Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
From an injury perspective, it was a rough Week 1, and it starts at the tip top for fantasy football. The player who was generally agreed upon to be the No. 1 pick in most fantasy drafts was not only a surprise inactive Monday night but might be looking at missing the next four games at a minimum. There were also plenty of other fantasy-relevant injuries, so let’s discuss which players are going to get a bigger chance to contribute in Week 2.
Below is the injury report heading into Sunday that was updated Saturday. Scroll to the bottom for the original report from Monday.
Week 2 Fantasy Football Injury Report
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Things have not gone well for Christian McCaffrey — he’s apparently being considered for a trip to IR. This feels like it’s gotten to a tough spot in a hurry as there was no real notice during the preseason that McCaffrey could miss this much time. However, that has opened up Jordan Mason to eat up a huge role in the San Francisco offense with nearly 30 touches in Week 1. I’d have to think Isaac Guerendo does get into the rotation here a bit but Mason is the clear-cut alpha in the backfield. He’s a huge piece of chalk for DFS and it’s hard to sit Mason in seasonal formats either.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
The Browns offense looked utterly terrible in Week 1, and they lost tight end David Njoku as well. That means Jordan Akins is going to be popular as well in DFS formats this week, and he did play almost 56% of the snaps last week, bringing in three of four targets for 27 yards. The upside is questionable but the opportunity is there in spades for Akins this week against the Jaguars.
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
Jake Ferguson is listed as doubtful for the Cowboys. This represents a huge chance for second-year tight end Luke Schoonmaker. The Cowboys spent a second-round pick on him in 2023, and while he didn’t do much in his rookie season, that’s to be expected from the majority of rookie tight ends. Ferguson had a 15.6% target share last year, and that included leading tight ends with 25 red zone targets. I likely wouldn’t want to play Schoonmaker in seasonal formats but it will be interesting to see how popular he gets in DFS.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
We know second-year receiver Jordan Addison is out Sunday against the 49ers. What we don’t know is how big a role any receiver not named Justin Jefferson will have. Jalen Nailor caught a 21-yard touchdown last week, but that was also the only target he had with under 50% of the snaps, so it wasn’t something that we can really trust. He was also the only other receiver to record a catch, so nobody here looks that exciting for fantasy quite yet.
Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
The revamped Kansas City offense took a bit of a hit this week when it was announced Marquise Brown would need surgery for his injury suffered in the preseason. His shoulder injury was originally thought to cost him just a couple of games but it didn’t heal correctly, so it’s a more complex injury. Coach Andy Reid said the timeline is more toward months and not weeks, so Brown will not be back soon. Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy will carry the load for the Chiefs in the passing game but that’s probably a good thing for fantasy. It’s easier to know where the targets from Patrick Mahomes will be going on a week-to-week basis.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Kenneth Walker is probably going to miss the trip to New England, meaning Zach Charbonnet is going to be the lead back. It wasn’t the best result for him in Week 1 with eight carries for just 12 yards, but he did add 29 receiving yards and a touchdown on two receptions. He’s also likely to be chalk for DFS and a stronger option the deeper the league guys for seasonal. New England was just 29th in DVOA against the run in Week 1, so we should get 20-plus touches at least.
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
It seems awfully optimistic from the Packers to have Jordan Love listed as questionable play this week after being reported as missing 3-6 weeks with a knee injury. I still believe the smart money would be on Malik Willis being under center for Green Bay come Sunday, and it’s tough to know what to expect. He has averaged reached at least 40 rushing yards twice in his three career starts, which is nice, but the passing has been an abject failure in the NFL. I would be avoiding him, and it’s not going to help Willis if Jayden Reed is out. He popped up later in the week on the injury report, which is typically not a great sign. Normally, I’d be excited for a narrow target tree in Green Bay, but that’s only if Love is playing.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
It looks like a second straight absence for Tee Higgins, as he has yet to practice since last week. The last practice for Higgins came Wednesday before Week 1, so we’re going to need to see Higgins practice before we can count on him being active again. Andrei Iosivas only produced 3.26 on six targets in Week 1 but he did play 100% of the snaps, which is at least mildly interesting in deeper leagues and could be interesting in DFS after he flopped as chalk last week.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chicago Bears
Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams might be without two of his top three receivers Sunday night, and that is definitely an issue. If you have these players, you’re not going to be able to wait for a status update and make decisions. Neither player practiced all week so the Bears might be down to DJ Moore, Tyler Scott and DeAndre Carter as their lead three options. Moore would be the only interesting option there, and Williams would also take a hit.
Original Monday Injury Report
Week 1 of the NFL season is almost over, and most of the fantasy players got through the first week without any injuries to speak of. That doesn’t mean everyone was so lucky, so let’s talk about who might be the next man up in the situation.
Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
The injury that might have the largest ripple effect is in Green Bay, where quarterback Jordan Love is expected to miss 3-6 weeks with a knee injury. Reports are circulating that Green Bay is optimistic that Love could miss the minimum amount of time, but that will still hamper the offense until he’s back. It’s going to make it more difficult for running back Josh Jacobs to find running lanes, and receivers Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs now have to catch passes from Malik Willis. It’s not the best sign that Green Bay was rumored to have reached out to free-agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The ceiling for this offense is certainly gone for the next couple of weeks, and the receivers are going to be dicey starts until Love is back under center.
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland offense was a disaster on Sunday, and they have way bigger problems than David Njoku likely missing time, but it doesn’t help them either. Njoku is dealing with a high ankle sprain and left the stadium in a walking boot, so it would be a surprise if he doesn’t miss some games. Jordan Akins is the next man up at the position, but with how rough the offense looked with Deshaun Watson, you might have to be desperate to start Akins for anything outside of a DFS dart throw.
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
Only three players on the Cowboys saw five targets or more, and Jake Ferguson was one of them until he injured his knee. When it happened, it looked as though it might be the worst-case scenario with an ACL injury, but it sounds like Ferguson has dodged that bullet. He’s still waiting on an MRI to give him the full results since X-rays came back negative. Second-year tight end Luke Schoonmaker would be the next man up, and if he walks into the role Ferguson had, that would be valuable. The tight end position as a whole was mostly a train wreck for fantasy in Week 1, so Schoonmaker at least has a shot at a 20% target share and a role in the red zone, just as Ferguson does.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Reportedly, Jordan Addison dodged a major injury to his ankle, but he left Sunday’s game early and could still miss some time. We’re not sure yet what the exact injury is, so he’s not out of the woods, but it remains to be seen if any other receiver outside of Justin Jefferson would be usable for fantasy. Quarterback Sam Darnold went for 19.24 points with 208 yards and two touchdowns, but the ball was spread out a lot. No player saw more than six targets total. and Jefferson and Addison were the only two that saw at least four. Jalen Nailor would be the candidate most likely to see a bump. He did score a touchdown, but he also only saw one target. With Minnesota in control of the game early, it wasn’t the best sample to judge the passing game.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
This injury seems to be something that won’t be a big deal, as Kenneth Walker left very late in the game with an abdominal injury. He had already recorded over 20 touches and the game was all but over, so it doesn’t seem like it will be an issue heading into Week 2. Walker told reporters he was good to go after the game, but we all know the player himself is not the best source.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
The second-year receiver dealt with a knee issue throughout training camp but practiced in full leading up to Sunday night’s game. However, Puka Nacua wasn’t able to make it through Week 1 and left with a knee issue. The obvious winner for fantasy if Nacua is forced to miss time is Cooper Kupp, who saw an absurd 21 targets on Sunday night. He looked pretty close to returning to the form he had when the Rams won the Super Bowl, but Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson also each saw seven targets. Johnson wound up with more yards (79 to 42), but it is wise to remember one pass play was good for 63 yards. Robinson and Johnson could be solid waiver-wire adds depending on the news we get on Nacua.
