Fantasy Injury Updates: Latest news on Jalen Hurts, Terry McLaurin, Tyler Lockett, more impacting Week 15 start 'em, sit 'em decisions – Sporting News
It took until Week 15, but rescheduling has once again hit the NFL. COVID has forced both the Washington-Eagles and Seahawks-Rams games to Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, and while that should make more players available — like Odell Beckham Jr. and Darrell Henderson, who were both activated off the reserve/COVID list on Saturday — it also creates more start ’em, sit ’em headaches for injured players like Jalen Hurts and Terry McLaurin and COVID-affected players like Tyler Lockett and Tyler Higbee. Knowing the latest updates will be key, which is why we’ll be providing them below until kickoff.
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UPDATE: Hurts isn’t on Philadelphia’s final injury report, so he should be good to go for Tuesday’s game against Washington.
Hurts (ankle) missed Week 13, but he was fully expected to play after the Eagles’ bye. After getting in full practices on Thursday and Friday, that’s still the expectation for Tuesday’s game against Washington.
As long as Hurts is active, he’s a must-start in this highly favorable matchup. Hurts owners might be a little nervous seeing a “Q” next to his name heading into Sunday, but there’s no real reason to be worried. If Hurts has a setback and is a surprise scratch, then Gardner Minshew would start again and be a solid replacement.
WEEK 15 MONDAY UPDATES:
Thielen | Mayfield | Landry/Hooper
UPDATE: McLaurin isn’t on Washington’s final injury report, so he should be good to go for Tuesday’s game against the Eagles.
McLaurin (concussion) will have to clear concussion protocols in order to be activate for Tuesday’s game against Philadelphia, but after full practices on Thursday and Friday, he seems highly likely to suit up.
Scary Terry has disappointed in five of his past six games, so given the importance of this matchup for fantasy owners, it might be best to leave him on your bench — especially with Kyle Allen (or worse) expected to start. However, we know the kind of upside McLaurin has, so there’s nothing wrong with slotting him into your WR3 or flex spot. If he’s out, expect DeAndre Carter, Ricky Seals-Jones, and Curtis Samuel to see more targets.
UPDATE: Lockett remains unlikely to play in Week 15, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
UPDATE 2: Lockett is officially OUT for Week 15.
Lockett was placed on the reserve/COVID list on Thursday, but with the Seahawks-Rams game moved to Tuesday, it’s unclear if he still has a chance to play. It will all come to down to whether Lockett is considered vaccinated and if he can return to two negative tests within 24 hours of each other prior to Tuesday’s game.
At this point, fantasy owners shouldn’t count on Lockett being available. If you do wait him out, have a pivot from Tuesday’s games ready. The top options would include Jalen Reagor, Freddy Swain, Dee Eskridge, DeAndre Carter, and Curtis Samuel (if active).
UPDATE: Higbee is officially OUT for Week 15.
Much like Lockett, Higbee’s status is up in the air. He was originally placed on the reserve/COVID list on Monday, then he came off it, only to be placed back on on Friday. It’s difficult to imagine him being cleared in time for Tuesday’s game against the Seahawks, but clearly this situation is fluid.
Higbee has been below average this year anyway, so fantasy owners shouldn’t be counting on him in a must-win week. Viable pivots include Ricky Seals-Jones and Gerald Everett, and there’s an argument to be made both are better plays than Higbee anyway.
