The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 15: Last-minute moves

Dec. 19—UPDATE: 10:43 a.m. Sunday

The early inactives lists are out, and the only significant news nugget is that Buffalo RB Zack Moss is a healthy scratch. So it will be just Devin Singletary and Matt Breida today for the Bills against Carolina.

Houston RB Rex Burkhead is active today, so he will be a factor in that classic Texans-Jaguars matchup.

UPDATE: 10:25 a.m. Sunday

We're still a few hours away from the kickoff in Baltimore, but it's looking very unlikely that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will play today against the NFC North-leading Packers.

Jackson didn't practice all week because of his injured ankle, so it's likely Tyler Huntley will start today. So it's likely fantasy mavens counting on Jackson should grab the best available quarterback on their waiver list in the next 90 minutes.

A number of notables have gotten better news and have been cleared to play in Week 16. Among them are Cardinals RBs James Conner and Chase Edmonds, Denver RB Melvin Gordon, Rams RB Darrell Henderson, Dallas RB Tony Pollard, Carolina WR D.J. Moore, Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore WR Marquise Brown and Arizona tight end Zach Eritz

UPDATE: 12:02 p.m. Saturday

The opening week of the fantasy playoffs has begun, and the only certainty is that folks facing the Kansas City Chiefs' stars are in a world of hurt.

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill have already posted huge numbers in their Thursday night comeback against the Chargers. But fantasy victory is still several days away because of the COVID rescheduling of three games.

The good news is that, with Raiders-Browns moved to Monday and Washington-Eagles and Seahawks-Rams shifted to Tuesday, there is more time for the dozens of currently sidelined players to make it through COVID protocols. The bad news: there are literally DOZENS of impactful players in limbo.

For now, we'll focus on players who have been ruled out. That list includes Detroit RB D'Andre Swift, San Fran RB Elijah Mitchell, Browns RB Kareem Hunt, Patriots RB Damien Harris, Seattle RB Alex Collins, Jaguars RB Carlos Hyde, Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins, Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle, Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr., Lions TE T.J. Hockenson, Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield, Giants QB Daniel Jones and WFT QB Taylor Heinicke.

The most significant "questionable" player right now is Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson, who is nursing an injured ankle. He is said to be a game-time decision for Sunday's late-afternoon game against Green Bay. The same holds for Vikings wideout Adam Thielen, who is hoping to play Monday night in Chicago.

In Miami, the Dolphins' top two running backs, Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, have been taken off the COVID list and cleared to play, which is bad news for folks who grabbed Duke Johnson off waivers earlier this week.

ORIGINAL POST: 10:58 a.m. Wednesday

Playoff time is here. And whether you're playing the next two or three weeks for your league championship, or to avoid the cellar, you're about to make the most critical lineup calls of the season.

Just because you took star players in the first rounds of the draft in late August doesn't mean you should start them in this third week of December.

Case in point: It would have seemed blasphemous back in the summer, but it IS possible that the top two quarterbacks in fantasy should be left on your bench in the playoff opener. That's right, the Chiefs' all-world Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo's Josh Allen.

Bench Mahomes? Seems rash, but he's going against the Chargers' No. 5 pass defense on Thursday night, and he has thrown multiple TD passes only twice in the past two months. He has had three games with a goose egg in that department. Not quite MVP numbers.

Allen looked great last week in the Bills' comeback in Tampa Bay, at least until he injured his foot. He's listed as questionable against a not-terrible Carolina defense. But what's really questionable is how much a not-full-speed Allen can help fantasy owners if he's not running much.

If you're feeling especially frisky, there are three QBs you can find on waivers that have a very good chance to surpass the big two this week. Miami's Tua Tagovailoa (vs. Jets), the 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo (vs. Falcons) and ... yes ... even the Bears' Justin Fields going against that not-very-vaunted Vikings defense.

Here are some other headliners that might be properly set aside on your bench this week:

Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys RB) — Zeke hasn't been himself for some time because of various injuries and has seen reduced duty, even in last week's key game in Washington. He has reached the end zone in only two of his past eight games. His teammate, Tony Pollard, might be a better bet if he returns from a foot injury as expected against the Giants.

Saquon Barkley (Giants RB) — The oft-injured New York star had a season-best 64 yards last week and his first touchdown since Oct. 3. But the Giants' offensive line is still a mess, and the Dallas defense they are facing this week is getting more dominant each week.

Austin Ekeler (Chargers RB) — He's one of the three best RBs this season, averaging more than one touchdown a game. But his ankle injury, combined with his early Thursday game, means Ekeler might not be 100 percent against the improved Chiefs defense. Coach Brandon Staley says he expects Ekeler to play, but be ready to move quickly if he cannot.

Terry McLaurin (Washington WR) — The WFT's best receiver went catchless last week after being injured against Dallas, but he has been a non-entity lately. Only 73 yards over the past three games combined, and it's not certain who will be playing quarterback this week against the Eagles.

D.J. Moore (Panthers WR) — Here's another top pass catcher who has been hurt by his team's uncertain quarterbacking. He has only one TD catch in the past nine games, not likely to change with Carolina going up against a now-desperate Bills defense.

Russell Wilson (Seahawks QB) — Speaking of uncertain quarterbacking, the Seattle star has been a little better recently after an ugly return from his finger injury. While he has a pair of TD passes in each of his past three games, he's got Aaron Donald and the Rams chasing him this week. It could get ugly again for Mr. Ciara.

SITTING STARS

Seattle RB Rashaad Penny had a career day last week against Houston, but he won't repeat that against the Rams. ... Don't expect the Seahawks' receiving duo of Tyler Lockett or D.K. Metcalf to do well, either, especially the latter . ... Tampa Bay's run defense will put a wet blanket on the numbers for Saints RB Alvin Kamara, as will the hoarding of TD opportunities by running QB Taysom Hill. ... Pittsburgh's Najee Harris won't run wild against Tennessee as the desperate Steelers focus on the passing game. ...And while Jacksonville RB James Robinson is still a long-term keeper, the Jaguars' are such an Urban disaster that you can't start any of their players, even against the almost-as-meager Texans.

MATCHUP GAME

We didn't like what we saw of the Vikings' defense late last Thursday night, so we're thinking Chicago QB Justin Fields, if healthy, and WR Allen Robinson could be fantasy playoff winners on Monday night. ... 49ers TE George Kittle has been all-world the past couple of weeks and will be again against Atlanta. So will teammate Brandon Aiyuk. ... Houston rookie QB Davis Mills has looked good lately, and might look great against the Jaguars. ... Same goes for Tennessee RB D'onta Foreman vs. the Steelers. ... And with Miami forced to rely on the passing game this week, look for big games from wideouts Jaylen Waddle and DeVante Parker against the Jets.

INJURY WATCH

Lots of uncertainty about the status of Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who will be limited by an injured ankle if he plays at all against Green Bay. ... Meanwhile, the Packers' Aaron Rodgers is complaining about his injured foot, though he's still a must-start. ... Miami's top three running backs are all on the COVID list, which means either Duke Johnson or Malcolm Brown could see No. 1 duty against the lowly Jets. ... New York, for its part, will get rookie RB Michael Carter back. ... Players added to the COVID list include revived Rams wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and Browns WR Jarvis Landry. ... Among the long list of questionables: Arizona RB James Conner, Rams RB Darrell Henderson, Denver RB Melvin Gordon, San Francisco RB Elijah Mitchell, Cleveland RB Kareem Hunt, New England RB Damien Harris, Philly RB Miles Sanders, Vikings wideout Adam Thielen, Arizona WR DeAndre Hopkins, Chargers WR Mike Williams, Raiders tight end Darren Waller, Lions TE T.J. Hockenson, and two quarterbacks: Philly's Jalen Hurts and Washington's Taylor Heinicke.

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THE DEEPEST SLEEPER

Like most of you, we had never heard of Lions RB Craig Reynolds until last weekend, when the rookie recorded 13 touches for 99 yards in his first game off the practice squad. He hails from Kutztown University, a school that has produced hall of famer Andre Reed and little else in terms of NFL talent. But D'Andre Swift could be done for the rest of the season, and Jamaal Williams is still on the COVID list. So, Reynolds could be a last-second option for those going up against Arizona on Sunday. Grab him off the waiver wire, just in case.

THE THURSDAY PICK

Chiefs at Chargers (+3 1/2 ):

Pick: Chiefs by 7

THE SATURDAY PICKS

Raiders at Browns (-6 1/2 ):

Pick: Browns by 7

Patriots at Colts (-2 1/2 ):

Pick: Colts by 3

BREAKING NEWS

We'll be updating our column, based on the latest injuries and innuendo, right up until Sunday's kickoff. Go to TwinCities.com/theloop.

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.