Fantasy football winners, losers: Trevor Lawrence injury spells doom

The fantasy football season has reached the exit ramp, with many leagues getting ready for championship weekend after Week 16.

A couple pass catchers have re-emerged at the perfect time, but the timing couldn’t be any worse for those who had hoped for a healthy Trevor Lawrence.

These are the players saw their fantasy values increase or decrease most based on their performances during Week 16:

Fantasy football winners for Week 16

WR DJ Chark Jr., Carolina Panthers: Chark exploded for a season-best 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers. His six receptions were also a season high, and his eight targets were his most since Week 3.

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QB Nick Mullens, Minnesota Vikings: You have to take the good with the bad with Mullens. He has consecutive 300-yard games, including 411 passing yards on Sunday. He also has two touchdown passes in each of his past two starts, but he has also been picked off six times. He needs to cut down his turnovers, or he might get ushered to the bench like Josh Dobbs did.

TE Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders: Thomas appears to be healthy again, and he has some top-10 potential at the tight end position. He posted five grabs for 36 yards and a score against the Jets, and now has four or more receptions in six of the past nine games, making him a decent low-end TE1 in PPR leagues, as long as he can stay healthy.

TE Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers: Kraft has taken advantage of an injury to Luke Musgrave, posting exactly four receptions in each of his past three games, while also going for 57 or more receiving yards in each outing, and scoring in Week 16.

WR Brandon Johnson, Denver Broncos: The former UCF receiver managed three receptions for 47 yards and a TD on his five targets Sunday night. Is it a sign of things to come? That remains to be seen, but Courtland Sutton exited the game with concussion, leading to more opportunity for Johnson.

Fantasy football losers for Week 16

QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Lawrence was knocked out of Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay, throwing for just 211 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions before departing with a shoulder issue. He is still getting back to 100% after a bout with an ankle injury, too. Lawrence has completed 58.6% or fewer passes in each of the past three games, clearly bothered by ailments.

QB Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis Colts: Minshew’s magic might be wearing off a bit. He had six TDs and two interceptions in three games from Week 13-15, but completed just 54.1% of his passes in Atlanta, and has seen his yardage total drop in each of the past three games.

RB Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals: As quickly as Brown burst upon the season, his fantasy flame has been extinguished. He had managed nine or more touches in three consecutive victories entering Week 16, but he went for just 16 rushing yards on four attempts, and saw the ball twice out of the backfield.

WR Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers: Johnson was not on the same page with new signal caller Mason Rudolph, managing just two receptions for 15 yards. He entered Week 15 with at least one touchdown in three consecutive games. He just doesn’t appears to have the rapport with Rudolph as he did with Kenny Pickett or Mitchell Trubisky.

TE Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills: Kincaid posted a single 7-yard reception against the Los Angeles Chargers, giving him just 28 receiving yards across the past three outings. Perhaps the rookie is hitting a bit of a wall as former starter Dawson Knox outperforming him at the moment.