Jonathan Taylor, Tyreek Hill and updates on the 5 most important fantasy football playoff injuries (2024)

Greg Scholz has updates on the five players who can make or break your fantasy football playoffs — depending on their health.

Before we dive in, here’s a quick glossary of terms commonly used byInside Injuries:

• IRC= Injury Risk Category (three designations: “Low,” “Elevated,” “High”) — the overall likelihood a player will get injured
• HPF= Health Performance Factor (Peak, Above Average, Below Average, Poor) — our metric to predict player performance
• ORT= Optimal Recovery Time — the amount of time a player needs to fully recover from an injury (not the same as how much time they will actually miss).

Ja’Marr Chase

Chase has officially been ruled out of Week 16 due to an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. More commonly known as a shoulder separation, the injury occurred late in Cincinnati’s win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. This separation occurs where the collarbone (clavicle) meets the acromion of the shoulder blade.

With Chase already confirmed to be out, we’re considering this a Grade 2 sprain, meaning there is likely some damage to the ligaments surrounding the AC joint. It’s possible that this is a Grade 1 and the Bengals are playing it safe, but they still technically have a shot at making the playoffs, so the decision to rule Chase out is a big one. Generally, if this were a Grade 1, we would see Chase receive a pain-numbing injection and he would play through it. If he were to play through the Grade 2, he’d risk rupturing those ligaments, which would require season-ending surgery – think Anthony Richardson.

Aside from the team not wanting to risk further damage to the ligaments, the AC joint is crucial for overhead arm movements, which are key for catching passes. Right now, his Health Performance Factor is Below Average, meaning his production would be significantly limited if he played.

Chase’s Optimal Recovery Time right now is 18 days away. If Chase is your go-to wide receiver, it would be worth exploring other options because AC joint sprains really do require a few weeks to heal comfortably. Plus, if he were to play in Week 17, you would still have to consider the impact the injury will have on performance itself.

Tyreek Hill

Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was questionable heading into Week 15 before ultimately being ruled out. He tested his ankle during pregame warm-ups and struggled to move laterally and make quick cuts.

Now, heading into Week 16, Hill is still questionable. He managed to practice in a limited capacity on Thursday, which is a good sign, but a full practice on Friday would go a long way toward his availability.

What’s keeping Hill out is a sprained ankle, which he suffered against the Titans in Week 14. More specifically, he’s dealing with an inversion sprain, which occurs when the foot rolls inward, stretching or tearing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. We’re categorizing this a Grade 1 sprain, but he is still 18 days from Optimal Recovery, meaning if he plays in Week 16 then he won’t be 100%.

It’s important to note that if he does play, the two aspects of his game most likely to be impacted are agility and explosiveness. Both of these are some of Hill’s biggest strengths. This means we could see fewer receptions, less yardage, and potentially fewer touchdowns. Additionally, his Injury Risk will be High.

Jonathan Taylor/Zack Moss

I’m lumping these two together because they both play for Indianapolis and are battling injuries. Though we haven’t seen what they can really do as a tandem, Zack Moss has stepped up in Jonathan Taylor’s absence. With Moss potentially out for Week 16, it’s going to be Taylor’s job to step back in. That said, Taylor won’t be 100%.

Taylor has been out since Week 12 due to thumb surgery. There was hope that he could return in Week 15, but ultimately that didn’t work out. As for his metrics, things look all right. He has reached Optimal Recovery, his Injury Risk has dropped back down into Elevated, and his Health Performance Factor is steadily trending toward Peak territory. The only major production concern is how he will be involved in the passing game due to his thumb.

Moss, on the other hand, is in a concerning spot. The forearm that he injured is the same one he fractured earlier in 2023 during a team practice. Though the specifics on the injury aren’t yet known, we don’t anticipate he plays this week. We’re categorizing his injury as a Grade 1 for now but there is potential for that to be bumped up to a Grade 2. He’s six days away from reaching Optimal Recovery, so we expect he’ll be back in Week 17. The good news is that this shouldn’t impact performance too much. His Health Performance Factor is Above Average, but his Injury Risk is High.

With Taylor back, Moss was bound to see his production potential take a hit anyway. However, he could still see some opportunities in Week 17, especially as a pass-catcher if the Colts decide to avoid throwing the ball to Taylor.

CJ Stroud

The Houston Texans rookie sensation did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday this week, so there isn’t much hope for him to start Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns. Concussions are hard to predict, but the majority of players we’ve tracked this season miss 1-2 weeks, so we are tentatively expecting Stroud will return in Week 16.

Much like recovery time, post-concussion performance is difficult to predict because the injuries themselves are highly individual. That said, we have seen instances in the past where quarterbacks perform slightly worse than average in their first week back. If Stroud returns in Week 17, he’ll have the benefit of facing the Titans defense, who currently allow 226.4 passing yards per game.

Josh Jacobs

Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is questionable to play in Week 16, but interim head coach Antonio Pierce has expressed optimism that he will be available. Jacobs, who missed Week 15, is dealing with a quadriceps strain. He was reportedly “close” to playing before the decision to hold him out was made.

Quad strains are injuries to the muscles on the front of the thigh and occur when the muscle fibers are overstretched or torn. Different from a contusion, these sorts of injuries generally have less to do with trauma to the area and more to do with sudden acceleration or deceleration during running or abrupt changes in direction.

Given that Jacobs may have been close to playing in Week 15, we’re categorizing this as a Grade 1 strain. With that grade, we have him 10 days away from reaching Optimal Recovery. On that note, this is an injury that he could play through, but his Health Performance Factor may still be in Below Average territory unless he practices on Friday. Additionally, his Injury Risk is Elevated.

Unfortunately, these strains tend to affect power and speed above agility, which are two of the things Jacobs relies on the most. When it comes to production, Las Vegas may try to get him more involved in the passing game in an attempt to take some pressure off him to burst through the line.

(Top photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)