Fantasy Football Week 15 Injury Update: Is Lamar Jackson worth taking the risk?

Fantasy football playoffs are upon us, but COVID-19 decided to make it more interesting this season. A mass outbreak has caused more than 40 players to land on the NFL reserve/COVID-19 list, and several games have been rescheduled for later in the week. Many starters have been replaced on the COVID-19 list with a possibility of games being pushed back, but it's not guaranteed: Jarvis Landry, Tyler Lockett, Baker Mayfield, and Taylor Heinicke to name a few.

On top of the mass outbreak, there are still the regular injuries that players are dealing with, making it quite difficult to finalize a solid roster before your fantasy football playoff matchup. One of those players who is questionable with a physical injury is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

What to do with Lamar Jackson in Week 15 fantasy football?

Lamar Jackson was taken out of the Week 14 loss to the Cleveland Browns due to an ankle injury. Luckily, the injury was not severe, and he won't be forced to miss the rest of the season. However, he hasn't practiced all week and is still listed on the injury report as questionable to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. With games on Saturday, there is a need to finalize your fantasy football lineup sooner rather than later, which begs the question as to whether or not you should hold out and risk starting Lamar Jackson this week.

First off, even if Lamar Jackson is active and able to play on Sunday, he suffered an ankle injury, and a lot of his abilities come from his mobility. That's not to say Lamar Jackson couldn't win a game by being more of a pure passer, but he's a different quarterback when he loses his range outside of the pocket. There is also the issue with his receivers that are available to him this week. Marquise Brown is also questionable with a non-COVID-19 illness. Sammy Watkins is expected to play, but his knee might not be at 100% for him to take on a major role for the Ravens if Brown is out. Watkins is merely a low-end WR2 at best in fantasy football this week.

There is also the fact that the Ravens are still in the heat of the AFC North title race. After the loss to the Browns, they are still in first place at 8-5, but the Browns and Cincinnati Bengals are one game behind at 7-6, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are in fourth at 6-6-1 but very much still in play to win the title. The Ravens have to factor in their decision to play Lamar Jackson on if they can win the AFC North without him. Tyler Huntley played exceptionally well against Cleveland, but it's not guaranteed he will be a quality fantasy football starter against Green Bay.

Odds are that Lamar Jackson will be available to be your starting quarterback in fantasy football this week. If you have another QB1 or high-end QB2 on your fantasy football roster, it would be wise to play them over Jackson. He'll be playing at less than 100%, and the Packers' defense will play that to their advantage. In standard leagues, seek out a different quarterback to play this week and wait until Lamar Jackson is fully healthy again. In deep fantasy football leagues, you may just have to gamble your championship hopes on Jackson or Huntley, if you can get him. The fantasy football playoffs are crunch time, and you'll have to make some risky choices to reach the finals.

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