It's championship week, but injuries have piled up. In one league, I'll take a total points winner into the final with question marks surrounding two of my best players all season, Dalvin Cook and Chris Godwin. Surely many of you are in a similar situation, so let's look at the outlooks for Cook and Godwin, as well as Josh Jacobs before a quick trip around the league for all the Week 16 news and notes.
Josh Jacobs ruled out for Week 16
It's fair to wonder if Jacobs' season might be finished, as he continues to deal with the fractured shulder initially suffered back in Week 7. If it is, it was a successful one, as the rookie averaged more than 100 yards per game from scrimmage and averaged 4.8 yards per carry on his 1,150 yards. Perhaps most impressive, he rushed for 720 yards and added 89 through the air in eight games since the injury, a 16-game pace of better than 1,600 yards.
Jacobs previously sat out Week 14, and DeAndre Washington saw the bulk of the work, playing 63% of the team's offensive snaps with 53 rushing yards on 14 carries and six receptions for 43 yards. Expect similar work in the rushing game, while Washington will likely continue to split reps in the passing game with Jalen Richard. Washington is a solid No. 2 RB for Week 16's game against the Chargers, while Richard is a PPR flex play.
Dalvin Cook update
On Monday, head coach Mike Zimmer sounded like Cook was in pretty good shape and has a shot to return for Week 16. The question will become whether that's in Minnesota's best interest.
At first glance, the Vikings have plenty to play for, as they trail the Packers by just a game in the division with two to play. But the Packers control the tiebreaker, meaning even if Minnesota knocks off Green Bay, they'd also have to win in Week 17 and, more importantly, Green Bay would need to lose again against Detroit.
Meanwhile, at 10-4, the Vikings are a full two games ahead of the Rams for the final wild card spot, meaning Minnesota would need to lose twice and the Rams win twice to trigger a tiebreaker there.
That combination of circumstances means a Monday night game that appears huge on its face is not quite as pivotal as it seems. And if Minnesota weighs that reality with the fact that Cook has now aggravated his injury in two of the past three games, there's certainly potential they'll decide to rest him up to get him healthy before the playoffs.
Complicating matters, the Vikings and Packers play on Monday night, so we'll need to monitor the reports all week. If Cook is not ruled out prior to Sunday, there will still be a possibility of him being declared inactive on Monday. But if we don't have that clarity, it will complicate matters for Fantasy managers, who will likely need to make a decision on Cook or his backup — either Mike Boone or potentially Alexander Mattison if the latter is himself able to play after being inactive in Week 15 due to an ankle injury.
Should we get word Cook and Mattison will both be out, Boone becomes a solid option, but note that he ran just four routes in his extended playing time in Week 15. It's fair to point out that Minnesota was in control of the game and didn't throw much in the second half after Cook left, but Ameer Abdullah — who ran six routes — is a potential passing downs option that could limit Boone's upside. That makes Boone a little less enticing as someone to hold out for if the situation is unclear.
But if we get word Boone will be the lead back before Sunday, he's a solid option in a plus matchup for an early-down runner with the potential to play a bit more on passing downs in an expanded role.
Chris Godwin status
One of the biggest wide receiver surprises in 2019, Godwin looked poised to close the season strong after Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury in Week 14. And he was off to a fast start in Week 15, going over 100 yards on five catches before suffering a hamstring injury of his own.
The Bucs haven't yet ruled Godwin out for Week 16, so there's some hope. They did already send fellow wide receiver Scotty Miller to IR, after Miller also suffered a hamstring injury in Week 15, suggesting Godwin's injury is potentially more mild.
But the Bucs have little to play for, and it seems more likely than not Godwin will be out for Week 16. In his absence, Breshad Perriman will likely be the top wide receiver option as he tries to back up his three-touchdown day in Week 15. Justin Watson will also be a name to watch; he'd be in line to play a full snap share as the No. 2 if Evans, Godwin and Miller were all out.
O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate combined for 15 targets in Week 15, and they would also carry solid target projections with all the upheaval in the receiving corps. Brate is a Jameis Winston favorite, but still played a limited role in Week 15, running 19 routes. Howard ran 28, and has more upside as the TE who typically leads in routes run by a comfortable margin.
Here are some more injury situations to monitor for Week 16:
- Evan Engram has been sent to IR, ending his season. Kaden Smith will continue to man the tight end position for the Giants, but hasn't been very involved since New York's top wide receiver trio all got healthy.
- Julian Edelman was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice. Before a down Week 15, Edelman had seen at least 10 targets in eight straight games. New England faces Buffalo in Week 16 in what figures to be a defensive battle, and it's not clear how healthy Edelman is, so there's perhaps a bit of concern for Fantasy. But if we get mostly positive reports this week, it would be hard to sit a guy who has the potential to see such significant target volume.
- The Lions placed Matthew Stafford on IR, meaning David Blough will likely finish out the season as their starter. A conservative passer by comparison to Stafford, Blough has targeted Danny Amendola at least eight times in each of the past three games. Even with some efficiency concerns, Amendola is a solid PPR spot start in deeper leagues.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster is questionable for Week 16. Smith-Schuster appeared headed for a Week 15 return before missing the game, but will once again look to ramp up his practice activity ahead of Week 16. Smith-Schuster would be difficult to trust in a poor passing game, and his return would also negatively impact the cases for either James Washington or Diontae Johnson as Week 16 options.
- A.J. Green met with foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson Monday, and confirmed he is unlikely to suit up this season. The Bengals will continue to use Tyler Boyd and Alex Erickson as their main receivers, with John Ross having been limited the past two weeks after returning from IR. There's potential for Ross' role to ramp up, but it would take a lot of faith in his upside to give him a start, even considering Miami as the opponent.
- Hunter Renfrow is expected to return for the Raiders in Week 15. Renfrow isn't an option, but his solid stretch of results from Week 8 until his Week 12 injury appeared to have a negative effect on Darren Waller's target upside. Waller has averaged 98 yards per game over the past three with Renfrow out, but had averaged just 44 yards per game over the five games in the middle of the season when Renfrow posed a significant threat to his underneath target share.
- Josh Gordon has been suspended indefinitely, leaving the Seahawks to move forward with their standard configuration of Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf and Jacob Hollister all running significant routes and a rotation at the other wide receiver spot. Malik Turner, Jaron Brown and David Moore all figure to pick up snaps, but aren't Fantasy options, while Lockett, Metcalf and Hollister have perhaps slightly more secure target projections.
- Will Grier will start for the Panthers in Week 16. The third-round rookie out of West Virginia was an accurate and efficient collegiate passer, and some analytical models saw him as one of the more underrated quarterback prospects in the 2019 class. Grier doesn't figure to be a significant downgrade from Kyle Allen for the Panthers receivers, and their offense is highly concentrated in terms of snap shares such that the target distribution shouldn't be impacted much. One change is Greg Olsen cleared the concussion protocol and figures to take back over as the nearly every-down tight end, sending Ian Thomas to the bench.
- D.J. Chark was cleared to run Monday, meaning he could be in position to return Week 16. Chark missed Week 15 and allowed Chris Conley to step up for a two-touchdown game, but a healthy Chark would immediately resume his role as the Jaguars' top receiving option.