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It's Week 15, when the fantasy football playoffs begin in most leagues, and fantasy managers are left with last-minute decisions that can make or break their week. Staying on top of the latest fantasy football injury news and NFL depth chart changes is key to setting those winning lineups.
The Washington Football Team are one of the clubs that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19 outbreaks across the league. It's precisely why the NFL agreed to move their Week 15 game against the Philadelphia Eagles from Sunday to Tuesday. But along with COVID issues, Washington's backfield has some injury concerns as well.
Will J.D. McKissic (concussion) play this week against the Eagles? If he's inactive, what does that mean for the rest of Washington's backfield? Let's dig into Washington's running back situation and what their backfield might look like on Tuesday.
Is J.D. McKissic Playing in Week 15 Against the Eagles?
There was some hope that J.D. McKissic may be able to return to practice and to play in Week 15 against the Eagles, but on Monday he was officially ruled out. Then on Tuesday, additional news came out that McKissic has been placed on injured reserve, so at minimum he will miss three more games:
Previous Injury Updates
Before the NFL officially moved the game to Tuesday due to COVID issues, running back J.D. McKissic had missed practice all week and was officially questionable to face the Eagles. The 28-year-old could benefit from the two-day delay in the game and clear the league's concussion protocol, but the fact that he wasn't practicing on Saturday isn't a great sign.
Fantasy managers must remember that McKissic has missed the last two games with his head injury, so everything is currently pointing to the pass-catching specialist missing his third straight game.
His status could change in the coming days before Tuesday, so keep an eye out, but if you're setting lineups now, we'd suggest keeping McKissic on your benches.
Who Will Take Over the Pass-Catching Role if J.D. McKissic is Inactive?
In Week 13, Wendell Smallwood played five offensive snaps (7.5%) and caught both of his targets for 12 yards. Antonio Gibson saw 23 of the team's 25 carries and was targeted six times. But Smallwood wasn't involved in Week 14, and that's likely to be the case again after he landed on the COVID list on Friday.
With McKissic on the wrong side of questionable and Smallwood on the COVID list, expect some combination of Williams and Patterson to divvy up snaps as the third-down back behind Gibson on Tuesday if McKissic doesn't clear the concussion protocols.
Jonathan Williams played 14.7% of the snaps in last week's loss to the Dallas Cowboys, with he and rookie Jaret Patterson each catching their only target and seeing four carries apiece behind Gibson. Williams vultured the only rushing TD of the game.
However, neither Williams nor Patterson will have any kind of fantasy value. Remember, quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen are also in COVID protocols.
What is Antonio Gibson's Week 15 Fantasy Outlook?
A lot will probably depend on whether one of quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke or Kyle Allen can clear the COVID protocols in time for Tuesday's game. Antonio Gibson could see a season-high in touches if Garrett Gilbert is forced to start under center, but he'd also likely see a lot of stacked boxes.
Regardless of who Washington's starting QB is on Tuesday against Philadelphia, Gibson should be assured of a high volume of touches, making him a strong RB2 choice for fantasy managers against an Eagles defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to RBs this season.
The Washington offense struggled to get much of anything going on offense last week against Dallas. Gibson managed only 10 carries for 36 yards and lost his fourth fumble of the season while catching only two passes for five yards.
But the RB10 on the season could be in for a nice bounce-back game. Throwing out last week's dud, Gibson had seen 19-plus carries in four straight games, including 20-plus totes in three of those contests. Washington just doesn't have many playmakers outside of Gibson, and their best receiver, Terry McLaurin (concussion), is also questionable.
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