New on SI: Week 16 Fantasy Football Injury Report

How should fantasy managers adjust their lineups following Week 15's injury news?

After an

injury riddled Week 14, where a dozen fantasy football superstars went down, Week 15 was a bit kinder to us in terms of volume. But for some teams, the significance was just as bad. Two players inside the top five for their position, Dalvin Cook and Chris Godwin, couldn’t finish their games on Sunday. While the outlook is a bit more positive for the Vikings running back, there seems to be no hope for the Buccaneers receiver to get on the field in Week 16.

Our usual format this season has been to discuss each player and the length of time they’ll be out. With only one week left in the most fantasy seasons, our list is much shorter. Let’s get to it.

Won’t see them again in 2019

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hamstring

An absolutely incredible season for the Tampa Bay wide receiver has come to an end in the worst of ways. Godwin suffered a hamstring injury against the Lions and had to be carted off the field. Head coach Bruce Arians admitted the injury “doesn’t look good” and odds are we’ve seen the last of the Buccaneers playmaker in 2019.

Fantasy Impact: Godwin was having a third-year breakout campaign to end all third-year breakout campaigns. There are still two more games on the schedule but if the season ended after Week 15, Godwin would finish second in touchdowns with nine, second in yards with 1,333 and fifth in catches with 86. Considering he won’t play out the year, he’ll surely get passed in a few of those categories, but his current standing puts things in perspective for how miraculous he performed in 2019. With Godwin and Mike Evans out of the lineup, look for quarterback Jameis Winston to target receiver Breshad Perriman (five catches, 113 yards, three touchdowns in Week 15) and tight end O.J. Howard (led the team in Week 15 with eight targets). The Buccaneers receiving corps is full of injuries, as Scotty Miller also went down with a hamstring injury in Week 15.

Praying/hoping we see them in Week 16

Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings, shoulder

A shoulder injury in Week 13 caused massive panic for the Vikings, and anyone with the Minnesota running back on their fantasy teams. But somehow Cook was able to play through the pain in Week 14. Unfortunately, he aggravated the injury this past Sunday, once again causing chaos in fantasy football matchups. The Vikings’ superstar reinjured his left shoulder right before halftime and didn’t return to the game. Head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters Cook’s injury “feels good today” giving hope to all who have the dynamic back on their squad and are looking to start him in their championship.

Fantasy Impact: Trailing only Christian McCaffrey for most fantasy points by a running back, Cook is tied for the second-most touchdowns with 13 and he’s seventh in the league in rushing yards with 1,135. If he’s unable to play, it creates a massive hole in all fantasy lineups, considering he was averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game. The Vikings’ second-string running back Alexander Mattison was inactive in Week 15 due to an ankle injury, which opened the door for Mike Boone to score two touchdowns with Cook out of action. If both Mattison and Cook are unable to play, Boone and perhaps a sprinkle of Ameer Abdullah would lineup in the Minnesota backfield.