for the offense overall, so Saquon Barkley might be in for a ton of carries. A.J. Brown will likely be hyper-targeted, but the quality of targets just took a significant hit.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
It appears Jaylen Waddle will be back in the lineup for the Dolphins. He was able to practice in a limited fashion and is trending in the right direction. It hasn’t been the best fantasy season for Waddle, but it does help the Miami offense overall.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
We know David Njoku is going to miss this game, and that means that Jordan Akins is likely to fill that role. Njoku was targeted heavily last week by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but playing Akins seems like a poor idea in championship week.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
It would be surprising to see Christian Watson play this week after not practicing all week. If he is out, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks would be the lead receivers and have some small consolidation of targets. This is still a volatile passing game to target, though Reed would be my favorite.
Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Hopefully, we have more clarity on what to expect from Isaac Guerendo before some of these games kick off. The 49ers play Monday night and Guerendo has been limited in practice with hamstring and foot injuries, but it feels better than last week when he missed a game. If he’s going to be active, Guerendo is going to have a chance to be a top-15 option at the position.
Original Monday Injury Report
This week didn’t have a ton of injuries, but the ones that happened were either major cogs in the offense or major injuries. Most fantasy leagues are down to just one week after Monday’s game, so let’s talk about the injuries that could wreak havoc.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
The most disheartening injury happened on Saturday when Tank Dell caught a touchdown but suffered a very serious knee injury. Dell had to stay in Kansas City overnight but is back in Houston now and is evaluating his options. Dell is obviously out for the rest of the season, so Nico Collins, tight end Dalton Schultz and receivers John Metchie III, Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson will have to pick up the slack.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Philly had a tough day Sunday. Not only did they have a heartbreaking loss to the Commanders, but part of the loss was not having Jalen Hurts. He was forced from this game fairly early with a concussion. We know concussions don’t have a timetable associated with it since everyone is different. While Hurts was out, Kenny Pickett took over and ran the offense. If Hurts is not back for Week 17, I’m sure that would be the game plan for the Eagles. That would likely result in lower production for receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
It was a banner day for James Conner with over 150 scrimmage yards against the Panthers, but he suffered a knee injury during the game. He didn’t do a lot in the second half, so we’ll need to keep an eye on the practice reports. If Conner misses Week 17, that could open the door for Trey Benson to take the reins in the backfield, even though other backs will certainly be involved. Benson needs to recover from his own issues as well, so the backfield is unsettled as of Monday.
Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made his first start and had to play a sizable chunk of the game without his best receiver. Drake London had a hamstring injury flare up, and that forced him to miss around a half of football. Penix didn’t need to do much because the Falcons won the game going away. That may not be the case this week, so hopefully for Atlanta, London can get back for Week 17. If not, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud will get more work. I’d include Kyle Pitts, but he’s too busy throwing the ball to the other team for no reason at all.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
This injury happened late in the game, so it’s tough to tell if the ankle issue will cost Kenneth Walker III any time. He only had eight carries, but the Seahawks only had 15 rushing attempts in total while they threw the ball 43 times. If Walker misses, we can expect Zach Charbonnet to take over again as he has in past games this season.
