Injuries to monitor from Week 15 🧐

Fantasy football stat of the week: three different Eagles players scored more than 25 fantasy points this week, none of them were Saquon Barkley, and none of them finished inside the top-10 fantasy performances in Week 15. Who scored more points than all of them, you ask? Here’s your look back at the top players from the first week of the fantasy playoffs, pending MNF!

Also, make sure to stay tuned for the full takeaways episode of the Upper Hand Fantasy Podcast and the takeaways post on our Instagram later today!

• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes exits game Sunday vs Browns with ankle injury, doesn’t return

  • Mahomes has hardly been lighting it up this season, but he’s also been one of the most consistent quarterbacks week-in and week-out – he’s scored no fewer than 14 points in a game this year, but he’s scored more than 18 points just three times, and finished inside the top-10 at the position just twice. He’s been a fantastic QB2 start in 2QB and superflex leagues, but his upside has largely kept him out of 1QB starting lineups. That being said, Mahomes got his legs rolled up underneath him and suffered his trademark just-before-the-playoffs ankle sprain, which we’ll certainly hear about the whole way to the Super Bowl now. The extent of the injury at this point remains unkown, but with the game firmly in hand, Mahomes didn’t return to action against Cleveland while Carson Wentz stepped in and closed things out. Most of Kansas City’s supporting cast has been largely unimpressive over the course of the season, though Xavier Worthy did have his best game from a utilization standpoint as a pro against the Browns. Even if Mahomes weren’t injured, it would be impossible to expect that workload to translate cleanly from one week to the next in this offense, but the overall ceiling on the offense would come down a few notches if Mahomes would miss next week against the Texans.

• Saints RB Alvin Kamara suffers groin injury in loss to Commanders in Week 15, considered day-to-day, per Nick Underhill

  • This is why we’ve been talking about making sure the handcuffs to all of the top running backs are rostered in your leagues. Kamara exited the game against the Commanders early with what’s being called a groin injury and is reportedly considered day-to-day at this point. Given that kind of designation, it sounds like he has a chance to suit up next week againts the Packers – but if he would ultimately not play, Kendre Miller would be a must-start player. Miller was also beginning to make some in-roads towards establishing a standalone role for himself in the Saints’ offense, so if Kamara would play and be limited, Miller could also be worth a start as a desperate flex in Week 16. Given that the Saints’ season is effectively over at this point, there’s a chance that New Orleans opts to preserve the healthy of Kamara down the stretch with nothing left to play for the rest of the way. The opportunity for Kendre Miller to take on an extremely fantasy relevant role is only magnified by the attrition the Saints have been facing over the course of the season, with Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave, and Taysom Hill all out of the lineup, as well. If Kamara would be out, Miller would be worth a look as a strong RB2 with RB1 upside.

• Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle suffers knee injury in loss vs Texans, doesn’t return to action in Week 15

  • We’d be remiss not to offer our best wishes for Grant DuBose to make a quick recovery from what was a scary scene in the second half of the game. However, Dubose wasn’t the only player to leave the game against the Texans, with Waddle exiting the game after garnering just two targets – neither of which he was able to bring in. He ultimately didn’t re-enter the game, leaving Malik Washington as the next man up to handle the work in his place. Washington earned six targets of his own, but that ranked fourth in the team behind Jonnu Smith, Tyreek Hill, and De’Von Achane. The Dolphins were’nt able to get anything going in the passing game in this one, and after a pristine four-week stretch with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, Tua Tagovailoa stumbled to a one touchdown, three interception performance against Houston. The matchup isn’t any easier next week for Tua against the 49ers in Week 16, and if Waddle would be out, we’d have to downgrade him a bit in that scenario. Without Waddle, the target distribution would more than likely remain relatively unaffected; Smith, Hill, and Achane should be expected to continue their domination at the top, while Malik Washington could sneak in as a flier off of waivers.

• Seahawks QB Geno Smith exits game vs Packers in third quarter with knee injury, doesn’t return

  • Former Commanders QB Sam Howell stepped in to close out the game with Smith unable to get back into the game. The game was already well out of hand, with the Packers being able to do just about whatever they wanted offensively and churning out long drives to keep Seattle’s offense off the field. However, Howell did little to reassure fantasy managers that he would be able to sustain fantasy relevant wide receivers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and D.K. Metcalf, going 5/14 for just 24 yards on the night with an interception. HC Mike MacDonald said after the game that Smith’s knee structurally looks ok, but also indicated that further imaging is required. Any time missed by Geno down the stretch not only dashes the Seahawks’ playoff hopes, but also the hopes of fantasy managers who were relying on JSN’s recent hot streak to get them through weeks. If Howell ends up starting in Week 16, JSN would be downgraded likely to low-WR2 territory, while D.K. Metcalf would likely remain the same mid-low WR3 start that he’s been for too many weeks now. Howell likely can remain on waivers with a tough matchup against the Vikings on deck in Week 16.