Week 15 played host to many more high profile injuries than fantasy players are comfortable with. Good luck going into Championship Week - hopefully there aren't too many names on this list that are also on your roster.
Marcus Mariota went down this week in New England and was replaced by Zach Mettenberger, who had 242 yds with 2 TD and 2 INT, not terrible, but mostly garbage points. There's been conflicting reports as to whether or not he will play the rest of the season. He has been ruled out this week, so his fantasy relevance is over this year. He should be a QB2 in 2016.
T.J. Yates tore his ACL on a non contact play, something we've become quite familiar with this year. With Yates on the IR Brian Hoyer is still not likely to return, Brandon Weeden has suddenly become the man in Houston. Weeden, who got cut from a 2-win team, now finds himself starting for a 7-7 team that is leading its division. Oh, what a change.
LeSean McCoy has been diagnosed with a torn MCL and won't be playing in week 16. It's irrelevant to us if he comes back week 17, really, so look for Karlos Williams and Mike Gillislee to share carries, yay. Another split backfield means you might want to look elsewhere for a fill-in for McCoy.
Melvin Gordon has been disappointing all season, and now he's finally out for the season. He'll return next year with a lot of things different, probably a new coach, city and hopefully some more offensive talent around him. Danny Woodhead, who had an amazing four TD's last week, will be filling in with an increased role and will be an RB2/Flex for Thursday's game against Oakland.
Danny Amendola disappointed anyone who started him in Week 15, by fumbling the ball and promptly exiting the game, leaving us with negative points. It looks like he'll be out until the playoffs arrive. Owners who held on to Julian Edelman might see him return to your lineup in Week 16, so keep an eye on the injury reports, and get him in your lineups if he's playing. Brady has been starving for his slot receiver, and Edelman should produce well as soon as he returns.
Alshon Jeffery's injury status is top secret info here in Chicago, so we'll learn a little bit more on Wednesday. What we do know is that he left Sunday's game after his hamstring "tightened up a little bit". It's hard to tell what his status will be before Sunday, I just wouldn't recommend any other Bears WR's as a replacement for Jeffery, though Zach Miller could see a small bump in targets.
Tyrann Mathieu is done for the season after tearing his ACL, and this is definitely a big loss for the Cardinals defense. If you've been riding them all year, they have been great for you, but you might consider another pickup if something good is available. They are playing A.J. McCarron, so that's a plus, but there's still a lot of talent on the Bengals offense.
Almost Injured...
Brock Osweiler briefly left Sunday's game when he tweaked a non-throwing shoulder, but did return to finish the game, though he did not put up any points in the second half. Osweiler has been little help when it comes to winning games in Denver, so if Peyton Manning can go Week 16, the Broncos would do well to put him back in and bet on the vet to take them the rest of the way.
Adrian Peterson had an ankle sprain on Sunday, but wound up returning in the second half. This week, he'll be all systems go against a weak Giants run defense.
A.J. Green left the game in San Fran in the third quarter and didn't return, but that probably has something to do with the 24-0 score. Green did only have one catch in the game, and this is worrisome considering he has McCarron throwing him the ball. This week, they play Denver, so keep an eye on this tough matchup and his injury status.
Ted Ginn Jr. is another guy who left his game early, but he had the courtesy of putting up two touchdowns first. Ginn did return late in the game, showing that Carolina was just holding him back to be cautious. He'll be ready to go in Week 16 and has a hell of an upside.
