Fantasy semi-final week is here!?If you have been following the Fantasy Injury Team all season, you are still competing for a championship!?Let's keep the good times rolling.?Below is the week 16 injury report, which is critical for advancing to the finals.

Quarterbacks

Trevor Lawrence

Injury: Concussion

Lawrence was able to practice Friday and remains questionable for Sunday's matchup.?While not impossible to clear the protocol, his status for week 16 will have to be monitored throughout the week.?

Expected Return: Week 17

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect a decline in fantasy production after a concussion.

Geno Smith

Injury: Groin

Geno has missed the last two weeks with a groin injury but has been cleared to play this week.?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 16

Fantasy Impact: We don’t have much of a sample size for how groin injuries affect quarterbacks. This injury may limit Geno's throw power, but outside of deep bombs, his production should not be hindered.

CJ Stroud

Injury: Concussion

Stroud has been ruled out for week 16 with a concussion.?The rookie is still progressing through the concussion protocol but has not been able to practice yet.?Concussions are unique and variable for everyone, and everyone progresses through the protocol at a different rate.?

Expected Return: Week 17

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect a decline in fantasy production after a concussion.

Will Levis

Injury: High ankle sprain

Levis took a scary-looking hit in overtime in week 15.?What looked like a catastrophic injury resulted in only a high ankle sprain.?Levis has been limited in practice and is truly questionable for week 16. Fortunately for Levis, this was his left leg.?As a right-handed passer, he utilizes a strong push off of his right leg to create power.?This will not be affected for Levis.

Expected Return: TBD.?Quarterbacks average missing 2 games with high ankle sprains.?With Tennesse eliminated from playoff contention, it would be risky for them to rush Levis back this season.

Fantasy Impact: Quarterbacks do not average any decline in fantasy production when they return from high ankle sprains.

Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor

Injury: Thumb UCL tear

Taylor injured his thumb in week 12 and underwent surgery with an internal brace shortly after.?This type of injury does require a period of time to heal, with rehab typically not starting until two weeks post-op.?Due to the stability of the internal brace, rehab can be fairly aggressive from the jump, with an active range of motion allowed at two weeks post-op.?However, if following a true thumb UCL rehab protocol, there is no strengthening until 6 weeks post-op.?Of course, as a professional athlete, these protocols can be sped up to some degree.?

I would expect Taylor to be protecting his thumb for the next few weeks.?This can be done via heavy taping or bracing.?This type of protection will not impact his ability to run the ball but will create a challenge for his ability to catch.?I would expect the Colts to utilize other backs in the passing game.?

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: Taylor's rushing upside will not be hindered whatsoever by this injury.?However, he will likely don some type of protection on his thumb that will be bulky and limit pass catching ability.?

Josh Jacobs

Injury: Quad injury

Jacobs missed last week with a quad injury but is expected to return in week 16.?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.  However, the week off should allow Jacobs the ability to regain most of the muscle power and function.

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: Running backs average no drop-off in fantasy production after a quad injury.

Brian Robinson

Injury: Hamstring

Robinson is still tending to a hamstring injury suffered in week 13 and won't play in week 16.?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 averaged missing 1.9 games, so Robinson’s inability to practice over two weeks removed from injury hints that this was a grade 2 injury.?

The challenge with hamstring injuries is that it really takes game speed to test if they are ready to play.?There are numerous return-to-sport metrics that we can test clinically and in the lab, but ultimately, until a player steps on the field on game day, it's impossible to know if they are truly ready to play.?

Expected Return: Week 17

Fantasy Impact: Surprisingly, running backs do not see a hit on their fantasy production when they return from a hamstring injury.?However, with Washington out of playoff contention, they have no reason to rush their second year back into the mix.

Zack Moss

Injury: Forearm

Moss did not practice all week after suffering an arm injury while scoring a touchdown Saturday night but is listed as questionable.?Moss landed awkwardly, slamming his arm (which he had surgery on in July) directly into the ground.?Luckily, X-rays are negative for any fracture, but the Colts have not officially described Moss's injury.?

No matter what the underlying injury is, as a forearm injury, this would functionally impact his ability to block, catch, and carry the ball, with the former two being more affected.?With Jonathan Taylor returning to play this week, Moss's role would likely fall into the third down work.?However, if he can't block or catch well, he can't play the third-down role.?Even if he does play, his wrist will likely be heavily taped or wrapped, which can provide support for blocking and running but may make it difficult to catch.

Expected Return: Week 16-17

Fantasy Impact: This injury would impact catching, but not rushing upside.?Thinking holistically, with Jonathan Taylor returning, Moss's upside was in the passing game.?This is going to be hindered.

Isiah Pacheco

Injury: Shoulder

Pacheco is set to return this week after a "clean out" procedure last week.?We never got confirmation on what was cleaned out, but typically, this will be frayed fibers of the rotator cuff tendon or labrum.?Either way, this is not very detrimental to the function of the shoulder.?After pain and swelling resolve, which could be as soon as this week, Pacheco should not be impacted by this injury. ?

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: As an upper-body injury, this does not profile to impact Pacheco's upside this week.

Kenneth Walker

Injury: Shoulder

Seattle loves being vague with their injury reporting.?We know Walker has a shoulder injury, but don't know much more.?Pete Carrol expects Walker to play, in which case this injury should not impact his per-play production much.?We see only a 5% snap count reduction when running backs return from shoulder injuries, and as an upper-body injury, this won't impact his ability to run the ball efficiently.

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: As an upper-body injury, this will not impact Walker's rushing production.?As long as he has enough shoulder motion to catch the ball, his passing work should remain as well.

AJ Dillon

Injury: Thumb

Dillon missed last week with a broken thumb but is expected to play this week.?A running back can play through a broken thumb but will have to don a thick wrap or brace or sometimes even a clubbed cast on his hand.?This will not influence his rushing production but will curb his passing work.?With Aaron Jones fully healthy, Jones will assume the passing work in total.

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: Dillon has been less than effective this season, and this injury will certainly cap any passing work.?Unless you have no other options, starting Dillon is not very sexy this week.

Rhamondre Stevenson

Injury: High ankle sprain

Stevenson will miss another week with a high ankle sprain.?High ankle sprains are challenging to recover from, as the nature of the injury creates instability in the ankle, making it difficult to push off for explosive cuts and power.?In order to play, pain and swelling must resolve, stability must be restored, and the back must be able to cut on a dime without restriction.?There is a wide spectrum of 0-6 games missed for running backs.?With New England firmly out of contention, there is no reason for them to rush Rhamondre back this season.

Expected Return: Week 17+

Fantasy Impact: I highly doubt we see Rhamondre again this year.?If we do, surprisingly, we see no drop off in fantasy production in running backs after a high ankle sprain.

Alexander Mattison

Injury: Ankle

Mattison is still dealing with an ankle sprain from week 14 and won't play in week 16.?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 through these injuries if they can get the swelling down and restore their ability to cut without hesitation. 

Expected Return: Week 17

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 when he returns. 

Wide Receivers

Michael Pittman

Injury: Concussion

Pittman survived a terrifying hit Saturday night but was left with a concussion.?Pittman has cleared the concussion protocol.?

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: We do not expect a decline in fantasy production after a concussion.

Tyreek Hill

Injury: Ankle

Hill took a nasty hit in week 14, with the defender trapping Hill's foot as he fell on him.?Hill was unable to practice at all last week and ultimately did not play, and his week 16 status is shady.?

This type of injury impacts the ability to change direction.?We all know that Hill has elite speed and elite change of direction ability.?The straight-line speed will not be as impacted, but his change of direction will.?Hill profiles as the type of player that would be slowed by this injury.

Expected Return: Week 16-17

Fantasy Impact: WRs see an average decline of 14% in fantasy points after this injury.?As mentioned above, Hill profiles as the type of player that would be more impacted by this injury.?Still, even if Hill takes a 25-30% dip in points, he will still be scoring enough to be effective.

Devonta Smith

Injury: Knee

The Eagles are simply reporting Smith's injury as a "knee injury" without providing much more detail.?No matter the tissue injured, knee injuries can impact the receiver's ability to change direction.?In order to play, Smith will have to get swelling down and restore his ability to change direction quickly.?Often times if there is no significant tissue damage, players can play through these injuries.

Expected Return: Week 16-17

Fantasy Impact: Smith's upside may be capped, but if he plays he can still be a reliable start in a divisional game with a lot on the line for Philly.

Chris Olave

Injury: Ankle

Olave is set to play this week after missing week 15 with an ankle injury.?I wrote above in Tyreek Hill's column on how these injuries impact change of direction, which of course could affect route running.?Still, with a full practice this week Olave is in a much better position than Hill.

Expected Return: Week 16

Fantasy Impact: WRs average a decline of 14% fantasy points after an ankle sprain.?For Olave, this is not enough to take him out of your lineups.

Keenan Allen

Injury: Heel

When no fracture is present (it's not), heel injuries typically feel better when the player is warmed up but can frequently worsen.?These injuries can impact top speed and acceleration.?Allen has been ruled out for week 16.?

Expected Return: Week 17

Fantasy Impact: When Allen returns, expect a slight decline in fantasy production from the heel injury, but the bigger issue is the quarterback.?Easton Stick will not provide as well as Justin Herbert, and this is what impacts Allen's fantasy outlook the most.

Ja'Marr Chase

Injury: AC joint injury

We saw Chase land directly on his shoulder with a defender falling on top of him.?This is a classic AC joint injury mechanism.?When reported as a "separated shoulder," this typically indicates at least a grade 2 injury.?Grade 2 AC joint injuries are described as tearing of the acromioclavicular and coracoclavicular ligaments, leading to laxity in the AC joint, therefore allowing it to "separate".?

All is not lost, though.?Receivers average missing only 1.2 games with AC joint injuries.?Chase will have to get pain and swelling down their range of motion restored, but it is not out of the question for him to play again before the regular season ends.?Will he return for fantasy-relevant games? That much is unclear, as he certainly won't play in week 16.

Expected Return: Week 17-18

Fantasy Impact: Receivers do average a 26% decline in fantasy points after an AC joint injury, however we have seen numerous players play well in the first game.?Keenan Allen and Puka Nacua are two examples this season who picked up right where they left off after an AC joint injury.?While Chase will miss some time, if he can return for the fantasy championship, he may be able to help your team.

Nico Collins

Injury: Calf injury

Collins missed week 15 with his second calf injury of the season and is questionable after being limited all week.?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. However, if he plays this week, fantasy players should be cautious.

Expected Return: Week 16-17

Fantasy Impact: WRs see a massive 44% decline in fantasy points after a calf injury, with only 5% meeting or exceeding their pre-injury average in the first game.?You cannot trust Collins this week.