The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 15: Ravens’ Jackson to sit out Saturday showdown
UPDATE: 11:06 p.m. Friday
Twelve hours before the start of the Saturday slate, the big news is out of Baltimore, where quarterback Lamar Jackson will miss the Ravens’ showdown with the Browns in Cleveland. But Tyler Huntley has cleared the concussion protocols and will get the start, and he’s a pretty good replacement, as we explained last week.
Three marginal fantasy quarterbacks have been ruled out: Denver’s Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett and the Jets’ Mike White.
Four flex-level receivers will also sit out this week: New England’s Devante Parker, Denver’s Courtland Sutton, Chicago’s Chase Claypool and Tennessee’s Treylon Burks.
On the positive side, Cleveland will have its top receiver, Amari Cooper, though he has been held in check since the arrival of Deshaun Watson.
ORIGINAL POST: 9:45 a.m. Wednesday
It’s the opening weekend of the fantasy football playoffs. That would be a bad time to have top-shelf players playing poorly. Or producing numbers that are well below their career averages.
Yet that’s the case for a number of standouts you were counting on in August to perform in January. Case in point: Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Lots of fantasy mavens drafted the suspended Cleveland quarterback solely because they knew he’d be starting by November. And he has been. And he has been a rusty shadow of the No. 4 we saw at Clemson and Houston.
Watson has but a single touchdown pass since returning and is averaging just 200 passing yards per game. And he faces in Week 15 a Baltimore defense that is hardly weak. There are at least a dozen better QB options this week.
Here are some more headliners who might not produce winning numbers for you in the playoff opener:
Alvin Kamara (Saints RB) – Since scoring three TDs against the Raiders on October 30, Kamara has just 137 rushing yards, 146 receiving yards and no scores in five games as they’ve blown a chance to win the motley NFC South. On the plus side, he’s only facing the meager Atlanta defense on Sunday.
Saquon Barkley (Giants RB) – Saquads has only 152 rushing yards in the past four games, though he does have two TDs. But he’s facing a tough matchup with Washington’s defense in a battle of two NFC East teams going in decidedly opposite directions.
Aaron Jones (Packers RB) – It’s not just an illusion that A.J. Dillon is getting all the prime time in the Green Bay backfield. Jones has just 109 over the past three games, with one paltry TD catch.
Mark Andrews (Ravens TE) – One of the NFL’s top tight ends has gone six straight games without a TD and has averaged just over 35 yards per game in that span. And the Baltimore quarterback situation is a mess with both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley injured.
Michael Pittman (Colts WR) – Since Week 1, Pittman has only one TD catch and a single 100-yard-plus game. Quarterback Matt Ryan is leaking oil and showing his advancing age. Even the Vikings’ sad defense is probably not enough to risk using Pittman on Saturday.
Mike Evans (Buccaneers WR) – He hasn’t scored since Week 3, though he had a long TD called back by penalty during last week’s debacle in Santa Clara. With Tom Brady still struggling, the Bengals won’t give up much to Evans, either.
Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins QB – From MVP candidate to Bad Tua in just two West Coast games. He completed less than half of his passes against the 49ers and Chargers, and he’s staring at a chilly showdown with the first-place Bills on Saturday night in Orchard Park.
Sitting stars
Jacksonville RB Travis Etienne has cooled off lately and will not heat up significantly against Dallas. … Baltimore’s J.K. Dobbins is not 100 percent. So don’t count on much against Cleveland. … Joe Mixon will likely be ready to go in Cincinnati, so Samaje Perine will be merely a backup vs. Tampa Bay. … Miami’s Raheem Mostert will continue to underwhelm in Buffalo. … Kyler Murray’s injury makes WR DeAndre Hopkins a questionable start vs. the Broncos. … Neither Seattle WR, Tyler Lockett or D.J. Metcalf, will be a great choice facing the fierce 49ers defense. … Two QB you should feel free to ignore: Indy’s Matt Ryan against the Vikings and Seattle’s Geno Smith vs. the Niners.
Matchup game
Waited all season for Indy’s Jonathan Taylor to break out? He might against the meager Minnesota defense. … Yes, we like Joe Mixon’s chances of running through Tampa Bay. … Dallas RB Tony Pollard has been the revelation of the season’s second half and is a great bet to add to his touchdown total against the Jaguars. … Someone from Philly will have a big day against the Bears, and we’re betting on WR A.J. Brown. … Green Bay rookie Christian Watson was hot before the bye, and that won’t change vs. the Rams. … New Orleans WR Chris Olave will enhance his rookie of the year campaign against Atlanta. … And quarterbacks we like include an obvious choice (Cincy’s Joe Burrow vs. Buccaneers) and a not-so -obvious one (Jets’ Mike White against Detroit).
Injury watch
Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray blew out his knee early in Monday night’s game, ending his season. … San Fran wideout Deebo Samuel could return before the end of the regular season, but certainly sits this week. … New England RB Rhamondre Stevenson will be a no-go this week. Players whose statuses are in doubt include Seattle running backs Kenneth Walker and DeeJay Dallas, Cincinnati WRs Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, and three quarterbacks (Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Denver’s Russell Wilson and Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett).
The deepest sleeper
An old favorite of The Loop when he was at Northwestern, Rams receiver Ben Skowronek proved to be a favorite of new quarterback Baker Mayfield in last week’s frantic rally past the Raiders. He caught seven passes for 89 yards and could be a factor the rest of the season now that all-world Cooper Kupp is likely done for ‘22. On the negative side, Skowronek’s next touchdown catch will be his first of the season. With no byes this week, you probably will never have to dig this deep for your playoff opening lineup. But we offer this tip nonetheless.
The early picks
Colts at Vikings (-4½): Pick: Vikings by 7
49ers at Seahawks (+3½): Pick: 49ers by 11
Ravens at Browns (-2½): Pick: Browns by 3
Dolphins at Bills (-7½): Pick: Bills by 3
Breaking news
We’ll be updating our column, based on the latest injuries and innuendo, right up until Sunday’s kickoff. Go to TwinCities.com/theloop.
