What This Is:
*A no-nonsense quick-hitting analysis of fantasy-relevant player injuries that could impact performance on game day.
What This Is Not:
For any questions related to this article such as “should I drop [player A] for [player B]?” please refer to the staff’s weekly projections.
General Guidelines:
The following general rules apply for big shake-ups on the weekend:
*Players who are downgraded from full or even partial practice to “Did Not Practice” on Friday or Saturday, for any medical reason, are a long shot to play. Typically you’ll see teams say these players are a “game time decision” which is code for “they ain’t playing”.
*Players who have a concussion have up until Saturday night/Sunday morning to clear the protocol.
*If no “final update” is available, the player has either been officially ruled out or no news is good news.
Doubtful or already ruled out:
- Sammy Watkins - OUT
Running Backs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire - Ankle/Hip
This could be a legitimate case of precaution, but CEH was LP on Wednesday then didn’t practice two days in a row. It seems Andy Reid is playing things close to the chest but it’s hard to believe the running back will be active. Reid said this of the LSU product:
“A couple days ago [Edwards-Helaire] moved around real well, and then we’ve just kind of backed off him. He’s still doing stuff, just not with the group. So, we’ll just see how he does here. We’re literally taking it day by day, so we’ll see how it rolls.”
After picking up either a new or worsened hip issue since the original Week 15 injury this week, it’s possible a combination of persistent ankle swelling and hip pain are limiting Clyde. One thing is certain, even if active (which I personally don’t believe will happen at this point), he’s not 100%. Be extremely cautious in your lineups with CEH.
Ronald Jones II - Quad
Jones injured his quad in pregame last week, and now is a true game time call. Now, 67% of skill players who sustain a quad injury end up missing zero games or one game. However, technically last week’s doesn’t count considering the sample didn’t do it on game day like RoJo. It’s a toss up if he plays this week, but don’t count on him. However, swap him in some GPP’s if he’s active for upside, but not cash.
Latavius Murray - Quad
Murray injured his quad last week and didn’t practice until he did so in a limited fashion on Friday. From 2017-2019 skill players with a quad injury missed no time at all 54% of the time. Again, it’s the playoffs so no player wants to sit. Even more so than usual, so expect him to suit up. The rub here is that I’ll personally be overweight on Alvin Kamara for two reasons. Reason one, he’s Alvin Bleeping Kamara. Reason two, Kamara was worked into the game plan all week without Murray. What’s the worst that could happen? Kamara gets his usual workload? Lock it in.
Wide Receivers
Cooper Kupp - Knee
Kupp has a knee contusion which can be extremely painful. Given the fact he didn’t practice whatsoever this week, it’s a risky move to be overweight on him. It’s the playoffs, so there’s a decent chance he still plays, but game plans still matter during the week. That includes the script teams try to stick to for the first few series. The bottom line is Kupp is going to be playing through pain and his teammate Robert Woods, still had 6 targets last week making him a much safer pivot. Kupp can still put up numbers, but he’s not the high percentage play.
Cole Beasley - Knee
Still limited all week, Beasley has a limited ceiling again this week after catching 7 passes for just 57 yards last week.
Quarterbacks
Jared Goff - Thumb
Last week Goff was dreadful in a game he was forced to come in and play posting a 60% adjusted completion percentage. Goff is already a bad QB, so even though he was finally a FP at practice, there’s very little confidence left for a decent fantasy performance.
Good luck this weekend!
