The Loop Fantasy Football Report Week 16: Sidelined stars ruin many playoff dreams

A whole lot of fantasy football mavens rolled into the playoffs riding the coattails of the NFL’s fastest man, the Cheetah, Tyreek Hill.

Miami’s star wideout was having an MVP level season, taking aim at being the first receiver in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards. And his fantasy backers were laughing all the way to the bank.

Until the Week 15 playoff opener … when the Dolphins’ speedster was sidelined by an ankle injury. The Fins didn’t need him to dispatch the lowly New York Jets 30-0, but fantasy teams certainly did. We thought we could hear some of the wailing in the background all day Sunday while watching RedZone.

Injuries happen. Just ask anybody who drafted Aaron Rodgers … or Joe Burrow … or Kirk Cousins … or Nick Chubb … or J.K. Dobbins …

Fantasy playoff injuries seem crueler. And there are a bunch of them. We’ll break down the most significant Week 16 absences, and we’ll offer some last-second waivers options you might be able to grab to save your postseason.

Running backs – Baltimore’s Keaton Mitchell is only the latest to have a season-ending injury. Week 16 may go on without Indy’s Jonathan Taylor, the Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, Green Bay’s A.J. Dillon, the Chiefs’ Isaiah Pacheco, the Patriots’ Rhamondre Stevenson and the Commanders’ Brian Robinson.

PLAN B: An obvious choice, if the Vikings’ Alexander Mattison is still out, is Ty Chandler. He will be facing Detroit. Other options would be the Chiefs’ Clyde Edward-Helaire or Jerick McKinnon (vs. Raiders), the Bears’ Roschon Johnson (vs. Cardinals) and Cincy’s Chase Brown (vs. Steelers).

Pass catchers – More casualties here: the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, the Packers’ Christian Watson, the Saints’ Chris Olave, the Chargers’ Keenan Allen, Arizona’s Marquise Brown and Houston’s Nico Collins. They’re all varying degrees of iffy for this week.

PLAN B: Our fellow Brooklynite, the Commanders’ Curtis Samuel, had two TD catches last week and is facing a Jets team that has given up. You could also try Houston’s Noah Brown (vs. Browns), Cleveland’s Elijah Moore (vs. Texans), and two tight ends: the Giants’ Darren Waller (vs. Eagles) and Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely (vs. 49ers).

Quarterbacks – The Chargers’ Justin Herbert left the scene a couple weeks ago, while Houston rookie C.J. Stroud will also miss another game. And QBs who might be out this week include Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence and Seattle’s Geno Smith.

PLAN B: Would you believe the Vikings’ Nick Mullens could save your season? He had more than 300 passing yards and two TDs in Cincinnati last Saturday. Other elderly dudes you might still be able to grab include Cleveland’s Joe Flacco (vs. Texans), Indy’s Gardner Minshew (vs. Falcons) and the Saints’ Derek Carr (vs. Rams.)

Sitting stars

Dallas running back Tony Pollard could have a hard time in Miami if star lineman Zack Martin is either missing or hobbled. … Cleveland’s defense should cool off Houston RB Devin Singeltary. … With Rams star Cooper Kupp regaining his MVP form we’ll be seeing lesser numbers from WR Puka Nacua. … The 49ers’ defense will clamp down on Baltimore receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers. … Rashee Rice is the only Chiefs receiver Patrick Mahomes, or you, can trust against Las Vegas. … We expect Denver QB Russell Wilson to be slowed by New England’s solid defense, and the desperate Steelers will find a way to bring Cincinnati QB Jake Browning back down to earth.

Matchup game

If Buffalo RB James Cook runs like he did against Dallas, he’ll get 300 yards against the Chargers. … And if the Cowboys’ run defense looks that weak again, then Miami’s Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane will thrive. … Arizona RB James Conner has been hot lately and will do well, even against the Bears’ decent run defense. … Backs we also like include Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson vs. Indy and Philly’s D’Andre Swift against the Giants. … Vikings rookie WR Jordan Addison should thrive with Detroit’s focus on stopping Justin Jefferson. … Start Tennessee WR DeAndre Hopkins if QB Will Levis plays. … Same goes for Green Bay WR Jaylen Reed if he is healthy. … And since it’s a must-win for the suddenly fragile Jaguars, we like QB Trevor Lawrence against the cross-state rival Buccaneers.

Injury watch

Beyond the injury issues we addressed earlier … Indy wideout Michael Pittman Jr. is in the concussion protocol after absorbing the dirty hit that got Pittsburgh’s Damontae Kazee suspended for the rest of the season. … Noteables listed as questionable include three running backs (Steelers’ Najee Harris, Washington’s Brian Robinson and Indy’s Zack Moss) and two tight ends (Bills’ Dalton Kincaid and Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth).

Deepest sleeper

Sometimes you just need your team to take a 42-0 halftime lead to have your breakout game. So it was with Raiders rookie WR Tre Tucker. The third-round draft pick from Cincinnati was mostly known for dropping passes during the preseason, but he caught three passes for 57 yards and his first two career touchdowns against what passes for a Chargers defense. He could do well this week against the defending Super Bowl champs as the Chiefs focus all their attention on Davante Adams.

The Thursday/Saturday picks

Saints at Rams (-4½):
Pick: Rams by 7

Bengals at Steelers (+2½):
Pick: Bengals by 7

Bills at Chargers (+13½):
Pick: Bills by 20

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.

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