DFS: Final Injury Report

It’s Week 15 and as expected the injuries are aplenty. You need to know which players to fade or play so that’s exactly what I’m here to give you. If you’re uncertain about whether or not to use a guy this week in your cash or tournament games, read my Injury Fade or Play article. For my thoughts on Jameis Winston and T.Y. Hilton read my midweek report here. Note that all prices are from DraftKings.

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Derrick Henry ($8,500)

Henry’s situation is a tad bit worrisome as he did not practice at all this week. Usually, his practice pattern includes a “DNP” or “LP” before a full practice on Friday. Henry remains adamant telling reporters he’ll be good to go on Sunday. If Henry is active (I expect him to be) it’s almost impossible to fade him in any format regardless of the injury. He does carry more risk than usual, but it would be a fool’s errand to recommend fading the #2 and #13 guy in running back carries and red zone touches respectively. If you’re 100% risk-averse, feel free to only play Henry in tournaments.

Josh Jacobs ($7,000)

I’ve said since last week that Jacobs’ injury is not one to scoff at. He claims to have a shoulder fracture and that gives me two pieces of fundamental medical advice to share with DFS players:

1. Fractures can be extremely painful and only complete rest from impacts/collisions will allow for healing.
2. Constant collisions over the last month have not contributed to improvements to the injury.

To further address the points some of my twitter followers have made regarding reports that Jacobs has “looked great” this week: let’s not ignore the fact that he’s practiced only in a limited fashion. This very likely means that he specifically has not taken contact in practice further affirming to me that even if he’s active, he is not in good shape to produce. If that isn’t enough to convince you, check out this tweet (in a string of tweets) that describes an interaction Vic Tafur had with Jacobs this week.

Ultimately I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think Josh Jacobs suits up on Sunday and if he does, he’s a fade-in all formats for me. I’m more than content with the opposition spending their budget on a player with such a wide range of outcomes. At $4,700 his teammate, DeAndre Washington is a solid tournament play against the Jaguars defense that seems to be bleeding fantasy points to offenses, but only in tournaments. For cash games instead consider…consider Patrick Laird ($4,500) who has literally no competition to touches in a soft landing spot against the Giants.

Now enjoy this interview with Patrick Laird who is a great sport.

DeVante Parker ($6,400) and Jared Cook ($4,600)

These guys are both coming off of concussions but it should be good to go for Sunday as they practiced in full on Friday. The double-edged sword about concussions is that even though players are able to bounce back quickly after just one or two, they are at a greater risk for re-injury early on. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this play out in players like Brandin Cooks and Sterling Shepard. For this reason, Cook and Parker are the only tournaments plays for me this week until they can make it through the early phases of returning to the field of play.

Adam Thielen ($6,300)

For a player who hasn’t played since Week Nine, these sites are asking a hefty price to use Adam Thielen in his second attempt at a return after a hamstring injury. Thielen is undoubtedly on my prove it list this week as he has yet to log full practice participation. I’m not touching Thielen in cash and would maybe consider him in tournaments. A lay off as long as his merits caution. Instead, I’m pivoting to Mike Williams ($4,600) who is due for touchdown regression as he has not posted fewer than 55 receiving yards since Week 7.

James Conner ($7,000)

Conner is another player who’s price tag is insane relative to his risk of re-injury. The sternoclavicular joint injury he sustained is not something to mess with. As I’ve stated before the integrity and stability of his joint is not to be trusted as an NFL running back as the risk of dislocation is elevated. I’m fading Conner and the Steelers backfield altogether this week against the Bills run defense.

Thank you for reading my DFS Final Injury Report. Make sure to follow me here and reach out to me with further questions. As kickoff approaches, I’ll be tweeting out updates and tweaking this article so make sure you check back in. Good luck!

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Featured image courtesy of Mario57.