The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 15: Last-minute moves

UPDATE p m Saturday Two big names top the injury updates this weekend No running back Christian McCaffrey of the ers and Packers standout RB Josh Jacobs are listed as questionable We re guessing both will wind up going but fantasy mavens counting on them in their playoff openers need to keep close watch in the morning A half-dozen notables have been ruled out for Week Saints RB Alvin Kamara Bengals receiver Tee Higgins Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Raiders QB Geno Smith and Cleveland TE David Njoku Dallas got good news when star wideout CeeDee Lamb cleared concussion protocol so he s good to go against the Vikings on Sunday night The list of other still-questionables include Houston RB Nick Chubb Washington RB Chris Rodriguez Bears wideout Rome Odunze Rams WR Davante Adams Chargers WR Quentin Johnston Commanders receiver Deebo Samuel and Dallas TE Jake Ferguson Since we re on the road or the high seas to be specific we won t be updating when the early inactive lists come out Sunday morning So keep an eye out for updates on your more questionable starters ORIGINAL POST a m Wednesday Playoff time is here as the powers of fantasy football leagues begin three weeks of battle for championship glories But for non-powers including your Humble Narrator who missed the playoffs by checks math just ONE lousy Week point it s time for our lesser postseason competition Unless you re Notre Dame and just quitting Whether you are playing for big bucks or a fantasy Rate Bowl you need to hunker down and pick your lineup And a lot of notable NFLers that looked great in summer have faded dramatically in the fall We ll break down your Week issues by position Running back Worried about relying on subpar efforts from Breece Hall Ashton Jeanty or Alvin Kamara You might be better off grabbing Chicago s Kyle Monangai vs Browns Houston s Woody Marks vs Cardinals or Pittsburgh s Kenneth Gainwell vs Dolphins FOXBOROUGH MASSACHUSETTS - NOVEMBER Breece Hall of the New York Jets is pursued by Christian Gonzalez of the New England Patriots during the second half of a encounter at Gillette Stadium on November in Foxborough Massachusetts Photo by Jaiden Tripi Getty Images Wide receiver Selected up-and-down playmakers are hard to trust this week We re alluding to the Eagles Devonta Smith the Dolphins Jaylen Waddle and the Jags Brian Thomas Jr Two really hot and widely available pass catchers are the Jags Jakobi Meyers and Cards Mark Wilson Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl football meeting against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday Feb in New Orleans AP Photo Doug Benc Tight end Who has been more disappointing this season The Chiefs Travis Kelce or the Ravens Mark Andrews Neither looks as good this week as Cleveland rookie Harold Fannin Jr who faces Chicago Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is congratulated on his touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings by tight end Charlie Kolar in the fourth quarter of an NFL event at U S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday Nov The Ravens beat the Vikings - John Autey Pioneer Press Quarterback Obviously Indy s Daniel Jones is now utterly broken and Washington s Jayden Daniels is hardly fixed Two QBs with great matchups this week are the Jaguars Trevor Lawrence versus the Jets and the Giants Jaxson Dart against what s left of Washington s defense KANSAS CITY MISSOURI - NOVEMBER Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts slides after a scramble in the third quarter of the encounter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on November in Kansas City Missouri Photo by David Eulitt Getty Images Kicker There are plenty of reasons not to like the Chiefs Harrison Butker Lack of scoring opportunities is now one of them The Vikings Will Reichard is having a better season and will likely outscore the K C kicker in a accomplishable shootout with Dallas Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs watches his field goal in the second quarter of a championship against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec in Kansas City Missouri Photo by David Eulitt Getty Images Sitting stars Seattle s defense will be all over Indy running back Jonathan Taylor But you ll have to start him anyway and cross your fingers You can t start any Commanders against the Giants even Daniels or Terry McLaurin Carolina rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan will cool down against the Saints Two top tight ends will underperform in this key week Vegas Brock Bowers versus Eagles and Cardinals Trey McBride against the Texans And the Chiefs-Chargers showdown has two usually excellent QBs that you perhaps can t trust Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert When last seen on the field Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor was scoring the overtime touchdown to beat Atlanta last Sunday in Berlin Germany AP Photo Martin Meissner Matchup meeting With two mediocre run defenses taking the field both the Ravens Derrick Henry and Cincinnati s Chase Brown will post big numbers this week Miami s De Von Achane assuming he s healthy will continue his all-pro play against the Steelers Vikings Jordan Mason should find the end zone again versus Dallas In that same tournament look for the old Justin Jefferson to return completely Same for Detroit WR Amon-Ra St Brown against the Rams Three other receivers we expect to shine in Week Dallas George Pickens versus Minnesota Cincy s Tee Higgins facing the Ravens and our old pal Stefan Diggs versus his old Buffalo pals Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown hurdles Chicago Bears defensive back Kevin Byard III on a run during an NFL football championship Sunday Nov in Cincinnati AP Photo Kareem Elgazzar Injury watch Other than the Jones saga in Indianapolis that brought Philip Rivers out of retirement the focus is on Pittsburgh wideout D K Metcalf who is having what are politely being called stomach issues Notables considered questionable include three running backs Giants Tyrone Tracy Cards Emari Demercado and Texans Nick Chubb and seven pass catchers Cowboys CeeDee Lamb Cardinals Marvin Harrison Jr Bears Rome Odunze Bucs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and Falcons Drake London and Michael Pitts Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Dk Metcalf right and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III celebrate during the NFL football competition between Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park stadium in Dublin Sunday Sept AP Photo Ian Walton Deepest sleeper Two words we were never expecting to promote here Shedeur Sanders Cleveland s rookie fourth-stringer from the start of summer camp has been much less than LEGENDARY But for fantasy mavens with playoff quarterback issues a fellow coming off a -yard three touchdown battle might be palatable And he ll face no great defenses the next three weeks Bears Bills Steelers LAS VEGAS NEVADA - NOVEMBER Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns makes a pass in the battle against Jamal Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November in Las Vegas Nevada Photo by Steve Marcus Getty Images The Thursday pick Falcons at Buccaneers - Pick Buccaneers by Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throws a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half at Lumen Field on Oct in Seattle Washington Photo by Soobum Im Getty Images You can hear Kevin Cusick on Thursdays on Bob Sansevere s BS Show podcast on iTunes You can follow Kevin on X theloopnow He can be reached at kcusick pioneerpress com Related Articles The Loop NFL Picks Week The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week Last-minute moves The Loop NFL Picks Week The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week Last-minute moves The Loop NFL Picks Week