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USATSI

How weird was Thursday's game? Well, Zamir White, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer, Brandon Bolden, and Tre Tucker all scored for the Raiders, combining for six touchdowns between them – seven, if you include Meyers' passing touchdown to Davante Adams. Entering play Thursday, they had eight touchdowns total this season. 

The Raiders beat the Chargers 63-21, in one of those games that was so lopsided so quickly that I'm actually not sure we can draw any conclusions from it. Are the Raiders suddenly a juggernaut offensively, led by Aidan O'Connell? Seeing as they were shut out literally four days ago, that seems unlikely. 

This was more about the Chargers being an absolute disaster. Justin Herbert's absence didn't help, obviously, as the Raiders had two defensive touchdowns on the Chargers' five turnovers (three by Easton Stick, who started in Herbert's place), and were gifted short fields on three of their early touchdowns, too. Brandon Staley may make it to the end of the season, or he may be fired by the end of this week, but his time as the Chargers coach was finished before they went to halftime down 42-0.

It was such a ridiculous game that I'm not sure there's much we can learn from it. Zamir White was better than I expected, and can be an RB3 if Josh Jacobs has to miss more time. And maybe Isaiah Spiller did enough in garbage time to leapfrog Joshua Kelley, who had a costly lost fumble last night. And it was nice to see Joshua Palmer still hitting on big plays en route to a four-catch, 113-yard-with-a-touchdown game. He'll be in the WR3 discussion moving forward. 

But otherwise, I think we can just ignore that game. The Chargers are probably going to be a pretty big mess the rest of the way, but I would still be willing to use Austin Ekeler as a low-end RB2; Keenan Allen will be a must-start WR when he's back, as is Davante Adams, who had 8-101-1 in one of his best games of the season. Other than that? I think we can probably memory-hole this one.

It's just another weird game in a weird NFL season. If you started the Raiders DST or White, your playoff week got off to a pretty unexpectedly good start, but there's still work to be done. Because, as of Thursday night, there's still a ton of uncertainty about who will even be available in Week 15, let alone who should be in your starting lineup. 

In today's newsletter, I focused on player availability, players you should consider starting and sitting, and more. 

Week 15 injury updates

Remember, we've got three games Saturday this week, and we already have the full, final injury reports for those six teams, so we'll start there: 

Saturday game injuries

  • Alexander Mattison (ankle): OUT – Ty Chandler is in the top 20 at RB vs. the Bengals. 
  • Justin Jefferson (chest): QUESTIONABLE – He told reporters he's going to play, and I have no reason to not believe him. 
  • Kenny Pickett (ankle): OUT – Mitchell Trubisky will start a second game in a row. He's a fringe QB2, and a downgrade for the offense as a whole. At least Diontae Johnson (knee) and Najee Harris (knee) both have no injury designation after missing practice earlier in the week.
  • Jonathan Taylor (thumb): OUT – Taylor will miss his third straight game. Zack Moss continues to start in his place, and is a low-end RB1. 
  • Greg Dulcich (hamstring/foot): OUT – Dulcich will have to wait at least one more week to come back from IR. He's a decent stash in deeper leagues, but is by no means a sure thing. 

Other Week 15 injury updates

  • C.J. Stroud (concussion): DNP. Stroud hasn't been ruled out, but he also hasn't practiced this week, so I'm not expecting him to play. We'll know by Saturday at the latest if he can be cleared from the concussion protocol. 
  • Geno Smith (groin): LP. Smith opened the week with a limited participation in practice, a good sign after he missed last week's game. He's a QB2 against the Eagles if he plays in what should be a decent matchup with a pass-heavy game script. 
  • De'Von Achane (toe): DNP. Achane hasn't practiced this week, so he looks legitimately questionable at this point. We'll see if he can get out there Friday. 
  • Isiah Pacheco (shoulder): DNP. Pacheco hasn't been ruled out yet, but he looks like a longshot seeing as he hasn't practiced since Week 13. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon are both in the "hope they score a TD" range of RB3s. 
  • Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle): DNP. Stevenson also hasn't practiced since Week 13, so we're likely looking at another heavy week of Ezekiel Elliott usage. He's a fine RB2. 
  • Brian Robinson (hamstring): DNP. Robinson hasn't practiced this week despite having the bye last week, which is an ominous sign. Antonio Gibson is in the RB2 discussion, while Chris Rodriguez is a desperation start if you need one if Robinson is out. 
  • AJ Dillon (thumb): DNP. Dillon told reporters Thursday he broke his thumb in Monday's game. He hasn't been ruled out, but it's hard to see him being super effective with that injury. With Aaron Jones (knee) in question after two limited practices, go add Patrick Taylor and Kenyan Drake if you're desperate at RB. 
  • Tyreek Hill (ankle): DNP. Hill probably doesn't need to practice to have a chance to play, but it's not a great sign that he hasn't yet. We'll see what Friday's injury report holds. 
  • D.J. Moore (ankle): LP. Moore improved after missing practice Wednesday, a good sign for his chances to play this week. 
  • Nico Collins (calf): DNP. Collins hasn't practiced this week and looks like he'll be out. Dalton Schultz (hamstring) is probably the best pass-catcher for the Texans, though that probably isn't saying much if Stroud is out. 
  • Chris Olave (ankle): DNP. Olave has yet to practice this week, so that's a concern. He's had a number of maladies he's played through this season, and he's a WR2 if he plays. Rashid Shaheed (thigh) has been limited, so he might be in the WR3 range if Olave is out. 
  • Marquise Brown (heel): LP. Brown was upgraded after missing Wednesday's game, a good sign for his chances of playing. He's been playing through this injury, and remains an inconsistent WR3. 
  • Chris Godwin (knee): DNP. Godwin hasn't practiced this week, so it looks like there's a real chance he won't play this week. If he does, he's a fringe WR3 at this point. 
  • Jayden Reed (ankle): LP. Reed has been limited both days this week, so he looks like he has a chance to play. He's a WR3 if he does, and Friday's report will tell the story there. 
  • Taysom Hill (foot/hand): LP. After missing last week's game, Hill has a chance to play this week. He's a TE1 if he does. 
  • Tyler Higbee (neck): FP. Higbee got up to a full practice Thursday, so he should be back after missing last week's game. He's a TE2 who you're hoping finds the end zone in a good matchup.