Fantasy Football

Lamar Jackson and Travis Kelce are two of the most reliable fantasy football players when they are on the field, but neither may suit up for Week 16.

Jackson has not practiced for 12 consecutive days and is still listed as questionable with an ankle injury. 

Baltimore's starting quarterback is not expected to play Sunday in the AFC North clash at the Cincinnati Bengals, per NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala. 

Kelce was placed in COVID-19 protocols earlier in the week along with some of his Kansas City Chiefs teammates. 

Kansas City got some good news Friday when backup tight end Blake Bell was taken off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Kelce and Tyreek Hill have one more day to clear protocols, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The statuses of Jackson and Kelce are just two things fantasy football players have to deal with in their Week 16 postseason matchups. 

Plenty of other players are listed as out because of the NFL's coronavirus protocols and others are dealing with injuries. The list of affected players can be found below. 

• Cole Beasley, WR, BUF: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list), per team.
• Gabriel Davis, WR, BUF: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list), per team.
• Emmanuel Sanders, WR, BUF: Off injury list (knee), per team injury report. 
• DJ Moore, WR, CAR: Questionable (hamstring), per team injury report. 
• Joe Mixon, RB, CIN: Off injury list (ankle), per team injury report. 
• Justin Fields, QB, CHI: Questionable (ankle) and not starting, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
• Baker Mayfield, QB, CLE: Available to play (off reserve/COVID-19 list), per team Twitter account.
• Kareem Hunt, RB, CLE: Out (ankle/reserve/COVID-19 list)
• Jarvis Landry, WR, CLE: Available to play (off reserve/COVID-19 list)
• Teddy Bridgewater, QB, DEN: Out (concussion), per team injury report. 
• Jared Goff, QB, DET: Doubtful (reserve/COVID-19 list), per team. 
• Kalif Raymond, WR, DET: Questionable (shoulder)
• Josh Reynolds, WR, DET: Questionable (thigh)
• D'Andre Swift, RB, DET: Questionable (shoulder)
• Brandin Cooks, WR, HOU: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list), per team. 
• Laviska Shenault, WR, JAX: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list), per Schefter. 
• Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC: Unlikely to play (reserve/COVID-19 list), per Ekeler on Yahoo Fantasy. 
• Darren Waller, TE, LV: Doubtful (knee/back), per team injury report. 
• Dalvin Cook, RB, MIN: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list), per team injury report. 
• Adam Thielen, WR, MIN: Questionable (ankle)
• Kendrick Bourne, WR, NE: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list) 
• Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE: Out (illness), per ESPN's Mike Reiss. 
• Taysom Hill, QB, NO: Out (reserve/COVID-19 list), per Rapoport. 
• Kadarius Toney, WR, NYG: Questionable (oblique/quadriceps), per team injury report. 
• Miles Sanders, RB, PHI: Cleared to play (quad), per Pro Football Talk.
• Pat Freiermuth, TE, PIT: Out (concussion), per team injury report. 
• Mike Evans, WR, TB: Out (hamstring), per Rapoport. 
• Antonio Gibson, RB, WSH: Questionable (toe), per team injury report. 
• J.D. McKissic, RB, WSH: Out (concussion)

Lamar Jackson Hasn't Practiced in 12 Days

Lamar Jackson will likely miss his second straight game with the ankle injury he suffered in the Week 14 loss to the Cleveland Browns. 

Jackson was relieved by Tyler Huntley in that contest and in the Week 15 defeat to the Green Bay Packers. Huntley got the Ravens close to winning both matchups.

Huntley did not practice Friday due to a non-COVID illness, per Rapoport, but he is still expected to start under center, per Kinkhabwala. 

Baltimore's No. 2 quarterback threw for 485 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games with Jackson injured. 

Huntley has been a serviceable fantasy replacement for the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player in a landscape that is barren with quality backups from a fantasy perspective. 

Tua Tagovailoa, Ben Roethlisberger and Mac Jones are among the best potential waiver-wire options in some leagues. 

The free-agent situation could be bleaker in other leagues. That may lead to Zach Wilson, Taylor Heinicke or Davis Mills making spot starts in playoff contests. 

Huntley has been the best insurance plan from a fantasy standpoint in the last two weeks, and as long as he plays, he will be one of the top lower-tier quarterbacks. 

Wilson might be the best spot starter if you have been waiting for Jackson's return. Wilson is going up against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that conceded at least 20 points in the last six weeks. Wilson has over 200 passing yards in two of the last three weeks and could be the best of the dire-straits options because of his matchup. 

Travis Kelce Still on COVID-19 List

Travis Kelce is one of the biggest names affected by COVID-19 in the NFL right now. 

The Kansas City tight end is one of the best players at his position—if not the best player—and fantasy managers were hoping to ride him to advancement in the playoffs. 

Kelce has one more day to clear protocols, but plans for a replacement should already be in motion in case he is ruled out for the clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Bell's removal from the reserve/COVID-19 list is a plus for Patrick Mahomes, but he may not receive the same number of targets as Kelce. Bell might be worth the risk if he earns red-zone targets, but there could be better options elsewhere. 

Evan Engram has a pair of four-catch games in the last month and is facing a Philadelphia Eagles defense that gives up the third-most receiving yards to tight ends. 

Houston's Brevin Jordan is a dark-horse option at tight end because of his matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers' league-worst defense against tight ends. Jordan has scored in two of his last three appearances, and Houston could be short-handed with Brandin Cooks on the reserve/COVID-19 list. 

Cole Kmet and C.J. Uzomah could also be solid replacements for Kelce if he does not play. They are both going up against weak defenses versus the position.

Uzomah has been a trustworthy target of Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, while Kmet may benefit from Nick Foles' approach in the short passing game in Seattle. 

Wide receiver A.J. Brown is coming back to give the Tennessee Titans' struggling offense a boost and potentially boost lineups for the fantasy postseason. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe, Brown is being activated off injured reserve and will play Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers. 

The Titans announced Monday they designated Brown for return from IR. He originally suffered a chest injury during Tennessee's Week 11 loss to the Houston Texans. 

Brown previously sat out the Titans' Week 4 loss to the New York Jets with a hamstring injury. 

In 11 games this season, Brown leads the team in receptions (46), receiving yards (615) and is tied for the top spot in receiving touchdowns (three). 

Tennessee has dealt with significant injuries to many of its key offensive players. Derrick Henry remains out after undergoing foot surgery in November to repair a Jones fracture.

Julio Jones doesn't have an injury designation after being a full participant in practice Wednesday, so he could be available against the 49ers. He only played 27 snaps last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of a hamstring issue. 

If Jones and Brown are able to play, it will mark just the seventh time this season that both have appeared in the same game together. 

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, calling into question whether he'll be available for Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. 

If he can't, fantasy players will have to turn to Alexander Mattison or Kene Nwangwu. 

Mattison is one of fantasy's best handcuffs. In the three games Cook has missed this season, Mattison has rushed 73 times for 315 yards and a touchdown, while adding 16 receptions for 133 yards and a score. 

Even against a solid Rams defense, Mattison is a borderline RB1 if he's the team starter, and a definite RB2. The Rams give up 19.7 fantasy points per week to opposing running backs, per Yahoo Sports, 18th in the NFL, so the matchup shouldn't give you any pause. 

If you have Mattison and Cook is out, you start him, no questions asked. 

As for Nwangwu, he looks like a talent for the future, though he hasn't shown enough to be on your fantasy radar just yet. With only seven carries for 49 yards this year, the rookie fourth-rounder is clearly below Mattison on the depth chart. 

Even in the deepest leagues, Nwangwu probably isn't worth starting just yet. Perhaps in the future he'll carve out a bigger role—he's a promising player—but Mattison has traditionally been the clear starter when Cook sits. 

The one thing you do want to monitor is any indication that the Vikings might not give Mattison a full workload, as he's just returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list. If they decide to platoon this pair, then Mattison's upside takes a dip, while Nwangwu's potential gets bumped. 

But outside of that, expect Mattison to see the large majority of snaps and touches. 

The New Orleans Saints will be in rough shape offensively as they turn to their fourth starting quarterback of the season, but it could be good news for Alvin Kamara and fantasy managers counting on him in their playoffs.

Rookie fourth-round pick Ian Book is expected to start Monday night against the Miami Dolphins with Taysom Hill going on the reserve/COVID-19 list, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Though we don't know much about how Book will perform in his first regular-season action in the NFL, it should still be a positive for Kamara as he remains a must-start in fantasy leagues.

Kamara is coming off one of his worst performances of the season in Week 15, totaling just 18 rushing yards on 11 carries with two catches for 13 yards.

The five-time Pro Bowler has always been a threat in the passing game but has never really connected with Hill. Kamara has six catches in two starts alongside Hill this season and 10 in four starts in 2020, well below the running back's career average of 5.2 receptions per game.

Hill can also take away Kamara's touches near the goal line, scoring two rushing touchdowns in Week 15 against the New York Jets. Though Kamara still thrived with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown, his line could have been even better with more red-zone opportunities. 

Book is also a running threat with 17 rushing touchdowns over his three years as a starter at Notre Dame, but the coaching staff is unlikely to trust him to take it himself in his first career start.

The Saints will have no choice but to use Kamara as much as possible as by far the best offensive weapon on the active roster. 

Miami is difficult to run against (seventh in the NFL), but the guaranteed workload of 20-25 touches should make Kamara a safe option with a lot of upside in Week 16.