Top 5 NFL Injury and Contingency Plans for Wild Card Weekend

Los Angeles Chargers RBs JK Dobbins (ankle) and Gus Edwards (ankle) @ Houston Texans
Date/Time: Saturday 4:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Chargers enter Wild Card Weekend as 2.5-point road favorites that should foster a run-heavy game script against a mid-tier Houston Texans' defense that ranks 8th in expected points allowed per play (EPA) (-0.136). Enter. Ranked 18th in explosive run plays allowed percentage (13.4%), ranked and/or tied for 19th in positive EPA allowed percentage (37.9%), and yards before contact per rushing attempt allowed (1.4). Los Angeles' top two running backs, JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, are dealing with ankle sprains. Dobbins remained limited. Pass all three Wild Card Weekend practices. Edwards matched Dobbins' participation on Tuesday and Wednesday before upgrading to full participant status on Thursday. Backup running back Hassan Haskins is a dark horse candidate to bounce back RB2 value this week, replacing rookie running back Kimani Vidal in the third role and potentially fighting Edwards for the second spot.

Edwards' ankle sprain kept him out for Weeks 17 and 18, and details about Dobbins' ankle sprain are still difficult to come by. Dobbins entered Week 18 play with a clean bill of health, miraculously avoiding aggravating a Week 12 MCL sprain that placed him on injured reserve despite experiencing the necessary mechanics. Play this 18th week. Of course, he appeared on this week's injury report with an ankle injury, and MCL sprains share the same medial abduction mechanism that often leads to high ankle sprains, which may be Dobbins' current medical ailment. Fantasy managers should view both Dobbins and Edwards as capable of varying results.

Dobbins appears to be healthy enough to play, but Edwards' uninspiring pre-injury form and Haskins' ascension, dual-threat ability could lead to a three-man committee or Dobbins leading the way with Haskins operating as a complement.

Haskins led Los Angeles' Week 16 backfield in receiving, while Dobbins, recovering from an MCL sprain, caught 2-of-2 targets for 39 yards and one touchdown. Haskins subsequently led Los Angeles running backs with a 41.7% share of two-minute drill snaps (five) and was second on 3rd, 4, and long snaps (40.0% snare, six snaps).

Haskins has averaged 10 rushing attempts and 0.5 targets over the past two weeks and has a chance to continue that trend this week.

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Los Angeles Chargers WRs @ Houston Texans
Date/Time: Saturday 4:30 PM ET
Los Angeles prepares for Wild Card Weekend kickoff Saturday with a badly battered wide receiver corps. Los Angeles No. 3 wide receiver Joshua Palmer has been ruled out after suffering what was alternately reported as a foot and/or heel injury. Rotation wide receiver Simi Fehoko (elbow) could return from injured reserve this week. that practiced thoroughly On Wednesday and Thursday.

Fortunately, Houston's assistant staff is in short supply. They lost starting slot defensive back/safety Jalen Pitre to a chest injury in Week 12 and free safety Jimmie Ward to a foot injury in Week 16. Both players are playing wounded reservist. When Pitre is active, he will be tasked with alternately covering the slot receiver and de facto No. 1 wide receiver Ladd McConkey and tight end Will Dissly. Both Los Angeles players could benefit massively from a Houston loss, and the health of their teammates further increases their target return potential. McConkey could be treated as a high-end WR1, while Dissly deserves both TE1 and flex treatment.

The loss of a safety will force Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert to regularly target downfield passes.

Every active pass catcher is guaranteed single game DFS consideration. If Fehoko is active, veteran wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. will get at least a chance or two downfield. Tight end Stone Smartt, second among Los Angeles pass catchers with at least five targets, is tied for third in yards per route run (14.00) and yards per reception (23.3) on qualifying targets. 2nd place in catch (60.0%)

Baltimore Ravens WR Jai Flowers (knee) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Date/Time: Saturday 8:00 PM ET
Presented by Deepak Chona, MD. concise video Baltimore Ravens No. 1 Wide receiver Zay Flowers' Week 18 knee injury was analyzed and concerns were raised about a potential LCL sprain, a bone bruise that could occur under or near the LCL, and a patellar subluxation associated with one or more connective tissue sprains. Chona's thoughts are in part DPT Jeff Mueller. With a notorious mother abstruse The Ravens haven't officially released any details yet, but a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that Flowers actually hit his knee. sprain. Damaged connective tissue is not specified. Flowers were excluded on Thursday.

Flowers closed out Week 18 early in the second quarter, forcing Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken to send six first-read targets each to top-ranked wide receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Mark Andrews in a 2-for-4 quarter.

Bateman's use of Week 18's pre-snap alignment also varied depending on what flowers were next to him. Bateman finished the day with a perimeter percentage of 80.0% and a slot percentage of 20.0%, marking only the second time his slot percentage has topped 12.1%. Constant slot placement has left Bateman unable to deal with Pittsburgh's talented perimeter cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson.

Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin demoted rookie slot cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. in favor of retired veteran cornerback Cameron Sutton. hold Among the 30 NFL slot defensive backs who took at least 25 slot coverage snaps in Weeks 17 and 18, Sutton ranked 14th in yards allowed per coverage snap (0.98) and 28th in open target percentage (90.9%) .

Baltimore uses flowers to create distance after the catch. Flowers ranked third among seven Baltimore pass catchers with at least 25 targets per yard after the catch per reception (6.3). Running backs Derrick Henry (11.5) and Justice Hill (10.4) ranked first and second, respectively, while tight end Isaiah Likely (6.2) tied for fourth. All three could benefit from Flowers' absence. Hill (19.7%) boasts the best goal-achieving ability among the group.

Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson (ACL) @ Philadelphia Eagles
Date/Time: Sunday 4:30 PM
The Green Bay Packers must face an elite Philadelphia Eagles defense a week after losing star field-stretching wide receiver Christian Watson. Torn ACL. Philadelphia finished the regular season ranked 14th among NFL teams in explosive run plays allowed (12.0%), 8th in quarterback pressure percentage (36.4%), 4th in EPA per play allowed (-0.169), and 1st in quarterback pressure percentage (56.6). It's closed. %), EPA allowed per pass play (-0.091), and explosive pass plays allowed (9.9%). Green Bay's offense needs to find a way to generate explosive gains without Watson.

Ideally, Green Bay will try to jump out to an early lead with bold play designs before relying heavily on running back Josh Jacobs.

Green Bay Wicks' deep target percentage of 20.3%. Doubs will likely see more opportunity, assuming he is fit to play after missing Week 18 (illness). doubles practice in earnest This week. A one-trick pony, wide receiver Bo Melton (37.5% deep target rate) warrants DFS flex consideration.

Green Bay tight end Tucker Kraft (5.1 yards aDot) and slot receiver Jayden Reed (8.6 yards aDot) are used less often downfield but do well when given the opportunity to do so. Among Green Bay pass catchers with 10 or more targets 10 or more yards downfield, Kraft ranks first in both yards per reception (33.8) and YPRR on qualified targets (27.00), while Reed ranks second (32.4) and Ranked 3rd (23.32). Kraft likewise leads the qualifying sample in forced tackles missed (3) and yards after the catch per reception (15.4), making him worthy of both TE1 and flex consideration.

Philadelphia Eagles WR AJ Brown (knee) vs. green bay packers
Date/Time: Sunday 4:30 PM
ESPN's Tim McManus said: Meticulously tracked A curious look at practice participation from Philadelphia Eagles' No. 1 wide receiver AJ Brown this week. Brown ostensibly suffered a knee injury in Week 16 practice, but the issue may be related to the knee injury he suffered in 2020 that required a bilateral cleaning procedure. It's explained in detail here Jeff Mueller, DPT.

“Brown was listed on Wednesday’s practice report as having a limited knee/rest assignment,” McManus said. “Brown was seen exiting practice with staff less than 10 minutes after the session began.” Sources told McManus that Brown did not return to practice that day and that his exit was pre-planned. The team's excuses for Brown's sudden exit should not be accepted uncritically. Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni On the surface Let it be known that quarterback Jalen Hurts was nursing an ankle injury earlier in the year despite being designated “rested” on the injury report released by the team.

Brown was downgraded to a non-participant in Thursday's practice, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Jeff McLaneHe agreed with McManus' report, saying the Eagles expect Brown to play and are “limiting his workload to get him as close to 100% as possible by Sunday.”

It's entirely possible for Brown to suit up and play effectively on Sunday, but fantasy managers should be prepared to take advantage of Brown's potential absence or limitations.

Aside from Brown (95 targets), Philadelphia funnels targets to the rest of its best players. 2nd place is wide receiver Devonta Smith (84 targets), tight end Dallas Goedert (51 targets), and running back Saquon Barkley (39 targets). Smith will get ample opportunity to test Green Bay slot defensive back/safety Javon Bullard's injured ankle. Bullard Ruins limited Through two wild card weekend practices. He missed Weeks 15 and 16 before returning in Week 17 and has allowed a 100.0% catch percentage on nine targets thrown in primary coverage since then.

The pass-catching strengths of Goedert and Barkley should not be ignored. Green Bay linebackers have the fifth-most missed tackles among NFL teams (23) this season.