Ahead of the Week 15 Thursday Night Football game, fantasy football managers got a shock when Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams was listed as questionable due to illness. As we head into the crucial part of the fantasy season, losing a player of Adams’ caliber could be a major blow to a fantasy team.
Let’s look at what we know entering Thursday, and whether Adams is expected to be playing when the Raiders host the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15.
Is Davante Adams Going To Play Week 15?
It is a complete unknown as things stand as to whether Adams will be playing in Week 15. Before the Raiders’ final injury report was released, there was no real indication that anything was amiss with Adams.
Additionally, with interim head coach Antonio Pierce speaking to the media ahead of practice Wednesday, we have no report as to the severity of the illness. Adams spoke to the media on Tuesday and gave no indication there was any concern over his status for this week, but that is often the case with illness.
We also have no idea what illness Adams is dealing with. There is a wide range of outcomes from a short-term issue to a more concerning longer-term situation.
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The positive in all this is that the Raiders are playing in the first game of the week. If this was a Monday Night Football game and Adams appeared on the injury report late, there might not be much fantasy managers could do. At least now, if Adams ends up missing the game, there are several options to replace him.
The bigger concern for fantasy managers is what to do if Adams is active. Chances are we won’t get a definitive statement that he is fine and will handle a normal workload. We’ve seen some players play through illness and perform well, while others have been held out or struggled to make an impact.
This is extremely frustrating for fantasy managers because Adams has a nice matchup with the Chargers in Week 15. Los Angeles has allowed 37.96 fantasy points per game to the WR position this season. The expectation is that Adams would be in line for a large portion of that. Now, there will be trepidation about starting him in case he is active merely as a decoy.
Potential Fantasy Options If Adams Is Out Include Jakobi Meyers or Hunter Renfrow
Both Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow would expect to see a boost in volume if Adams is ruled out. The other player who could see an increased role is Tre Tucker, but it is hard to project him having enough volume to see value in 12 or even 14-team leagues.
Renfrow has had somewhat of a renaissance in the past three weeks. After seeing little work through the first 10 games, the last three have seen him targeted 14 times.
He has caught 12 of those targets for 126 yards — an average of 42 yards per game. That alone is not starter-worthy in non-PPR formats, but a boost of two to three targets this week could provide more value.
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As for Meyers, he’s been the main foil for Adams this year. His value has tapered off a little as the season has worn on, but in the past three weeks, he’s generated 15 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Meyers is normally a fringe, touchdown-dependent, starter in non-PPR but would be a solid option this week if Adams were out.
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