This article will recap all fantasy-relevant injuries. Remember, we are operating with limited information, and as the week progresses, situations will become clearer.
Ja’Marr Chase - Shoulder
Jay Glazer and Ian Rapoport have both confirmed Chase will miss “some time.” With that said, most WRs who miss time with an AC joint sprain miss around three weeks. If you think there’s still a decent shot you make it to your fantasy championship game, throw him in your IR slot but realistically, don’t expect him to be back any time soon.
Michael Pittman - Concussion
Michael Pittman took a shot and exited Week 15 with a concussion. This is his second documented head injury since 2020. The mean amount of missed time for WRs is 0.52 with a median and mode of 0 games. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — every brain injury is different, but in theory, Pittman will be available with a re-injury risk of 8% and a dip in fantasy production of 36%, which is also accompanied by a 31% dip in targets per route. Still, given how he’s been peppered by Gardner Minshew, it’s likely he can still produce for fantasy purposes.
Jayden Reed - Toe
Jayden Reed left due to a toe injury. Most of the time these injuries result in just a 0-1 game absence max. However if it’s severe enough, Reed will be out the rest of the regular season. Until we get word from the Packers, assume no Reed in Week 16 but potentially back by Week 17.
Marquise Brown - Heel
Marquise Brown re-injured his heel (again), and it would not be shocking to see him miss the rest of the regular season. For desperate teams who need roster space, he’s droppable.
Zack Moss - “Arm”
Moss left Week 15 with an “arm” injury. It’s unknown whether this is a shoulder injury or a re-injury of the fracture from earlier this off-season. It is highly unlikely he re-fractured the arm since he probably has hardware in place. Additionally, Shane Steichen said Moss is “doing fine” so we can assume this is a grip and pain tolerance issue. As of today, I would tentatively plan on having Moss in Week 16, depending on how he responds to treatment this week. Of note, Jonathan Taylor has a legit shot at returning this week per reports. Three to four weeks was the original projection so this would make sense.
Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson - Concussion
Here’s how QB concussions in 2023 have gone: Derek Carr had two weeks to recover after his first concussion and played, Jimmy Garoppolo missed 1 game, Brock Purdy returned in 6 days, and just last week, C.J. Stroud sat out due to a concussion. So quite the mixed bag! Here are the numbers: the mean missed time for QBs after a concussion is 1 game, and the median is 0.5 game. The mode (most frequently missed value) is 0 games. The unfortunate reality in the NFL is that if a team needs to get their QB back in 1 week after a concussion, they will. As long as he doesn’t show obvious signs of a concussion like memory loss, headaches, and fogginess, Stroud will probably be active next week. If he does end up playing, the re-injury risk is 33%, and turnover-worthy play rate is > 60%.
Will Levis - High Ankle
Levis sustained a high ankle sprain, and ironically enough after sustaining multiple high ankle sprains himself, Ryan Tannehill may start in Week 16. Watch Levis’ status this week.
Here are some players I anticipate will return in Week 16:
Tyreek Hill
Geno Smith
Isiah Pacheco
Zack Moss
Here are a few more players who have a chance in Week 16, but Week 17 seems more likely:
Nico Collins
Josh Jacobs
Jonathan Taylor
Chris Olave
Rhamondre Stevenson
Good luck!
