Fantasy Football Week 15 wide receiver rankings and injury

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I wanted to be optimistic about DeAndre Hopkins after Monday's game where he had 12 targets, but he is set to undergo season-ending knee surgery, putting him out for the regular season and in doubt for the NFL playoffs at this point. That's a disappointing end to Hopkins' Fantasy season, but does it open up the possibility for someone else in this offense to step up? Or possibly two someone elses?

Unfortunately, the games that Hopkins missed earlier this season probably won't tell us much, because they all overlapped with Kyler Murray's absence. Christian Kirk had 18 targets and Rondale Moore had 20 in those three games, while A.J. Green had 11 in two of them; Zach Ertz had 20. So, the Cardinals still spread it around a ton, which has been their M.O. whether it's been Murray or Colt McCoy in at QB. And I do expect that to continue to be the case, which makes it hard to trust any of them.

I'm willing to move Green and Kirk into the WR3/4 range for Week 14 against the Lions, and Moore's usage in both the running game and passing game continue to make him an intriguing player, but I'll need to see more from him before I use him. The problem is, it's not like the Cardinals were really using Hopkins as a true No. 1 receiver anyways, as his 21% target share was his lowest since his rookie season. So, it's hard to see why Green or Hopkins or Moore would step into a significantly larger role suddenly.

Here are my top 48 wide receivers for Week 15. To see the rankings from Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Heath Cummings, make sure you head here.

Injury report

Out: DeAndre Hopkins (knee; IR), Emmanuel Sanders (knee), Kadarius Toney (oblique/COVID), Jaylen Waddle (COVID), Sammy Watkins (COVID), Breshad Perriman (COVID), Marquise Brown (foot), John Ross (COVID), Eqanimeous St. Brown (concussion)
Legitimately questionable: Adam Thielen (ankle), Tyler Lockett (COVID), Jarvis Landry (COVID), Allen Robinson (COVID), Terry McLaurin (concussion), Sterling Shepard (calf), Lil'Jordan Humphrey (hamstring), Curtis Samuel (groin), Josh Reynolds (thigh), Allen Robinson (COVID), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (back), Quez Watkins (COVID), Anthony Schwartz (concussion)
Expected to play: Marquise Brown (non-COVID illness), D.J. Moore (hamstring),

As you can tell, it's kind of a mess this week. The Monday and Tuesday games have some big names whose status is completely up in the air, and if you've got to make the decision right now, you probably can't take the risk on Lockett, Thielen, or Landry; I'm a bit more optimistic about McLaurin because he was able to practice in full Saturday, however with the top two QBs on the roster still in doubt, he's probably not worth the risk either, unless you can pivot to someone like Van Jefferson or DeVonta Smith.

One bit of good news we got from those delayed games is that Odell Beckham was activated off the COVID list, so he should be good to go. I'm viewing him as more of a low-end WR2 with upside, with Van Jefferson ranking just behind him. I rank D.J. Moore in the same range, while Marquise Brown is a bit lower -- he'd be in that range if Lamar Jackson were to play, however.