NFL Nation Fantasy Update: Trust Jonathan Taylor, Ty Chandler?

We’re on to the second week of the fantasy football playoffs. If you’re still playing along in Week 16, you know lineup decisions will be key as we head toward championship weekend. We want to help.

Each Tuesday and Saturday during the season, ESPN fantasy analyst Eric Moody will ask our NFL Nation reporters the most pressing questions heading into the weekend and what to make of the fallout after games are played. Who is primed for a big performance, who is impacted by injuries and what roles might change? Here’s what our crew had to say about some of the biggest storylines heading into the first week of the fantasy playoffs.

What kind of workload can we expect from Jonathan Taylor?

Taylor missed three games after thumb surgery, but he insisted he remained in good cardiovascular shape during his absence and does not expect his conditioning to be impacted by the missed time. If that proves true, Taylor could get a healthy workload considering the questionable status of Zack Moss heading into the game. If Moss missed the game, the Colts do have some depth in their backfield. Reserves Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson combined for 157 yards last week. But look for Taylor to get his usual workload, as he averaged 19 carries in the three games before his injury. — Stephen Holder

What would the Jaguars’ offense look like without Trevor Lawrence?

There shouldn’t be a significant difference because C.J. Beathard likes to go down the field, too, and he’ll be dealing with the same limitations that Lawrence has had to fight through the second half of the season — an offensive line that ranks 31st in pass block win rate and 29th in run block win rate. With the run game struggling (68 yards per game over the past three games), expect a lot of short, quick passes to try and keep Beathard in favorable distances on second and third down. Also expect tight end Evan Engram and receivers to approach double-digit targets, too. — Michael DiRocco

With Alexander Mattison trending toward not playing against the Bengals, what should we expect from Ty Chandler?

I’d expect a pretty big game from Chandler, who has put it all together late in the season to earn the trust of coaches, especially in pass blocking. As a runner, he has developed strong vision and confidence in his instincts, and has a burst that gets him through holes. The Lions’ run defense has a 27% run stop win rate, the worst in the NFL, and the Vikings hope to exploit that so their offense can control the ball and time of possession. — Kevin Seifert

Will Garrett Wilson have a bounce-back performance after he got just four targets in last week’s game?

Wilson will get more than four targets against Washington — that’s a lock. The Commanders don’t have a cornerback on the level of Jalen Ramsey, who covered Wilson on 55% of his pass routes last week in Miami. The Commanders have allowed a league-high 2,785 yards to wide receivers, which bodes well for Wilson. The problem is, the Jets are starting their fourth quarterback, Trevor Siemian, who hasn’t looked good in two relief outings. — Rich Cimini

In the event that DeVonta Smith cannot play or is limited, who will fill his void in the Eagles’ passing game?

Tight end Dallas Goedert would almost certainly see a bump in targets. He has had a couple games now to get re-acclimated following an absence for forearm surgery and appears to be rounding into form. Olamide Zaccheaus is another player to consider. He has been the most productive wide receiver outside of A.J. Brown and Smith (8 catches, 144 yards, 2 TD). After another failed Jalen Hurts–Quez Watkins connection against Seattle on Monday, the Eagles might be inclined to lean more towards Zaccheaus for the near future. — Tim McManus

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