The Washington Football Team is going to potentially head into their NFC East clash with the Philadelphia Eagles without QB Taylor Heinicke. Earlier this week, Heinicke was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list along with backup quarterback Kyle Allen. The signal-callers have until 4 PM ET today to test out of the protocols in order to play three hours later. What are the latest updates on Heinicke, and can fantasy football managers rely on him Tuesday night?
Update 12/21/21: According to Tom Pelissero, both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen did not clear COVID protocols. Neither will be active tonight, and Garrett Gilbert will be the starter.
Is Taylor Heinicke playing tonight?
As of right now, it is unclear whether or not Heinicke will play tonight. As mentioned above, he has until 4 PM ET to test out of COVID protocols. When the NFL postponed both this Washington vs. Eagles game and the Rams vs. Seahawks, the hope was that some of the players impacted would be able to have two negative tests in a row so they could play. So far, that has not been the case.
Washington’s current COVID situation is one of the worst in the league alongside the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams. In addition to the 15 players that remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Washington announced it also will be without seven assistant coaches: running backs coach Randy Jordan, wide receivers coach Drew Terrell, defensive line coach Sam Mills, defensive backs coach Chris Harris, assistant defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer, defensive quality control coach Vincent Rivera, and defensive coaching intern Christian Garcia.
When head coach Ron Rivera was asked about his QB situation on Sunday, he said both Heinicke and Allen were “trending up”. He expressed optimism that at least one of them would be able to clear protocols ahead of tonight’s game.
“Well, I do know, having seen the numbers, that they’re trending up,” Rivera said. “That’s a good thing. But this is a tricky thing. It’s a health matter. And, depending on how things go in the next 24-36 hours, we’ll know even more.”
If he plays, can Heinicke be a reliable fantasy option against the Eagles?
There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding this Eagles vs Washington matchup. Is Heinicke playing? Will we see Jalen Hurts on the other side of the ball? Can Washington perform offensively with so many missing pieces?
The reality is that most fantasy managers would be better off avoiding this one altogether. However, with this being part of a Tuesday doubleheader, you might not have a choice but to start some of these guys.
Luckily, both stud RB Antonio Gibson and WR Terry McLaurin will play. The problem is that the Eagles’ defense is top 10 against the run and top three against the pass.
So, even if Heinicke does play, his fantasy upside is limited. Even on a good day, Heinicke is still only the 16th-best QB in fantasy right now, averaging 16.52 points per game. Considering the terrible COVID situation, combined with the fact that WFT is playing one of the better defenses in the league, things are dire for Heinicke this week.