It's playoff time! Week 15 is here, and so is the week 15 injury report. If you have been following the Fantasy Injury Team all year, you are likely still playing this week. There are tons of injuries that are critical to fantasy this week; let's dive in.

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert

Injury: Right index finger fracture

Herbert finds himself on the week 15 injury report after fracturing one of the bones in his right index finger. Herbert will seek an opinion on the best course of action but will likely undergo surgery. Surgery or not, this is a critical injury for a quarterback. The index finger is crucial for ball handling and finessing the throw to create a tight spiral. Injury to the index finger will impact accuracy and influence fumbles.

Expected Return: 2024.

Herbert will not return during the fantasy playoffs; his season is over.

Fantasy Impact: Herbert will likely miss the remainder of the fantasy season. If he can play again this year, his passing numbers may take a hit from this injury.

CJ Stroud

Injury: Concussion

Stroud left Sunday's game with a concussion. He will have to pass through the NFL's protocol to return.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect concussions to impact fantasy production when the player returns.

Geno Smith

Injury: Groin

Geno missed week 14 with a groin injury, and his status for week 15 is undetermined. A quarterback will utilize the groin muscles during the throwing motion as their weight transfers from the back leg to the front leg, and a tremendous amount of rotation occurs in both hips. While the groin muscles are not primary rotators, they will assist in this rotation. When injured, a quarterback may struggle to get their full throwing power because of the inability to powerfully rotate their hips and transfer weight from the back to the front leg.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: We don't have much of a sample size for how groin injuries affect quarterbacks. If Geno plays this week, I suspect his upside will be curbed by impaired throw power.

Running Backs

Aaron Jones

Injury: MCL

Jones continues to rehab his latest MCL injury. He has not missed three games, the average time missed for running backs. Three weeks is often enough to get the swelling down and restore full range of motion, strength, and stability, making it possible for Jones to play this week. The concerning feature in this situation is Green Bay's tendency to reinstate their players after injury slowly. Earlier this season, when Jones returned from injury, he logged only 35% and 36% of snaps.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: Running backs, on average, score 14% fewer fantasy points in the first game after an MCL injury. This alone is not significant, but Green Bay will slowly ease Jones back into the lineup, limiting his upside.

Josh Jacobs

Injury: Quad injury

Jacobs is on the week 15 injury report after injuring his quad in week 14. He did not practice all week, and the Raiders play Thursday night, a short turnaround for Jacobs to get ready. The quad is a group of strong muscles in the thigh that are critically important for acceleration, sprinting, and changing direction. Additionally, medical literature sites a 10% recurrence rate for quad injuries.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: Despite the involvement of quads in athletics, running backs, on average, do not see a decline in fantasy production when they return from this injury, with 35% meeting or exceeding their pre-injury production in the first game. If Jacobs suits up, he should be started.

Isiah Pacheco

Injury: Shoulder

Pacheco continues to miss practice as he deals with a shoulder contusion. Last week, Andy Reid threw around the idea of Pacheco landing on the IR, but more recently, the IR does not appear to be in play. If this is truly a contusion (bruise) this should resolve by Sunday and should not affect his production. However, we know that NFL teams (Cleveland) may lie about the true nature of a shoulder "contusion." I won't suggest that Kansas City is lying about Pacheco's injury, but if he misses another week or two, I will raise questions.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: As an upper-body injury, this typically would not affect a skill position player. However, we know Pacheco is one of the most violent runners in the game, lowering his shoulder to seek out contact. I could see Kansas City reducing his snap rate to protect him from himself.

Brian Robinson

Injury: Hamstring

Robinson remains on the week 15 injury report as he continues to rehab his hamstring injury. While the bye week helped, he did not practice on Wednesday, and it will be critical to continue to monitor his week 15 outlook. Hamstrings impact top-end speed, which is not exactly Robinson's game. Robinson is a hard-nosed bruiser, making it less likely this injury would impact his fantasy output. Running backs average missing 1.9 games, so Robinson's status could go either way.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: Running backs average no decline in fantasy production when returning from a hamstring injury. 37% meet or exceed their pre-injury baseline in the first week back.

De'Von Achane

Injury: Toe

Achane is dealing with a toe injury he picked up in week 14. Toe injuries are tricky, especially for speedsters like Achane. The big toe is the last contact on the ground when running and must extend up to 90° and have the stability to recoil to create pushoff. With pain or laxity (if the injury is grade II-III), it is very challenging to create the push-off required for top-end speed.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: His practice availability will give us better insight into the severity and, therefore, his prognosis. If he can log a full practice, there will be little concern for week 15.

Alexander Mattison

Injury: Ankle Sprain

Mattison exited Sunday's game with an ankle sprain. Ankle sprains can impact a runner's ability to change directions and carry a recurrence rate as high as 26% in the medical literature. Players can often play the following week if they can get the swelling down and restore their ability to cut without hesitation.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: Running backs average a 13% decline in fantasy production after an ankle sprain. Mattison has not been dominant this year, and a 13% drop could curb his upside in the first week of the fantasy playoffs.

Jerome Ford

Injury: Wrist

Ford is on the week 15 injury report after injuring his wrist in week 14. X-rays are clean, which means he is likely dealing with a sprain. Sprains can be a problem (Joe Burrow), but as long as they do not require surgery, running backs can usually play through them without much impact on production. It is possible he will have to tape up his wrist, but likely not to the degree that it would affect his ability to catch.

Expected Return: Week 15

Fantasy Impact: This should not impact Ford's fantasy production

Wide Receivers

Justin Jefferson

Injury: Rib injury

The much anticipated return of Jefferson did not last long, as he was knocked out of the game in the second quarter and taken to the hospital due to a rib injury. Teams often send their players to the hospital following a rib injury to ensure there is no injury to the organs behind the ribs, such as the lungs and kidneys. In Jefferson's case, he was quickly discharged and is now considered day-to-day.

This is good news for Jefferson. Playing through a rib injury is predominately a matter of pain tolerance. However, ribs do have their role in function. When we rotate our torso, the ribs must move too, and several key muscles such as the obliques, lats, and pecs all attach to the ribs and can become dysfunctional with a rib injury. Jefferson will have to restore the full motion of his torso and shoulders in order to play.

Expected Return: Week 15

Fantasy Impact: This year, several players have returned from rib injuries and played very well. I do not anticipate this to hinder his fantasy production at all.

Tyreek Hill

Injury: Ankle sprain

We all witnessed Tyreek Hill miss a substantial portion of week 14 with an ankle injury. Hill remains on the week 15 injury report after missing practice Wednesday. His missed practice is not unexpected, as Hill was truly injured if he missed over half of the snaps in week 14. Alas, Hill is considered day-to-day, and it would take a tragedy of historic lengths to keep him out of week 15.

Expected Return: Week 15

Fantasy Impact: While Hill will likely find a way on the field, this type of injury can definitely slow down his change of direction ability. To the extent that Hill will be non-productive? Of course not, but don't be shocked if he puts up less than his average 21.1 points.

Keenan Allen

Injury: Heel

Allen has been ruled out of Thursday night's game with a heel injury. As long as the heel is not fractured, these injuries are not too hard to overcome. I suspect Allen will be ready to go in week 16, though the Chargers standings may make LA more conservative.

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: Allen is out this week, but when he returns, I would not expect this to hinder his production.

Ja'Marr Chase

Injury: Ankle

Chase is on the week 15 injury report with an ankle sprain despite playing on 87% of snaps in week 14. Chase was able to log a limited practice Wednesday, making it likely that he suits up in week 15. When more severe, these injuries can impact agility and change of direction. Practicing Wednesday makes it less likely this is severe, and if he can log full practices on either Thursday or Friday, any concerns can be laid to rest.

Expected Return: Week 15

Fantasy Impact: WRs average a 15% decline in fantasy production after ankle sprains. This is not enough to scare off fantasy players from starting Chase.

DJ Moore

Injury: Ankle

Moore injured his ankle in the third quarter and went on to log 92% of snaps and score 23.8 fantasy points. However, Moore is on the week 15 injury report as he did not practice Wednesday. As mentioned above with Chase, these injuries impact agility. Moore has both great top speed and a tremendous change of direction. If this lingers, which we will determined based on practice reports throughout the week, Moore could be negatively impacted in week 15.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: WRs average a decline of 15% in fantasy production after ankle sprains. Of course, you still start Moore, but his ability to change directions could be hindered.

Chris Olave

Injury: Ankle

Like the two players above, Olave is dealing with an ankle sprain and missed Wednesday's practice. The same analysis above applies.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: WRs average a decline of 15% in fantasy production after ankle sprains. Nonetheless, you'll still start Olave, assuming he plays.

Chris Godwin

Injury: Knee

Godwin is on the week 15 injury report, as he missed practice Wednesday with a knee injury. Knees can be tricky, and Tampa is not specifying what his knee injury is. We will continue to monitor practice reports throughout the week for more details on Godwin's injury.

Expected Return: Week 15-16

Fantasy Impact: Knee injuries can impact route running and run after catch. If Godwin is limited in practice all week, expect a slight dip in fantasy production.

Nico Collins

Injury: Calf injury

Collins, who missed week 10 with a calf injury, is dealing with another calf injury. These are bad injuries for wide receivers. The calf muscles are critical for acceleration, sprinting, and jumping, and the calves carry a 14-16% recurrence rate.

Collins has been great this year, and he can be productive before the fantasy season is over, depending on how long he misses. However, when he returns, fantasy players should be cautious in the first game.

Expected Return: TBD

Fantasy Impact: Receivers see a massive dip of 44% in fantasy production in their first game after a calf injury, with only 5% meeting or exceeding their pre-injury production levels. Whenever Collins returns, it will be risky to start him.

Tight Ends

Dalton Kincaid

Injury: Shoulder and thumb

Kincaid is on the week 15 injury report after picking up a shoulder injury in week 14 and is also dealing with a thumb injury. He was able to log a limited practice on Wednesday, creating encouragement for his week 15 availability. With both of these being upper body injuries, as long as he has the mobility and strength to play, they should not impact his production.

Expected Return: Week 15

Fantasy Impact: With both of these being upper body injuries, as long as he has the mobility and strength to play, they should not impact his production.