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| Sunday, December 19, 2021 |
| Alright, straight to business. In case you missed it, three games were re-scheduled this week: Raiders at Browns from Saturday to Monday and then Seahawks at Rams and Washington at Eagles from Sunday to Tuesday. There are still a whole bunch of players on the COVID list from those games who could be activated by Monday afternoon, which leaves a lot up in the air. However, as a general piece of advice, if you have a player who is legitimately questionable from the Monday or Tuesday games -- including Vikings at Bears -- you're probably better off finding a replacement from one of the 10 games on Sunday to slide in your lineup instead. |
| Obviously, that could mean passing up on the upside of an Adam Thielen or Tyler Lockett, but it also means avoiding a potential zero. Given the kind of uncertainty we're dealing with -- even with new, more lenient return-to-play protocols -- it's best to take control where you can rather than leaving your outcome up to fate or chance. It stinks that the Fantasy playoffs are being marred by these issues, but you have to take life as it comes, you know? |
Obviously, I think it goes without saying that you probably have a lot of questions at this point. The first thing you should do is read the rest of this newsletter for all the injury updates and my latest rankings. The next thing you should do is reach out directly to us for help. Adam Aizer, Frank Stampfl and I are going live on the Fantasy Football Today YouTube channel at 11:30 to answer as many of your questions as we can -- literally hundreds of them. Come watch the stream, get your questions in, and let's get you some answers. |
And, of course Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath are on CBS Sports HQ until kickoff of the 1 p.m. games to answer your questions and keep you updated on all of the news you need to know on the FFT live show. You can also go to Twitter and use the hashtag "#AskFFT", where our whole team will be answering questions all morning. That's what Sunday morning is all about. |
| Here's the rest of our preview content to get you ready, and check out my updated position rankings at the bottom of the newsletter to help with any early lineup dilemmas you may have: |
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| Quarterbacks |
| Injury Report |
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| Jones still hasn't been cleared for contact despite practicing on a limited basis all week. Until that happens, he won't be playing. |
- Questionable: Lamar Jackson (ankle), Jalen Hurts (ankle), Baker Mayfield (COVID), Case Keenum (COVID), Taylor Heinicke (COVID), Kyle Allen (COVID),
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| Per Adam Schefter's early Sunday morning report, Jackson is "unlikely" to play, but still has a chance. With this being a 4:25 ET game, six of Sunday's games will already have been played before we found out about Jackson's status, so unless you have someone in a later game you can swap in, you're probably better off avoiding Jackson. |
| Hurts, on the other hand, is expected to play. He got a full practice in Friday, and with the Eagles game being moved back to Tuesday due to Washington's COVID outbreak, he should be in good shape to play. He's still a top-12 QB for me, though the risk of him suffering a setback or not being cleared make it worth considering a Sunday alternative if you have one. |
| As for the COVID situations, the Browns players are less likely to be cleared due to their Monday start, but they do have until 2 p.m. Monday to be activated, so that situation remains fluid. The Washington players have a little more time to be cleared, but you are probably best avoiding them anyway. |
| Week 15 QB Rankings |
- Josh Allen vs. CAR
- Kyler Murray @DET
- Tom Brady vs. NO
- Aaron Rodgers @BAL
- Dak Prescott @NYG
- Matthew Stafford vs. SEA
- Tua Tagovailoa vs. NYJ
- Kirk Cousins @CHI
- Jalen Hurts vs. WAS
- Justin Fields vs. MIN
- Taysom Hill @TB
- Trevor Lawrence vs. HOU
- Ben Roethlisberger vs. TEN
- Jimmy Garoppolo vs. ATL
- Tyler Huntley vs. GB
- Ryan Tannehill @PIT
- Joe Burrow @DEN
- Cam Newton @BUF
- Teddy Bridgewater vs. CIN
- Matt Ryan @SF
- Russell Wilson @LAR
- Garrett Gilbert @PHI
- Derek Carr @CLE
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| Running backs |
| Injury Report |
- Out: Elijah Mitchell (concussion/knee), D'Andre Swift (shoulder), Jamaal Williams (COVID), Kareem Hunt (COVID/ankle), Adrian Peterson (back), Carlos Hyde (concussion), Alexander Mattison (COVID), Phillip Lindsay (COVID)
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| The list of players ruled out this week is actually shorter at running back than it was last week, and there aren't really any surprises. Jeff Wilson will be the lead back in Mitchell's absence yet again, and I'm expecting more than 13 carries this time around -- Jimmy Garoppolo probably won't be throwing it 41 times. He's in the RB2/3 discussion. |
| For the Lions, we saw Craig Reynolds unexpectedly step up as the lead rusher last week, as he had 11 carries for 83 yards and added two catches for 16. Godwin Igwebuike had eight carries and no targets, a disappointing showing after he was the clear passing down option alongside Williams the previous week. Neither is a recommended starter against the Cardinals, but if you are desperate, Reynolds is probably the better option based on what we saw last week? |
- Legitimately questionable: Tony Pollard (foot), J.D. McKissic (concussion), Alex Collins (COVID), Rex Burkhead (hip)
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| Pollard is going to try to give a go, and if he can make it through pre-game warmups, he is expected to be active. He's playing through a torn plantar fascia and was able to practice on a limited basis Thursday and Friday, so he should be out there. I would expect he'll get a handful of snaps, but any hopes of him overtaking Ezekiel Elliott as the lead back at this point seem pretty slim thanks to the injury. |
| Likely in: James Conner (ankle), Chase Edmonds (ankle), Javonte Williams (knee), Melvin Gordon (thumb), Leonard Fournette (ankle), Darrell Henderson (COVID) |
| It sounds like for both the Cardinals and Broncos, both players are going to play. For the Broncos that should mean we continue to see close to a 50-50 split, and both are in the RB2 discussion against the Bengals, who do represent a somewhat tough matchup. For the Cardinals, their backfield split is a bit less clear. Edmonds was the clear passing downs back before their injury, but Conner has been quite impressive in the passing game himself. If he can hold on to even some of that role while continuing to dominate in the red zone, he could remain a must-start Fantasy RB. For now, I'm viewing Conner as more of a mid-range RB2, while Edmonds is in the RB3 range. |
| Fournette is expected to play, but it'll be interesting to see if Ronald Jones spells him a bit more than normal. However, with Giovani Bernard out, Fournette should continue to see the passing game work, which makes him a must-start option in a Tom Brady offense. |
| And Henderson's role is one of the big questions for this week. He was activated from the COVID list, so he should be good to go this week. However, after dominating touches and snaps for much of the season, Sean McVay has talked about the need to mix Henderson and Sony Michel up. What that will look like is pretty hard to know right now, so I'm going to assume Michel will be the lead back this week, with Henderson more like an RB3. It could go the other way, or one of them could dominate snaps -- that's how McVay has historically operated, FWIW -- so it's not the worst idea to avoid them both if you have options with more clarity. Especially since things can change between now and Tuesday evening. |
| Week 15 RB Rankings |
- Dalvin Cook @CHI
- Alvin Kamara @TB
- Najee Harris vs. TEN
- Joe Mixon @DEN
- Nick Chubb vs. LV
- Leonard Fournette vs. NO
- Cordarrelle Patterson @SF
- Josh Jacobs @CLE
- Saquon Barkley vs. DAL
- Ezekiel Elliott @NYG
- James Robinson vs. HOU
- Antonio Gibson @PHI
- David Montgomery vs. MIN
- Devonta Freeman vs. GB
- Myles Gaskin vs. NYJ
- Michael Carter @MIA
- James Conner @DET
- Javonte Williams vs. CIN
- Sony Michel vs. SEA
- Miles Sanders vs. WAS
- AJ Dillon @BAL
- Aaron Jones @BAL
- Melvin Gordon vs. CIN
- D'Onta Foreman @PIT
- Chuba Hubbard @BUF
- Jeff Wilson vs. ATL
- Rashaad Penny @LAR
- Darrell Henderson vs. SEA
- Chase Edmonds @DET
- Ameer Abdullah @BUF
- Craig Reynolds vs. ARI
- Godwin Igwebuike vs. ARI
- Mike Davis @SF
- Jeremy McNichols @PIT
- David Johnson @JAX
- Corey Clement @NYG
- Devin Singletary vs. CAR
- Zack Moss vs. CAR
- Ty Johnson @MIA
- Rex Burkhead @JAX
- JaMycal Hasty vs. ATL
- Dontrell Hilliard @PIT
- Kenneth Gainwell vs. WAS
- Devontae Booker vs. DAL
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| Wide receivers |
- Out: DeAndre Hopkins (knee; IR), Emmanuel Sanders (knee), Kadarius Toney (oblique/COVID), Jaylen Waddle (COVID), Sammy Watkins (COVID), Breshad Perriman (COVID), Marquise Brown (foot), John Ross (COVID), Eqanimeous St. Brown (concussion)
- Legitimately questionable: Adam Thielen (ankle), Tyler Lockett (COVID), Jarvis Landry (COVID), Allen Robinson (COVID), Terry McLaurin (concussion), Sterling Shepard (calf), Lil'Jordan Humphrey (hamstring), Curtis Samuel (groin), Josh Reynolds (thigh), Allen Robinson (COVID), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (back), Quez Watkins (COVID), Anthony Schwartz (concussion)
- Expected to play: Marquise Brown (non-COVID illness), D.J. Moore (hamstring),
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| As you can tell, it's kind of a mess this week. The Monday and Tuesday games have some big names whose status is completely up in the air, and if you've got to make the decision right now, you probably can't take the risk on Lockett, Thielen, or Landry; I'm a bit more optimistic about McLaurin because he was able to practice in full Saturday, however with the top two QBs on the roster still in doubt, he's probably not worth the risk either, unless you can pivot to someone like Van Jefferson or DeVonta Smith. |
| One bit of good news we got from those delayed games is that Odell Beckham was activated off the COVID list, so he should be good to go. I'm viewing him as more of a low-end WR2 with upside, with Van Jefferson ranking just behind him. I rank D.J. Moore in the same range, while Marquise Brown is a bit lower -- he'd be in that range if Lamar Jackson were to play, however. |
| Week 15 WR Rankings |
- Davante Adams @BAL
- Cooper Kupp vs. SEA
- Justin Jefferson @CHI
- Stefon Diggs vs. CAR
- Chris Godwin vs. NO
- Diontae Johnson vs. TEN
- Deebo Samuel vs. ATL
- Hunter Renfrow @CLE
- CeeDee Lamb @NYG
- Ja'Marr Chase @DEN
- Tee Higgins @DEN
- Mike Evans vs. NO
- Brandin Cooks @JAX
- Amari Cooper @NYG
- D.K. Metcalf @LAR
- DeVante Parker vs. NYJ
- Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. ARI
- D.J. Moore @BUF
- Michael Pittman vs. NE
- Chase Claypool vs. TEN
- Jerry Jeudy vs. CIN
- Russell Gage @SF
- Odell Beckham vs. SEA
- Brandon Aiyuk vs. ATL
- Van Jefferson vs. SEA
- Julio Jones @PIT
- Terry McLaurin @PHI
- DeVonta Smith vs. WAS
- Marquise Brown vs. GB
- Gabriel Davis vs. CAR
- A.J. Green @DET
- Michael Gallup @NYG
- Cole Beasley vs. CAR
- Jakobi Meyers @IND
- K.J. Osborn @CHI
- Jamison Crowder @MIA
- Darnell Mooney vs. MIN
- Laviska Shenault vs. HOU
- Marvin Jones vs. HOU
- Sterling Shepard vs. DAL
- Christian Kirk @DET
- Tyler Boyd @DEN
- Rashod Bateman vs. GB
- Kenny Golladay vs. DAL
- Adam Humphries @PHI
- Nico Collins @JAX
- Tim Patrick vs. CIN
- Donovan Peoples-Jones vs. LV
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| Tight ends |
- Out: Darren Waller (knee), T.J. Hockenson (hand; IR),
- Questionable: Tyler Higbee (COVID), Austin Hooper (COVID), Harrison Bryant (ankle), Brevin Jordan
- Expected to play: Zach Ertz (hamstring)
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| Both Higbee and Hooper would be fine options if they play, but unless you have an alternative (like Tyler Conklin, Cole Kmet, or Ricky Seals-Jones) you could slide in if they are inactive, you're better off avoiding them. |
| Week 15 TE Rankings |
- Mark Andrews vs. GB
- George Kittle vs. ATL
- Rob Gronkowski vs. NO
- Kyle Pitts @SF
- Mike Gesicki vs. NYJ
- Dallas Goedert vs. WAS
- Ricky Seals-Jones @PHI
- Dawson Knox vs. CAR
- Dalton Schultz @NYG
- Tyler Conklin @CHI
- Zach Ertz @DET
- Foster Moreau @CLE
- Pat Freiermuth vs. TEN
- Gerald Everett @LAR
- Cole Kmet vs. MIN
- James O'Shaughnessy vs. HOU
- David Njoku vs. LV
- Noah Fant vs. CIN
- Evan Engram vs. DAL
- Albert Okwuegbunam vs. CIN
- C.J. Uzomah @DEN
- Geoff Swaim @PIT
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| Flex Top 150 |
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