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Buckle up for Week 16, folks. The fantasy football landscape has been tough to navigate during the playoffs with injuries and COVID-19 running rampant throughout the league. Fantasy managers are just hoping that their teams don't deliver a lump of coal when it matters most.
These last two weeks, there have been some pretty big names that have gone on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and have been unavailable for the start of the fantasy playoffs. This week, the Kansas City Chiefs have been hit hard by the virus, with star tight end Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill going on the list. For now, let's focus on Hill.
Is Tyreek Hill playing this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers? If Hill doesn't get cleared before Sunday, which Chiefs receiver would benefit the most from his absence? Let's dig into Hill's placement on the COVID list and discuss the possibilities for the rest of their receivers this weekend.
Is Tyreek Hill Playing This Week Against the Steelers?
Earlier in the week Tyreek Hill was placed on the COVID-19 list. There was some hope that he would be able to clear the league's COVID protocols in time to suit up for the Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and on Saturday afternoon it was announced that he is good to go. Hill officially cleared the COVID protocols and will be able to play this week:
This is an update to the previous news and reports from earlier in the week which are below.
Tyreek Hill COVID and Injury Updates
Tyreek Hill has been placed on the COVID-19 list, and is questionable to play in Week 16 against the Steelers. Hill is vaccinated, so he has a chance to be activated from the COVID-19 list by Sunday if he tests negative and is asymptomatic. But other than that, there's really no way of knowing if he'll be activated in time to play in Week 16.
Fantasy managers that remain alive in the playoffs can do nothing else but sit back, drink their eggnog and cross their fingers that Hill will be available this weekend.
You should obviously have a backup plan in place in case Hill isn't available. But it's going to be extremely hard for fantasy managers to win without Hill in their lineups.
Is Mecole Hardman Worth Picking Up and Starting?
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman is probably your best bet as a speculative pickup this week if you have Tyreek Hill rostered or are desperate for a receiver in Week 16. This is still a fluid situation, but if one or both of Hill and Travis Kelce are out, Hardman would be in line for a serious increase in playing time, targets and catches.
Since Hill and Kelce are among the best pass-catchers in the NFL, regardless of position, it's easy for a player like Hardman to become a forgotten man. But among Chiefs wide receivers, he's second behind Hill with 47 receptions for 506 yards on 66 targets, although he's scored just once in 14 games.
Hardman's after-the-catch abilities make him a big-play threat every time he touches the ball. And if Hill is out this weekend, his playmaking abilities in Andy Reid's creative offense will give him a ton of upside as a flex play off the waiver wire.
Are Byron Pringle or Josh Gordon Worth Picking Up?
Along with Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle could be a very attractive flex play with upside in Week 16 if both Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce don't clear the COVID-19 protocols. Josh Gordon and Demarcus Robinson would also have expanded roles, but they'd be a lot harder to trust since they haven't been as involved in the offense to begin with.
Pringle checks in with 28 receptions for 402 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 41 targets through 14 games this season. And although Hardman might be better with the ball in his hands after the catch, Pringle has played more snaps (63.3%) in the last four games. However, he's only averaged three targets per game in that stretch.
Like Hardman, Pringle has plenty of speed to spare, so he'll be a boom/bust flex play if both Hill and Kelce are out.
The Chiefs have been wanting to get Josh Gordon more involved all year, but it just hasn't happened. This would be his opportunity, but he's returning from a stint on the COVID-19 list himself. Gordon hasn't played more than 43% of the offensive snaps in any of his nine games, and he's averaging one target per game.
Demarcus Robinson has been more involved than Gordon, but he only has 18 receptions for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 31 targets over 14 games played. Gordon and Robinson would merely be complementary pieces behind Hardman and Pringle if both Hill and Kelce are out.
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