Week 15 marks the start of the fantasy playoffs in many leagues and is also an appealing late-season DFS slate, as bye weeks have officially concluded.
In this week’s article, we’ll highlight one noteworthy player at each of the four skill positions who iw strongly trending toward sitting out or has already been ruled out, and what the expected impact of their absences will be.
Additionally, we’ll take a quick look at some early Sunday morning news regarding the status of four other key players.
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Today’s Key NFL Injury Report – Week 15
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Let’s take a look at some of the most impactful injuries for NFL Week 15 from an NFL DFS and betting perspective.
Quarterback
Derek Carr, Saints, OUT (hand/concussion):
Carr suffered a fracture of his left, non-throwing hand and a concussion on a leap during a fourth-quarter scramble in a Week 14 win over the Giants. Carr was unable to practice all week and has yet to pass concussion protocol.
Unlike the last time the veteran signal-caller missed time earlier this season, the Saints will be turning to second-year signal-caller Jake Haener to lead the offense instead of rookie Spencer Rattler. Rattler went 47-for-75 for 415 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while adding nine rush attempts for 61 yards in his two full games as a starter in Weeks 6 and 7 against the Buccaneers and Broncos, respectively.
The rookie fifth-round pick was then pulled midway through the third quarter of a Week 8 start against the Chargers after going 12-for-24 for 156 yards. Haener stepped in for Rattler and completed nine of 17 passes for 122 yards while adding 10 rushing yards on two carries. That represents the Fresno State product’s longest stretch of NFL regular-season action to date heading into Sunday’s Week 15 start against the Commanders.
Washington does have drastic home/road splits in passing yards allowed per game – the Commanders are giving up 230.5 per road game at an NFC-high 74.7% completion rate when traveling while surrendering respective figures of 156.6 and 56.4% in those categories at Northwest Stadium in Landover. Nevertheless, Haener, who did throw for just under 7,000 yards and posted a 53:12 TD:INT over his last two college seasons, may have a difficult time maximizing the on-paper advantage, considering the Saints’ host of injuries to their pass catchers.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks, DOUBTFUL (calf):
Walker missed the Seahawks’ Week 14 win over the Cardinals with both ankle and calf injuries, but it’s only the latter that’s affecting him at this point. Nevertheless, the issue was serious enough to keep him out of practice for the entire week, leading head coach Mike Macdonald to assign his top back a doubtful label that’s essentially a guarantee Walker will sit out a second consecutive game.
If last week’s results are any indication, Seattle projects to get by quite well without the talented third-year pro. That’s largely thanks to what Walker’s backfield mate Zach Charbonnet was able to with a robust 29-touch workload against the Cardinals, parlaying the opportunity into 193 total yards and two rushing touchdowns. Additionally, backup Kenny McIntosh proved a functional complementary option, rushing for 38 yards on seven carries and adding a pair of receptions.
The same backfield pecking order projects to be reprised in a Week 15 prime-time battle against the Packers. The Pack has improved its run defense over the course of the season, but they’re still a more generous unit in that regard on the road (115.3 rushing yards per game allowed) than at home (99.7). Green Bay is allowing 4.3 yards per carry to RBs overall, and the Pack is also notably tied for fifth-most receptions (70) allowed to the position while also surrendering the fourth-most receiving yards (566) to running backs.
Wide Receiver
George Pickens, Steelers, OUT (hamstring):
Pickens will miss a second straight game due to the hamstring injury he suffered in practice on the Friday of Week 14 prep. The two absences are the only ones of Pickens’ two-season-plus career to date. The Steelers were able to get past the Browns without the star wideout in Week 14, but the caliber of competition gets much tougher in the form of a road battle against the Eagles on Sunday.
Pickens was already drawing 25.5% of the Steelers’ targets and drawing a target on a quarter of his routes, so his removal from the air arsenal stood a strong chance of being very impactful. Russell Wilson was able to manage without him in Week 14 with the help of a strong defensive effort and by distributing the ball to nine different targets overall.
Mike Williams, who had all of one catch, albeit for a 32-yard touchdown, since having arrived via trade with the Jets at the deadline, was a big beneficiary relative to his previous involvement, as he brought in three of four targets for 36 yards against Cleveland. Williams is by far the most physically talented receiver at Wilson’s disposal behind Pickens and even mirrors many of the physical traits his younger teammate boasts. Therefore, Williams could be an even bigger factor versus Philadelphia after another week of practice and preparation for an enhanced role.
Likewise, veteran speedsteer Scotty Miller, who posted a season-best 3-38 line on four targets, could also see a similar role while potentially rotating between the slot and perimeter. Veteran wideout Van Jefferson, who scored on his only Week 14 catch and knows offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s system well from their Falcons days, and tight end Pat Freiermuth are also candidates to benefit.
The matchup is far from inviting on paper, however. The Eagles have gotten progressively better in coordinator Vic Fangio’s schemes over the course of the season and are now allowing just a 62.4% completion rate and 177.4 passing yards per game at home. Additionally, Philadelphia is conceding a tiny 55.9% catch rate to wide receivers.
Tight End
David Njoku, Browns, QUESTIONABLE (hamstring):
Njoku apparently hurt his hamstring at some point during the Week 14 loss to the Steelers, a game in which Jameis Winston peppered him with 13 targets. The veteran tight end was unable to practice this week, and early Sunday morning news has Njoku headed for a game-time decision based on how he looks in pregame warmups before the Week 15 showdown with the defending champion Chiefs.
Njoku has been a favorite of Winston’s since the latter took over the starting job following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7 against the Bengals. In the six full games the duo the Winston-Njoku battery has played together, the tight end has seen 58 targets that he’s turned into a 36-274-4 line. Njoku has been targeted on a solid 23.4% of his routes overall.
Consequently, an Njoku absence would certainly leave plenty of pass-catching opportunities on the table for other members of the air attack, especially if Winston continues to pass at a clip that’s seen him average 43.2 pass attempts per game in his six starts thus far. Journeyman Jordan Akins would be Njoku’s direct positional replacement, and Akins is a serviceable if unspectacular target that sports a 24-243-1 line on 36 targets this season.
However, given Winston’s penchant for downfield passing and risk-embracing style, it seems likely that receivers Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and even Michael Woods could see the most tangible increases in workload sans Njoku, as Cedric Tillman (concussion) will sit out another game.
While Jeudy and Moore have slighter frames, the 6-foot-1, 204-pound Woods may inherit some of Njoku’s seam routes and other work that might occur in the more traffic-heavy areas in the middle of the field. Meanwhile, Jeudy already has 55 targets in six games with Winston and could be headed for his fourth double-digit target tally in that span if Njoku isn’t in uniform.
Other notable injuries:
Breece Hall, Jets, QUESTIONABLE (knee):
Hall is questionable but worked back to a full practice Friday and is now expected to play. Both Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis were effective in Hall’s stead against the Dolphins in Week 14, so how the backfield might be split if Hall is active against the Jaguars remains to be seen.
Tony Pollard, Titans, QUESTIONABLE (ankle):
Pollard was only able to practice on Friday this past week and did so in limited fashion. The talented back is expected to play according to early Sunday reports, although he’ll test his ankle out in pregame warmups.
Bucky Irving, Buccaneers, QUESTIONABLE (back/hip):
Like Hall, Irving is also now expected to play as of early Sunday despite the questionable tag. The talented rookie only practiced on Friday and in limited fashion at that, but he apparently will be back to split backfield duties with Rachaad White against a tough Chargers defense.
Ladd McConkey, Chargers, QUESTIONABLE (shoulder/knee):
McConkey missed Week 14 against the Chiefs due to his pair of injuries, and reports early Sunday morning indicate he’ll work out before the late-afternoon kickoff against the Buccaneers before a final decision is made on his status. However, unlike last week, there’s a lot of optimism McConkey will be available as Justin Herbert’s No. 1 receiver after practicing in limited fashion all week.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out all of our Week 15 Main Slate content linked below.