A lot has gone wrong for Fantasy Football players this season, and that continued in many ways in Week 15. In the first week of the playoffs for most leagues, we had a Keenan Allen/Justin Herbert-less Chargers team get blown out on Thursday night, and then over the course of three games Saturday, we watched Ja'Marr Chase (shoulder), Michael Pittman (concussion), and Zack Moss (arm) leave with injuries.
And, of course, Sunday's slate had plenty of injuries to contend with, though mostly in the time before the games kicked off. We dealt with the absences of, among others, Tyreek Hill (ankle), Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle), Isiah Pacheco (shoulder), Chris Olave (ankle), NIco Collins, and others. Thankfully, Sunday's games actually didn't feature too many significant injuries that are going to decide Fantasy matchups.
Christian McCaffrey briefly left in the second quarter with a knee injury, and then 49ers QB Brock Purdy followed him one play later after a blow to the head. Thankfully, both were able to return, as were Travis Kelce (hand), Jaylen Waddle (chest) and Trey McBride (shoulder), which was good news. Will Levis (leg), Hunter Henry (knee), Jayden Reed (toe), and Zach Wilson weren't as lucky, though none of those (except maybe Reed) are likely to impact the Fantasy playoffs too much in most leagues.
The most impactful injuries Sunday were probably to Trevor Lawrence (concussion) and Keaton Mitchell (knee) in the night game, though even those two are more fringe-y options; the impact of their injuries will be felt through how they impact other players more than how they impact your Fantasy lineup. And, the most obvious impact -- "Gus Edwards should get more carries!" -- applies to a player rostered in 90% of CBS Fantasy leagues.
That's the good news. The bad news is, well, Saturday gave us plenty of significant injuries to worry about. Chase's shoulder injury kept him out of the end of the overtime win over the Vikings, but head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Sunday that Chase is "day to day" with a sprained AC joint. That's better than a worst-case scenario, and the Bengals don't even get an extra day off after their Saturday kickoff in Week 15 because they play Saturday again next week. Tee Higgins stepped up in Chase's absence Saturday, but Tyler Boyd had just two catches, so there's not really any reason to think you need to run out to the wire to add him if Chase can't play.
The Colts' injuries are probably more relevant for Fantasy when looking at the waiver wire for Week 16, though we also don't have as much clarity as of Sunday. Pittman took a vicious hit and will have to clear the concussion protocol; he'll have that extra day, and hasn't had a concussion since 2020, so there might be a chance. Moss left Sunday's game after just seven touches, and the production of his backups was tough to watch if you had Moss in your lineup, because he should have had a huge game. Instead, it was Trey Sermon who led the team with 88 yards on 17 carries, while Tyler Goodson had 69 yards on 11 carries, and added two catches for 10 yards.
If Moss is going to be out for Week 16, Sermon looks like the back to target here; Goodson caught two passes while Sermon didn't have one, but Sermon played 28 snaps to Goodson's 18 total and even ran more routes. Sermon seems like he'll be the lead back if Moss is out, and while the matchup against the Falcons isn't a great one, it's not necessarily a stay-away, and I would think Sermon might rank around the RB2/3 range for Week 16 if Moss can't go.
He's not necessarily the top target on waivers if you need a running back, though he probably is; Ty Chandler is already rostered in 75% of leagues, so if you're in one of those 25%, Chandler is the highest priority coming off his 157-yard, 24.7-PPR point showing against the Bengals. If he's not and you're desperate for a running back, we'll be looking Sermon's way.
Here's who we'll be looking to add ahead of Week 16:
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Waller didn't have a huge game for the Giants in his return from IR, as he caught four of six passes for 40 yards and was fourth on the team in routes run, but that's actually not so bad for coming back from such a lengthy absence. I don't think Waller is likely to be a league-winner over the next few weeks, but if you're in one of the 41% of CBS Fantasy leagues where Waller is available and you don't have a must-start TE, you should strongly consider adding Waller. He's probably the only guy with difference-making potential available at the position right now, even if he isn't a sure thing at this point.
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Not much went right for the Chargers, as they lost by 42 to the Raiders Thursday night. But Palmer's performance was very nice to see. In his return from IR playing with Easton Stick at QB and no other wide receivers catching more than two passes, Palmer still managed a big game. Most of it came on a 79-yard touchdown, which obviously isn't sustainable. But Palmer has been a surprisingly effective deep ball receiver this season in Kellen Moore's offense, with his average depth of target jumping from 8.7 to 12.7 yards down the field without his catch rate dropping much. That's a great combination, and that he was able to do it with Stick at QB bodes well, too. Palmer doesn't look like a must-start WR, but he's shown plenty of upside worth chasing this season.
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With Isiah Pacheco out again, we actually saw a Chiefs offense that looked a little more like what we expected it to be this season. It wasn't as explosive as it's been at its best, but there were plenty of opportunities for Edwards-Helaire to produce, and he took advantage, with his first 100-plus yard showing since Week 2 of the 2022 season. When Pacheco returns, he'll be back to his usual role, but if he can't go in Week 16 against the Raiders, Edwards-Helaire could be a decent alternative.
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The Packers have a lot of talented young playmakers on offense, which has made it hard for anyone to stand out for too long. But Wicks has shown some skills, and with both Christian Watson and Jayden Reed banged up, Wicks played a big role in a trailing script Sunday. They still spread the ball around well, with no player topping a 21% target share, and that's probably going to remain the case moving forward. But Wicks continues to make plays, and if Reed and Watson can't get next week against the Panthers, Wicks could be the top option in the passing game here.
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The Texans saw a huge step back in the quality of QB play with C.J. Stroud out, but they still managed to win in overtime against the Titans, and Brown managed to have a very good game along the way. He was the clear top wide receiver with Nico Collins and Tank Dell out, earning a team-high 11 targets – nobody else had more than five – and he caught eight of them for 82 yards and the touchdown. Brown has shown significant upside in what has been an up-and-down season, and if Collins is out again in Week 16, Brown will be a high-upside WR3.
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If Waller isn't available you need TE help, you should definitely be looking Kraft's way. The Packers plethora of young playmakers makes it so Kraft is tough to trust, but he's on a nice little run here lately, with two touchdowns in his past four games and at least 9.5 PPR points in three of four. You probably need a touchdown to feel good about starting Kraft, but the opportunities should be there in Week 16 against the Panthers.
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It's hard to know how much of Spiller's expanded role in Week 15 was just because the Chargers were losing by 42 at halftime and how much represented an actual increased role. But Joshua Kelley just hasn't shown much as the Austin Ekeler alternative, so maybe they give him a chance. This offense isn't great, so it's hard to see Spiller being much more than just a low-end flex over these next few weeks, but if you're desperate, he could have a role.
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