Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Adrian Peterson, Joe Mixon, more shaking up Week 15 RB rankings, waiver wire

Tony Fortier-Bensen

Fantasy Football Injury Updates: Adrian Peterson, Joe Mixon, more shaking up Week 15 RB rankings, waiver wire image

After missing in action last week, we have four running backs fantasy teams are on the lookout for their return, plus another who left last week's game early. Fantasy owners may be begging for the return of Joe Mixon, and conversely, Kenyan Drake owners are begging that Damien Williams doesn't return. Ditto for Devonta Freeman owners with Tevin Coleman. At this point, Adrian Peterson and Ameer Abdullah fantasy owners might not even know what to do with those players if they are active this week. Either way, it's smart to hit the waiver wire and have reserves ready to go. We have the latest updates on these players in our Week 15 injury report.

For updates on injured QBs, WRs, and TEs like Aaron Rodgers, Robert Woods, and Zach Ertz, go here.

You can also follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy for updates.

WEEK 15 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Adrian Peterson injury update

Not only was Peterson (neck) ruled out for last Sunday's game, but he may be ruled out for more games after coach Bruce Arians said there is no timetable for his return.

It's a bleak outlook for the rest of the season for Peterson, but Kerwynn Williams has done a fair job taking over as the lead back. Expect Williams to continue to dominate the backfield for the time being until further news on Peterson comes out. Williams would be a top pickup and in play as a flex this week if Peterson remains on the sidelines.

Joe Mixon injury update

After not practicing at all last week, Mixon (concussion) was an unsurprisingly inactive for Sunday's game against the Bears.  

No new information has came out regarding Mixon's status for Week 15, so it's safe to assume he's still in concussion protocol. Mixon will have to begin practicing before he sees any action this week. Giovani Bernard did well in Mixon's absence, leading the team in receiving and rushing yards. Right now, we have Mixon as our No. 25 RB in our Week 15 RB rankings for Cincinnati's matchup against Minnesota, but if he's out, Bernard would likely fall in that same area. Continue to monitor his situation throughout the week.

MORE: Full Week 15 waiver wire list | RB handcuff chart

Is Damien Williams playing in Week 15?

Williams (shoulder) missed his second straight game last week, and he hasn't practiced since he initially suffering the injury against the Patriots in Week 12.

Similar to Mixon, nothing new has come out about his status. Many Kenyan Drake owners are probably hoping Williams continues to miss games, since Drake has averaged 167 total yards as the new featured back. Even if Williams comes back this week, it's hard to imagine the Dolphins going back to an even-split committee after Drake's recent dominance.

Ameer Abdullah injury update

Abdullah (neck) was questionable leading up to Week 14's game, but it was reportedly for "more play than injury reasons." After the game, coach Jim Caldwell was noncommittal in naming Abdullah his starting RB.

This is not good news for Abdullah owners. Even if he returns this week, he could be in a rotation with Theo Riddick, Tion Green and even Zach Zenner. For now, we have Riddick ranked the highest at No. 36 in our Week 15 RB rankings, but that's no more than a flex-play. This is a committee worth staying away from if Abdullah returns this Saturday against Chicago.

WEEK 15 DFS:  Yahoo GPP lineup | Y! cash DFS lineup builder

Tevin Coleman concussion update

Coleman (concussion) missed practice on Tuesday, as he's still in the NFL's concussion protocol after taking a hard hit last Thursday.

The Falcons don't play until Monday night, so Coleman has plenty of time to pass through the protocol ahead of facing the Bucs. Chances are, we won't know for sure until the weekend.

Tony Fortier-Bensen