NFL Injury Report 2024 - Fantasy Football Week 16: Patrick Mahomes & More
With Week 16 on the horizon and fantasy football players in full swing, some massive news regarding NFL injuries is on the forefront of our minds.
Hold on hunny, I’m reading the fantasy football injury report to see if Alvin Kamara, Patrick Mahomes, and Jaylen Waddle are playing or if I’m hitting the waiver wire hard heading into my semi-final matchup.
NFL Injury Report For Week 16: Fantasy Football Injuries
Those are just some of the big names on the Week 16 NFL Injury Report.
Let’s dive into the rest!
NFL Week 16 Injury Report: Quarterbacks
Patrick Mahomes Injury Update - Ankle
It’s official; Patrick Mahomes has a mild high-ankle sprain. He’s been deemed week-to-week and will almost assuredly miss the Chiefs Week 16 contest and then it’s a short turnaround on Christmas day in Week 17. We’ll see how his ankle responds in the upcoming days and weeks.
Jalen Hurts Injury Update - Finger
Jalen Hurts confirmed with the media that he’s had a broken ring finger on his left hand and that it’s impacted his play. It didn’t impact his play in Week 15 as he threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll continue to play through the injury.
Geno Smith Injury Update - Knee
When speaking with the media on Monday, head coach Mike Macdonald said everything was structurally OK with Geno Smith’s knee and when texting with Smith, Macdonald said he seemed to be in good spirits. He also included that there’s a chance Geno Smith plays this weekend.
Tommy DeVito Injury Update - Concussion
Tommy DeVito was knocked out of Sunday’s game due to a concussion and was unable to return. We’ll see how things play out this week for DeVito and the Giants, but it could be Tim Boyle under center if DeVito isn’t cleared out of concussion protocol.
NFL Week 16 Injury Report: Running Backs
Alvin Kamara Injury Update - Groin
This is a situation that seems very… undecided. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi said that the tests were inconclusive and with the Saints completely out of the playoff picture, it makes you wonder if we will see Alvin Kamara again this year. If it’s not serious, I’m sure he’ll be back, but Rizzi said it’s a groin abductor injury.
David Montgomery Injury Update - Knee
Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed with the media on Monday that David Montgomery is out for the remainder of the year with an MCL tear. Tough, tough blow for the Detroit Lions.
Tony Pollard Injury Update - Ankle
Tony Pollard seemingly re-aggravated his ankle in Week 15 and was out snapped by Tyjae Spears as a result. It remains to be seen if this will keep Pollard out in Week 16, but we’re likely on a similar practice schedule as we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks that keeps Pollard out for at least the first two days of the week.
Nick Chubb Injury Update - Foot
Nick Chubb is just one of the easiest guys to root for and also one of the unluckier players in professional sports. He once again had his season come to an end because of an injury, this time due to a broken foot.
Jaleel McLaughlin Injury Update - Quad
After hurting his quad in the Broncos Week 15 win, Jaleel McLaughlin was listed as a DNP on the team's estimated injury report on Monday. The Broncos are on a short-week and play on Thursday night football against the Chargers.
NFL Week 16 Injury Report: Wide Receivers
Jaylen Waddle Injury Update - Knee
Head coach Mike McDaniel spoke with the media on Monday and told reporters that the injury isn’t anything serious but it’s something that is considered day-to-day. His status for Week 16 is definitely up in the air.
Xavier Legette Injury Update - Groin
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters that Xavier Legette is week-to-week with a groin injury and is expected to miss the Panthers Week 16 game. The team has not ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign, however.
Alec Pierce Injury Update - Concussion
Alec Pierce is in concussion protocol per head coach Shane Steichen. The Colts play on Sunday, so we’ll see how fast Pierce can work his way through the protocol.
Curtis Samuel Injury Update - Shoulder
Curtis Samuel hurt his shoulder in Week 15 and head coach Sean McDermott is listing him as day-to-day heading into Week 16.
NFL Week 16 Injury Report: Tight Ends
Zach Ertz Injury Update - Concussion
After leaving in Week 15, Zach Ertz has officially been placed in concussion protocol. The Commanders have a big divisional matchup against the Eagles this week, so we’ll see if Ertz can work his way back for a revenge game.
Will Dissly Injury Update - Shoulder
After missing last week's game with a shoulder injury, Will Dissly’s estimated practice status as the Chargers take the field on Thursday was DNP. It’s not a good start to the week for Dissly.
Player News
Packers signed WR Bo Melton, RB Emanuel Wilson, and P Daniel Whelan to their exclusive rights free agent tenders.
Melton caught on with the Packers in 2023, totaling 16 receptions for 218 yards and a touchdown in five games. He added eight receptions for 91 yards in 17 games last season. Melton will continue to be a depth piece in an already-deep Packers wide receiver room. Wilson has also been with the Packers for two seasons and rushed for 502 yards and four touchdowns as Josh Jacobs’ immediate backup last season. He will compete with MarShawn Lloyd for that role again. Whelan is the team’s punter and will be back for 2025. All three signed their exclusive rights free agent tender and will essentially be on one-year contracts this season.
Seahawks re-signed Johnathan Hankins to a one-year contract.
Hankins hasn’t had a PFF run defense grade above 52.4 since 2020 and is primarily called on to play early downs. He turned 33 in March. He’ll be a complimentary piece behind Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy II if he makes the roster out of training camp.
Chargers placed the UFA tender on RB J.K. Dobbins.
This gives the Chargers exclusive negotiating rights if he does not sign with a team by July 22 or the first 2025 NFL training camp opens, whichever comes first. The tag is mainly useful for compensatory pick reasons as Dobbins will still count towards Los Angeles’ haul in the formula if signed before then. The Chargers currently do not project to add a pick in 2026 per Over The Cap’s Nick Korte.
49ers signed OT D.J. Humphries.
Humphries played in only two games for the Chiefs last year as he spent most of the season rehabbing a late 2023 torn ACL on his own. He wasn’t appreciably good in either of those games, but he was rusty and does have a history of better than that. Entering his age-32 season for the 49ers, he’ll probably be trying to win the right tackle job opposite Trent Williams in training camp.
Patriots released LS Joe Cardona.
The team selected his replacement, Julian Ashby, in the seventh round of the draft. This snapper of balls who are longer than usual is only 33, and it’s possible he picks up his career elsewhere. There aren’t too many remaining Patriots Regimes in the wild in 2025, but Nick Caserio does still run the Texans and they let Jon Weeks walk this offseason so that’s one speculative fit.
NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill said he would be “flabbergasted” if Derek Carr played for the Saints this year.
“I would have trouble understanding why you would allow that to happen, you’re trying to build a new culture, you can’t let that guy ... you just got a rookie QB, this is the example you’re going to give him,” Underhill continued. Both Underhill and Mike Triplett believe Tyler Shough will be starting for the Saints in Week 1, with Underhill saying he had “80 percent or higher odds to start 80 percent of the games this year.” Shough would be an uninspiring superflex pick, perhaps a QB3, but given how things have played out with Carr over the past months it sure doesn’t seem like the Saints have a reason to want to continue this relationship. Mickey Loomis literally asked reporters to stop asking him Carr questions at his pre-draft press conference.