The recent COVID-19 outbreaks across the NFL has created chaos in the NFL fantasy football streets. With all of the craziness surrounding Week 17, fantasy players need to look into the NFL injury report and break down who to trust. Below is start/sit advice for lineups based on injury news and notes.
Week 17 Fantasy Football Injury Report & News Updates
Jordan Howard – RB – Philadelphia Eagles
Howard appears to be a game-time decision. He did practice in a limited fashion twice at the end of the week, which could point towards him possibly playing, but he is dealing with a neck injury. If Howard does not get the nod to play, then Boston Scott will be a close to must-start running back against Washington. If Howard does start, he is a low-end RB2 or a high-end RB3.
Sam Darnold – QB – Carolina Panthers
This week Darnold will be the Panthers starting quarterback. Starting Darnold in fantasy is not wise since he is playing the Saints, who have one of the best defenses in the league. For the other Panthers options, D.J. Moore is still start-worthy. Going from Cam Newton to Darnold should be a linear move for Moore. The other options team like Robby Anderson and Chuba Hubbard are best left on the bench.
Elijah Mitchell – RB – San Francisco 49ers
Mitchell is listed as questionable this week against the Texans. Head coach Kyle Shanahan noted that they will play him as much as he can handle. In this scenario, he is startable. He is now in a weird territory where he is a better play than Jeff Wilson Jr., but there is a chance that Mitchell will not see a normal workhorse running back workload. With the matchup being against the Texans it should not take that heavy workload to finish as a top-24 running back on the week.
Lamar Jackson – QB – Baltimore Ravens
Jackson is listed as questionable this week in their matchup against the Rams, though he has yet to practice all week. The likely scenario is Tyler Huntley will start, and with the matchup not being the most ideal, he should be able to be a top-12 quarterback mostly due to his rushing prowess.
Kareem Hunt – RB – Cleveland Browns
Hunt practiced for the first time on Friday since he hurt his ankle in Week 14 against the Ravens. This would point towards a potential return on Monday Night Football against the Steelers. Even if that is the case, with just one day of practice under his belt, Hunt is not a great option.
A.J. Brown – WR – Tennessee Titans
Brown was dealing with a calf injury but returned to practice on Friday. The matchup this week against the Dolphins could be tough, as they rank sixth in pass DVOA. Even with the tough matchup, the Titans will be funneling the ball to Brown, as Julio Jones is out. Last week Brown had 11 receptions on 16 targets for 145 yards and a touchdown. He has top-12 upside this week and should be started.
Andy Dalton – QB – Chicago Bears
Head coach Matt Nagy stated that Dalton will be the starter this week against the Giants. This seemingly revolving door quarterback situation in Chicago has had virtually zero effect on the start-worthy players on the team. David Montgomery is still a top-tier fantasy back based upon volume and the matchup. Cole Kmet is a reliable streaming tight end option, and Darnell Mooney will be a lower-end start-worthy wide receiver.
Kirk Cousins – QB – Minnesota Vikings
Cousins has been placed on the COVID list and will not be able to play this week against the Packers. This elevates Sean Mannion into the starting role, and he should be avoided in fantasy everywhere but the largest leagues. The change at quarterback should have zero effect on Dalvin Cook but could lead to a less productive day from Justin Jefferson.
Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!
We've also got a brand new Fantasy Football YouTube Channel where you can tune in every day for the best fantasy videos in the business. If all that free content isn't enough for you to dominate your Fantasy Football draft this year, check out the Awesemo Fantasy Football Draft Kit, which includes sophisticated tools and proprietary fantasy data that you can only get from us. Check out our fantasy football draft rankings, our NFL fantasy football cheat sheet, our NFL fantasy football sleepers and our NFL player profiles. Want more NFL fantasy football news tips?
