Another Ravens running back goes down 😔

That wasn’t very cash money of Pete Carroll with the way he handled the Geno Smith situation, if we’re being honest.

What’s in store:

• Chris Olave listed as a DNP to start the week. Ideally, that changes at some point over the next 48 hours.

• Keaton Mitchell is done for the season with an ACL injury. Deja vu - it feels like we’ve been in this place before with a Ravens running back.

• Tyler’s top waiver wire targets: Week 16. It’s coming down to the wire - add reinforcements to your roster to help make the final push to the championship round.

• The penguin dominates without the Cheetah. See what made Waddle such a formidable force in Week 15 against the Jets.

• Saints WR Chris Olave opens the week as a DNP with New Orleans slated to play Thursday night vs

  • After missing this past weekend’s game against the Giants in Week 15, Olave faces a quick turnaround in Week 16 with the Saints slated to take on the Rams on Thursday night football. Starting out the week as a DNP isn’t the biggest deal in the world, especially considering it was only a walkthrough - but at the same time, having him be listed even just as a limited participant would have been much more reassuring. He’ll almost certainly have to take the practice field at some point this week for him to have a chance to go against the Rams, so fantasy managers should monitor this situation closely as gameday approaches. Olave is officially in danger of missing the first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs, a hefty blow to the teams that were able to rely on him throughout the season. If Olave would miss, look for the Saints to deploy a similar offense to the one they fielded against the G-men with plenty of involvement in the receiving game from tight end Juwan Johnson and company.

• Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell believed to have suffered season-ending torn ACL Sunday night vs Jaguars

  • The curse laid upon the Ravens backfield reared its ugly head once again in the 2023 season, with Mitchell going gown after bending his leg just about 50 degrees the wrong direction at the knee. Mitchell was immediately carted to the locker room following the play and quickly ruled out, and news emerged during the day Monday that Mitchell officially tore his ACL. With Mitchell out, running backs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill will undoubtedly see increased run out of the backfield and have their weekly fantasy floors raised just a bit. Looking ahead, the timing of Mitchell’s injury means that he’s likely to miss a significant portion of the 2024 season as he makes his recovery, but he should have the chance to return at some point later in the year. Mitchell can safely be dropped in all redraft leagues.

• Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco reportedly set to make his return to action in Week 16 vs Raiders, per HC Andy Reid

  • This marks the end of the Jerick McKinnon/Clyde Edwards-Helaire platoon in the Chiefs backfield, and more importantly, the return of Isiah Pacheco to the Chiefs’ lineup. HC Andy Reid said that Pacheco is ‘good to go’ and will draw the start against the Raiders this week, who have allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. The last time we saw Pacheco in action, he had scored three touchdowns in his past two games from Weeks 12-13, and he’ll look to replicate that production in Week 16 after a two-week hiatus. Pacheco will likely rank as a low-RB1/high-RB2 in the second round of the fantasy playoffs assuming he steps right back into the role he vacated when he went down with the injury in the first place. Meanwhile, both Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire should be expected to fall back out of fantasy relevance with Pacheco’s re-entry into the backfield.

1. Curtis Samuel (WR - Washington Commanders) - Samuel CONTINUES to somehow remain available in over 60% of leagues and CONTINUES to produce. In 11 full games (one injured in, one ejected in the opening quarter), Samuel has posted 10+ points seven times and tallied 4+ catches nine times. He continued a strong season with a 21-point performance (9 targets, 5-41-2) in Week 15 against the Rams. He's one of the very few players on waivers who has established consistency and production so far this year. He needs to be owned, and in some instances played as a WR3/FLEX.

2. Noah Brown (WR - Houston Texans) - After leading the Texans in targets in Week 14 but failing to tally a catch, Brown was able to turn volume into production in Week 15, once again leading the Texans in targets (11) but turning that into 8 catches for 82 yards and a TD (22.2 points) even despite working with the likes of Case Keenum and Davis Mills at QB. It sounds like Nico Collins will likely return in Week 16 but Brown's presence even as the WR2 with C.J. Stroud's likely return should give him a solid opportunity to produce next week and in Week 17.

3. Chase Brown (RB - Cincinnati Bengals) - Chase Brown continues to become a more prominent piece in the Bengals' offense, drawing 9+ touches for a third straight week and offering 3 catches in back-to-back games. I like him as a potential desperation play against Pittsburgh and like him even more in a likely PPR-friendly matchup against Kansas City in Week 17, but there is a very real potential for a continued increased role for Brown, especially if the Bengals don't go down early as they did against the Vikings. There's also the additional value of a handcuff for Mixon. If you absolutely need a one-week play, I'd likely gamble more on Sermon (or even Clyde Edwards-Helaire) in hopes of a definitive starter, but Brown offers the most in terms of championship game potential.

4. Trey Sermon (RB - Indianapolis Colts) - It was another Colts' RB to go down with Zack Moss departing mid-way through the 2nd quarter against Pittsburgh with an arm injury, paving the way for Trey Sermon to lead the way (17 carries, 88 yards, 60.4% snap share) following Moss' injury. Sermon almost certainly won't offer any value in Week 17 (barring a setback to Taylor) but could easily be an RB1 option in Week 16 if Jonathan Taylor doesn't recover in time. At the moment it sounds 50/50 on if Taylor may be able to go on Christmas Eve, so Sermon is worth a waiver wire claim just in case.

5. Hunter Henry (TE - New England Patriots) - Stop me if you've heard this already this year: a TE with a strong outing that is an add if you don't have an elite option. If you don't have a quality TE already and somehow have found your way deep into your fantasy playoffs, I'd probably look Henry's way. There are very few TEs that offer week-to-week stability with almost none coming off the waiver wire; at least for Henry, you have a greater likelihood of him finding the endzone (relative to other TE options) and the potential for multi-TD games as he just showed in Week 14. Coming off back-to-back games with a TD and 19+ points (3-40-2, 19 points in Week 14; 7-66-1, 19.6 points in Week 15), hoping you are getting in on a red-hot TE at the end of the season is probably your best bet.

With Tyreek Hill out for the Dolphins this past weekend against the Jets, the onus was on Jaylen Waddle to step up to the bell for Miami and fantasy managers alike in Week 16. In the first meeting between the division rivals on Black Friday a few weeks ago, Waddle had a solid performance, putting up eight catches for 114 scoreless yards en route to a WR16 finish on the week. This time around, though, Waddle was able to find the end zone and have his best performance of the 2023 season sans Cheetah.

Despite playing against one of the league’s foremost pass defenses in the Jets’ secondary, Waddle exploded on Sunday with 142 yards and a touchdown on eight catches, comfortably leading all Dolphins pass catchers on the afternoon in target share (35%). But what was most indicative of the Waddle’s domination of the Dolphins wide receiver room was the air yards share he racked up in doing so (85%), easily his highest total air yards share on the season.

At the same time, no other Dolphins receiver caught more than two passes on the day against the Jets, with Waddle being the only fantasy relevant receiver for Miami in Week 15. And almost coincidentally, Waddle’s next best game this season behind his Week 15 performance in terms of target share and air yards share was also against the Jets in Week 12, when he earned a 29% target share and 53% air yards share. While Waddle is unlikely to enjoy the same success he had this past weekend with Tyreek Hill back in the lineup moving forward, fantasy managers were treated to a great opening weekend of the fantasy playoffs.