Injuries, injuries, and more injuries. The fantasy football playoffs are just as much a battle of attrition as they are luck. Who draws the right matchups? Who has the healthier team? Who makes the right decisions? Who can manage to boost their total with some touchdown scorers? A lot has gone right to get to this point, but the race to the finish will be even more difficult as some players and teams begin to realize that Cancún is in sight. Others will eye a playoff spot and hope a trip to the Super Bowl is in their future. Nico Collins, Christian Watson, Chris Olave, and Marquise Brown all find themselves in one of those situations. What does that mean for Week 15?
Below, we'll give you the latest news on these key WRs and break down how their injuries could potentially affect the Week 15 fantasy landscape.
Nico Collins injury update, Week 15 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Collins missed practice again on Thursday.
Collins (calf) was listed as a DNP on Wednesday. The receiver left Sunday's contest against the Jets early with the calf issue, something that forced him to miss Week 10. Since this is the second time Collins suffered the injury in a short span, we can likely expect him to be limited, at best, for the rest of the practice week. Barring an upgrade in practice participation, however, it seems Collins is trending toward sitting out the Texans' Week 15 contest against the Titans.
WEEK 15 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start-sit
If your fantasy team is relying on the Texans this week -- good luck. Houston's injury report is a lengthy one, and it's hard to project this team until there's some clarity. The big one though is QB C.J. Stroud, who is still in concussion protocol. The outlook for Collins and any other Texan hinges on Stroud's status. If Collins is active and Stroud is starting, then confidently set the WR in your lineup. If Collins doesn't play and Stroud is active, look at Noah Brown on the waiver wire. Brown would likely step in as WR1 with Tank Dell (leg) already out for the season. If Collins and Stroud don't play, Houston won't be the only one with a problem. In that case, avoid that passing game like the plague.
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Christian Watson injury update, Week 15 fantasy outlook
Watson (hamstring) kicked off his week of practice with a DNP. It's not a great sign for the WR who also missed Monday's game with the hamstring ailment, something he is also no stranger to this season. The same injury forced Watson out of action for the team's first three games of the year, so it's hard to imagine the soft tissue injury will suddenly cooperate with a playoff spot on the line. Watson will need things to change for the better quickly if he wants any chance of playing on Sunday. In other words, we should probably cue up the bad music like they do in the movies to signal something bad is coming.
The Packers' offense looked completely lost against the Giants without Watson, a stark contrast to how they looked the week before when the Chiefs came to town. It's clear that Watson, despite his availability issues, is a major part of this Green Bay passing attack. The team has struggled to run the ball with any consistency, forcing much of the burden to fall on QB Jordan Love. If Watson suits up, we'll reluctantly start him because of the upside, but we'll also hold our breath throughout the game hoping he isn't forced to leave again. Without Watson, however, we're all the way in on the Jayden Reed experience. He should receive plenty of work once again without Watson in the fold, and against Tampa's 30th-ranked pass defense, both Reed and Romeo Doubs have at least flex upside.
WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Chris Olave injury update, Week 15 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Olave missed practice on Thursday.
Olave (ankle) began his preparation for the Saints game against the Giants by not preparing at all, being officially listed as a DNP on Wednesday. The WR was a fixture on the injury report last week after dealing with an illness, but he ultimately played and totaled just 28 yards on four catches. He added a touchdown as well, but the outcome was still disappointing thanks in large part to a terrible New Orleans offense. Since the ankle issue seems to be relatively new for Olave, it will be worth monitoring if he can upgrade his availability at practice on Thursday. Otherwise, it gets dicey heading into the weekend.
The good news is that Olave still ranks as the Saints' WR1 if he plays. The bad news is that Derek Carr continues to play QB for the team despite countless injuries, severely limiting the offense every week. While Olave would still be worth starting, his fantasy value is tied more to volume than anything else. Even though Rashid Shaheed (thigh) and Taysom Hill (foot, hand) returned to practice on Wednesday, Alvin Kamara remains the only steady fantasy option in the bayou.
WEEK 15 DFS: DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Marquise Brown injury update, Week 15 fantasy outlook
Brown (heel) didn't practice on Wednesday. The hope was that Brown would be good to go when the team returned from their bye week, but that began to fade with a DNP to start the week. It's worth noting that the WR did play through the issue in Week 13 despite logging no practice time before the game. He was eventually held without a catch on three targets, making it clear that the injury was an issue.
Fantasy owners likely want to avoid everyone not named Kyler Murray, Trey McBride, or James Conner in the Cardinals' offense at this stage of the season. That is especially true for Brown, who's struggled this season and would be a low-end flex option even if he were healthy. We know for a fact that Brown isn't, meaning he should be off the fantasy radar during this time of the year.
