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The last month of the regular season is set to begin in Week 15. As always, there are plenty of key injuries to monitor ahead of Sunday's kickoff. Our injury updates and reports for Week 15 as of Friday, December 15, 2023, will give you the latest updates on key guys. Unfortunately, a ton of stars have uncertain statuses for the first round of the fantasy football playoffs.
As always, some players have more "real" risk of missing Week 15 than others, but things change quickly, so it's important to stay up to date. Tyreek Hill, C.J. Stroud, Justin Jefferson, DJ Moore, Nico Collins, Isiah Pacheco, Aaron Jones, Darren Waller, and more are in danger of missing Week 15. Fantasy managers should be ready to pivot should things go south.
To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page, or download the free RotoBaller fantasy football mobile app with push notification alerts on all the latest news. Let's look at the updates for some top fantasy assets at all positions and see whether they may play in Week 15.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Tyreek Hill Injury Update
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (ankle) will not practice on Friday and will be questionable for the Week 15 game on Sunday against the New York Jets. Hill missed practice all week after injuring his ankle in Monday night's loss to the Tennessee Titans. He is 458 yards away from 2,000 for the season with four games remaining in 2023. The 29-year-old speedster was able to return to Monday's game, but the Dolphins are rightfully going to play it very safe with one of the best overall players in the NFL.
Hill is probably going to be a game-time decision on Sunday, so fantasy managers will have to check back then. If Hill is active, he needs to be in all starting lineups. If he's not, Jaylen Waddle will be Miami's clear No. 1 receiver, with Cedrick Wilson Jr., Braxton Berrios, Chase Claypool and River Cracraft all battling for more targets behind Waddle.
C.J. Stroud Injury Update
Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion) was unable to practice all week and will not play in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. In addition to Stroud, the Texans will be missing rookie first-round pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. (ankle), offensive tackle George Fant (hip), receiver Nico Collins (calf), linebacker Blake Cashman (hamstring), and cornerback Tavierre Thomas (hamstring).
Fantasy managers will be without the impressive 22-year-old signal-caller for at least one week. Davis Mills, who started 26 games for the Texans in 2021 and 2022, will now make his first start of 2023 on the road in Tennessee. The Titans defense hasn't been anything special this year and is certainly beatable, but Mills will be down to Noah Brown and Robert Woods as his top-two receivers and should be considered a low-end QB2 in Superflex league lineups in Week 15. UPDATE: Stroud is officially listed as doubtful.
Justin Jefferson Injury Update
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (chest) is officially listed as questionable to play on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. Meanwhile, receiver Jalen Nailor (concussion) has been ruled out. Jefferson was a full-go in practice on Friday and said on Wednesday that he's expecting to have a normal full workload in this weekend's game despite having to go to the hospital to be evaluated after taking a hard hit in his return from injured reserve in the Week 14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
It's been an injury-plagued season for the 24-year-old All-Pro, but fantasy managers will be happy to know they should have him available to play in Week 15 in what is the first round of the playoffs in most leagues. Throw Jefferson back into all starting lineup spots but make sure to check Minnesota's inactives on Saturday just in case.
DJ Moore Injury Update
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (ankle) put in a full practice on Friday but is still considered questionable to play in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, fellow wideout Equanimeous St. Brown (pectoral) didn't practice all week and has been ruled out for Chicago. Moore missed practice on Wednesday, was limited on Thursday, and put in a full practice on Friday, so all signs point to him being active this Sunday against a banged-up Browns secondary.
Fantasy managers will want to check back on Moore on Sunday morning to make sure he's active, but if he is, he should be locked into all starting lineups. The 26-year-old has had a high ceiling and floor with quarterback Justin Fields healthy. Since Fields returned in Week 11, Moore has 24 catches on 32 targets for 278 yards and two touchdowns in three games.
Nico Collins Injury Update
Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (calf) will not be active this Sunday when the team takes on the Tennessee Titans on the road. Collins injured his calf early in the Week 14 loss to the New York Jets and will now have to miss more time in Week 15 after missing practice all week. The combination of not having Collins or rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud this weekend will put a big strain on Houston's offense as Davis Mills takes over under center.
The Texans also won't have rookie wideout Tank Dell (leg) for the rest of the year, so it's going to be Noah Brown and veteran Robert Woods seeing more targets through the air against the Titans. John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson will battle for the No. 3 role, while tight end Dalton Schultz (hamstring) should also be heavily involved as he gets set to return from a two-game absence. UPDATE: Collins is officially listed as questionable.
Isiah Pacheco Injury Update
The Kansas City Chiefs have ruled out running back Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) for their Week 15 contest on the road against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Pacheco missed last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills, didn't practice at all this week, and will now be forced to miss his second straight game. It's terrible timing for fantasy managers, as the 24-year-old had been very efficient and productive all year as one of KC's primary offensive weapons in 2023.
It remains to be seen if he'll be back in Week 16 when the team hosts the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders. With Pacheco out again this weekend, Clyde Edwards-Helaire will continue to handle early down touches, with pass-catching back Jerick McKinnon seeing an expanded role through the air for the Chiefs.
Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon Injury Update
Green Bay Packers running backs Aaron Jones (knee) and AJ Dillon (thumb) are both listed as questionable to play on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15. Jones suffered a sprained MCL in Week 11 and hasn't played the last three games, but he's inching closer to a return and appears to be on the right side of questionable after getting in limited practices this week.
Dillon served as the team's lead back for all three games Jones missed, but he suffered a broken thumb on the final drive of Monday's loss to the New York Giants and is now up in the air to play Sunday. Even if Dillon is active, he'll have lost most of his plug-and-play fantasy appeal as an RB2 if Jones returns to the fold. In the unlikely event that neither Jones nor Dillon are active in Week 15, Patrick Taylor would become the Packers' emergency lead back.
Brian Robinson Jr. Injury Update
Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday after missing practice all week. It's even more concerning for fantasy managers that Robinson wasn't able to practice all week, considering the Commanders had all of last week off while on bye. The 24-year-old should now officially be moved to the bench in all fantasy leagues.
With B-Rob out of the picture in Week 15 against the Rams, Antonio Gibson will have RB2 upside given the boost in volume in Washington's backfield, especially in leagues that count points for receptions. Rookie Chris Rodriguez Jr. will also step into an expanded role as more of an early-down option for the Commanders.
Chris Olave Injury Update
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (ankle) will take a questionable designation into Sunday's Week 15 contest versus the visiting New York Giants. Head coach Dennis Allen said that Olave will be a game-time decision. Olave injured his ankle in the Week 14 win over the Carolina Panthers after scoring his fourth touchdown of the season. Fantasy managers are going to have to check back on Sunday morning to see if Olave gets the green light.
If he does, he needs to remain in all starting fantasy lineups as the Saints' clear top pass-catcher in a good matchup against the Giants. If he's inactive, quarterback Derek Carr will have to spread the ball around elsewhere to rookie A.T. Perry and Rashid Shaheed (thigh), who plans to play following a two-game absence. The best bet is that the Saints feed bell-cow running back Alvin Kamara even more if Olave is ruled out.
Darren Waller Injury Update
New York Giants tight end Darren Waller (hamstring), who remains on injured reserve, fully expects to play in Week 15 on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, although not with a full workload. Waller said he had "no issues" this week with his hamstring in practice, ran the full route tree, and was able to open it up. The Giants have until 4 PM ET on Saturday to officially activate Waller from IR so that he can play on Sunday.
The 31-year-old will eventually resume starting duties at the tight end position for the G-Men, but fantasy managers should be looking to avoid him in the first round of the playoffs in most leagues since he hasn't played in a game since Week 8 and will see limited snaps if he's indeed active. Before his injury, Waller had 36 receptions for 384 yards and only one touchdown in eight games played. UPDATE: Waller is officially listed as questionable for Week 15.
Chris Godwin Injury Update
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (knee) will be a game-time decision for the Week 15 contest on Sunday against the Packers in Green Bay. Godwin will officially receive a questionable designation on Friday's final injury report. The good news is Godwin was able to practice on Friday following two straight missed sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. The 27-year-old pass-catcher has had a low ceiling in 2023 while working with quarterback Baker Mayfield and enters Week 15 action as the WR39 in half-PPR scoring with 58 catches on 96 targets for 659 yards and only one touchdown in 13 games played.
If he's active, Godwin will remain the No. 2 behind target hog Mike Evans and will be a low-ceiling WR3/flex against the Packers. If Godwin is inactive on Sunday, rookie Trey Palmer would see added opportunities in an elevated role for Tampa.
Alexander Mattison Injury Update
Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison (ankle) has been ruled out for Week 15's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The ankle injury that forced Mattison out of Week 14's game against the Raiders kept him out of practice all week, and now the backfield will be in the hands of Ty Chandler. Chandler had fantasy circles rumbling about a possible depth chart shake-up after he out-carried Mattison in Week 10 and then logged 110 yards from scrimmage the next week.
No such change was ever made official, but now Chandler will operate as Minnesota's lead rusher and may see a fair amount of checkdowns from quarterback Nick Mullens. Fantasy managers should be aware that the Vikings are in one of Week 15's three Saturday games and should plan accordingly.
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