Week 16 Fantasy Football Injury Report: Following Drake London, Tee Higgins and More Statuses

So who had Brady Cook, Philip Rivers, Gardner Minshew and Marcus Mariota all starting at quarterback for NFL teams this week on their Bingo card? Don’t laugh, some of us are actually starting some of these players in deep leagues. Fun times.

Yes, the semifinals of the fantasy football playoffs are here, and with it being Week 16 that means there are plenty injuries to muddle through. Here are the injuries that we’re following, as well as some analysis on how things will play out in certain situations. Best of luck in all your semifinals!

Week 16 Fantasy Football Injury Report

Running Back

Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers)

Josh Jacobs didn’t practice all week with a knee injury that has bothered him for weeks. Usually, a player would sit with no practice, but Jacobs has found a way to play in similar scenarios. He is listed as questionable for the Saturday night game. Emanuel Wilson would be an excellent play if Jacobs can’t go. UPDATE: Since missing Week 12, Jacobs has no less than 15 touches. He's a starter in your lineup without question as long as he's in the lineup. And all signs point to him starting this week..

Woody Marks (Houston Texans)

Marks missed another practice Thursday due to an ankle injury. If he’s out, Nick Chubb and Jawhar Jordan will get the touches in the backfield. Chubb missed last week with a rib injury and has been limited in practice. Could Jordan match his 118 scrimmage yards on 17 touches that he put up in emergency duty last week? UPDATE: Marks returned to a limited practice on Friday, which leaves him questionable for Sunday. This game is a 4:25 p.m. ET start, so if you plan to play him make sure to have a backup plan. Jordan is the best option in a game where plenty running should be in the game plan.

Devin Neal (New Orleans Saints)

Neal was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and can be dropped. Audric Estime and Evan Hull will be the main running backs. Neal left early with the injury last week and Estime played 36% of the snaps and Hull 32%. Estime had 6 touches for 50 yards and Hull 4 carries for 12 yards. Estime is the preferred option as the pass-catching back.

D’Andre Swift (Chicago Bears)

Swift is on the injury report with a groin injury and was limited Wednesday and Thursday. He is listed as questionable and the Bears play Saturday night. The Bears will have a run-heavy approach and Swift is a RB2. UPDATE: Swift is questionable after practicing on a limited basis. He has no less than 17 touches in the last three games, as the primary back in the Bears' two-headed rushing attack that is laying waste to opponents. If he's active, he's a must start.

Wide Receiver

Christian Watson (Green Bay Packers)

Christian Watson left last week’s game with a chest injury and was limited in practice on Thursday in the final practice of the week with the Packers playing Saturday against the Bears. Watson is listed as questionable and appears good to go. UPDATE: Keep an eye on the inactives ahead of the 8:20 p.m. ET game on Saturday, as Watson is questionable after ending the practice week on a limited basis. If he plays, he's a player who is a big play waiting to happen and did score twice against the Bears two weeks ago.

Luther Burden & Rome Odunze (Chicago Bears)

Burden has been ruled out with an ankle injury. He didn’t practice all week. Odunze will miss another game with a foot injury. He was scratched five minutes before the game last week after reportedly dealing with a foot fracture that he aggravated in warmups. DJ Moore and Colston Loveland move up the rankings.

Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals)

Harrison was limited in practice for the second straight day on Thursday. Harrison missed the last two games due to a heel injury. Michael Wilson has thrived without Harrison. In the one game Harrison played recently, he had 6 catches for 69 yards on 7 targets, and Wilson had 3 catches for 36 yards on 7 targets. UPDATE: Harrison told the media that he's "good enough to go," which could be tough for Wilson fantasy managers. If Harrison goes, they will split targets with Wilson and Trey McBride. The good news is that Jacoby Brissett has attempted no fewer than 40 passes in the past six games, so there will be plenty targets to go around.

CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys)

CeeDee Lamb has missed two practices due to illness. Lamb was involved in team meetings and doesn’t seem likely to miss the game. UPDATE: Lamb returned to a full practice Friday, so he's an easy start as the consensus WR6 in our fantasy rankings.

Drake London (Atlanta Falcons)

Drake London hasn’t played since Week 11 due to a knee injury. He has been limited in practice this week and said he’s trending in the right direction. He also had shoulder and hip injuries. If active, London is a great start against the Cardinals. UPDATE: London is on track to return to the lineup after missing four games. That might eat into Kyle Pitts' targets, but London could be on a pitch count in his first action in more than a month. If you're starting him, you may be depending on a touchdown.

Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals)

Tee Higgins has missed two of the last three games due to separate concussions. He has been limited in practice this week and is still in concussion protocol. Higgins was limited in practice last week and didn’t play. UPDATE: Higgins practiced in full on Friday, but has not cleared the concussion protocol. We're following this one on Saturday.

Tetairoa McMillan (Carolina Panthers)

McMillan has been dealing with foot/ankle injuries and played through it. Tetairoa McMillan returned to a full practice on Thursday and it’s a sign he will play on Sunday. UPDATE: T-Mac practiced in full again, so he's playing in a matchup where the Buccaneers are second in passing yards allowed per game at 264.5.

Ricky Pearsall (San Francisco 49ers)

Ricky Pearsall is dealing with PCL and ankle injuries. He hasn’t practiced this week and the 49ers play Monday night. Kyle Shanahan said Pearsall has a chance to play and is doing better on Thursday compared to Monday. Pearsall is risky to wait on and seems unlikely to play. UPDATE: Still no practice as of Friday, and Saturday Pearsall was ruled out. This is focusing tjhe 49ers' passing game to George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield. The Colts have allowed the third most passing yards at 264.2 per game.

Rashee Rice (Kansas City Chiefs)

Rice is in the concussion protocol and hasn’t practiced. He’s unlikely to play this week. Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce will benefit, though they are catching passes from Gardner Minshew and not Patrick Mahomes. UPDATE: Rice was ruled out, which should mean more targets for Worthy and Kelce. The Titans are seventh in the league at 249.4 passing yards allowed per game, and Minshew is no stranger to pushing the ball up the field.

Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles Chargers)

After being ruled out last week following practicing on a limited basis, Johnston opened the week with limited practices the first two days. We should get a determination on his playing status by the end of the week. UPDATE: We're keeping an eye on this one, as Johnston finished the week on a limited basis. He's a potential flex option against a Cowboys option allowing a league-high 270.9 passing yards per game.

Tight End

Dalton Kincaid (Buffalo Bills)

Dalton Kincaid didn’t practice for the second straight day on Thursday due to a knee injury. Kincaid missed time with the injury and played the last two weeks. Have a replacement ready. UPDATE: Kincaid has no injury designation going into Week 16, where he is the TE14 in our rankings. He's a potential starter this week because he has two 100-yard games and Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland combined for 91 receiving yards last week against the Browns.

David Njoku (Cleveland Browns)

Njoku missed another practice on Thursday. He’s not a good play even if he can go. UPDATE: Njoku was ruled OUT, which means wheels up for Harold Fannin. The rookie has 25 targets in the past two games.

Players Mentioned in this Article

Week 16 Fantasy Football Injury Report: Following Drake London, Tee Higgins and More Statuses