NFL Injury Report: Week 15

The latest from the Week 15 NFL injury report and the fantasy football implications for each of the key players. You can also keep tabs on the official NFL injury report, which will update here. Also, follow Garrett on Twitter @GarettThomas.

It is all about the playoffs now: are you in or out? If you are reading, I imagine you are in. If you are out and are still actively playing in your league, good for you because you are a quality fantasy owner. Too many people quit after being eliminated, which is sad, because there is so much to be learned in the last few weeks of the season — stuff that will carry over into next year’s draft

For Week 15, several players seem to be in doubt. Here are some quick notes on several prominent players showing up on the injury report.

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Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, NYG)

It seems that a lot of huge names have been going down with injuries leading up to, and during, the fantasy playoffs. Odell Beckham Jr. missed last week with a quad injury and it was confirmed Friday that Beckham will miss Week 15. But what about the rest of the season?

His season status really depends on the proper diagnosis, as currently the Giants are not sure how serious his injury is; they are stuck between a contusion or a bruise. The Giants are playing it coy, but with them most likely missing the playoffs and Beckham being their $95-Million man, I could see Beckham missing the rest of the year.

David Johnson (RB, ARI)

Fighting a quad injury, David Johnson is showing signs that he should be good to go for the Cardinals on Sunday. For the Arizona Cardinals’ first practice of the week, Johnson was not a participant. Johnson’s progression abled him to at least log a limited practice on Thursday. With Johnson’s current trend, he should be back on the field against the Falcons which should make for a great match up.

Matt Breida (RB, SF)

After missing last week with an ankle injury, and being limited in the game prior, Matt Breida seems to be on track to play on Sunday. Breida has been healthy enough to log two limited practices, between Wednesday and Thursday. Breida has battled nagging injuries all year, including the current ankle injury he is dealing with. When playing Breida, always remember he does have a high injury probability but with his toughness, he rarely misses games. I expect Breida to play against Seattle this week.

Julio Jones (WR, ATL)

Last week, Julio Jones was battling a foot injury that saw him miss several practices. While he played and had a great game in Week 14, Jones did pop back up on the injury report this week.

Jones’ status seems to be good enough to play this Sunday. On Wednesday, he remained sidelined for practice, which is not uncommon for the veteran. Then on Thursday we learned Jones missed practice again. The good news is Jones was experiencing flu-like symptoms (good in terms of playing, not good generally!) and that was the reason he missed practice. The receiver should suit up for Sunday but keep monitoring Jones, though I have confidence he will be ready to play.

T.Y. Hilton (WR, DAL)

T.Y. Hilton found himself on this injury report last week, and in similar fashion, Hilton missed the first two practices of the week. But that was a shoulder injury. This week, Hilton finds himself on the injury report due to an ankle injury.

Hilton has missed both team practice over the past two days, which means you need to monitor him up until game time. That is, unless Hilton logs a practice to show his progress. While a limited practice would be promising progress, fantasy owners will hope to see a full practice on Friday. Keep an eye on Hilton, he is likely to play but have your guard up.

Austin Hooper (TE, ATL)

The Falcons tight end is struggling to practice this week due to a knee and ankle injury. Hooper has been a quality pickup for many fantasy owners, due to how injured fantasy tight ends have been this year.

Hooper has not practiced all week, which makes you begin to question his health leading up to Sunday. If Hooper does log a practice, that should be enough work for him to play Sunday. However, if he misses practice again Friday, it would be time to form a backup plan in case he misses.