Week 1 saw a slew of important fantasy options go down with serious, multi-week injuries. These players’ owners might want to pass on the hot pickups of the week, and instead grab their guys’ backups. Here are the in-house handcuffs to our ailing heros.
Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys
Terrance Williams is the man who will benefit the most from Bryant’s foot fracture, which will knock him out for four to six weeks. Williams is more than 50 percent owned, however, so the next best pickup based off Week 1 looks like it’s running back Lance Dunbar. This is a unique situation; Dunbar is not listed as a wide receiver, but his eight catches Sunday night tell a different tale. He may become WR-eligible, and even if he doesn’t he could wind up being a must-start FLEX.
DeSean Jackson, WR, Redskins
D-Jax is gone for about four weeks thanks to a pulled hamstring, leaving a thin Redskins offense even worse off. Andre Roberts looks like the player most likely to fill in for Jackson, which is pretty underwhelming. There is enough talent on the waiver wire at WR to pass over Roberts. Second-year man Ryan Grant is a little more speculative, and also more exciting. In keeper leagues, dynasty leagues, or just deep formats Grant is a more fun add.
T.Y. Hilton, WR, Colts
Hilton suffered a bruised knee and is considered “day to day.” He plays on Monday night, so snagging his in-house replacement might be very important unless your team has a really nice bench option to plug in if you don’t want to sweat the game-time decision.
On Sunday, it was Donte Moncrief who benefitted the most from Hilton’s absence. There’s no reason for that not to continue. Rookie Phillip Dorsett could also see a boost, but he didn’t do anything on Sunday, so it’s smarter to wait and see if he can produce before blindly trusting him. It’s also worth noting that Hilton/Moncrief could be stranded on Revis Island Monday night after Andre Johnson laid an egg in the Colts’ opener.
Andre Ellington, RB, Cardinals
Ellington’s going to miss two to three weeks with a sprained PCL, and the battle to replace him is intriguing. The Cardinals have said free agent pickup Chris Johnson will be the “lead dog,” and he is the back most similar in style to Ellington.
Then again, Arizona’s run game was weak last year, and Johnson is coming off a sub-1,000-yard 2014 season, the first of his career. David Johnson turned heads with a 55-yard touchdown catch on Sunday, and he is the better add regardless of the Arizona coaches’ comments. Chris Johnson might be the man for now, but David Johnson should outperform him.
Derek Carr, QB, Raiders
Matt McGloin is Carr’s backup. We can move along.
Terrell Suggs, LB, Ravens/Antonio Cromartie, CB, Jets
Suggs tore his Achilles tendon and is out for the season. This is a devastating blow to the Ravens’ defense in real life, but there’s enough depth there that you don’t have to go and drop the D/ST. However keep your eyes peeled for hot defenses on the waiver wire, and consider playing matchups going forward if you find a second, quality D/ST.
Cromartie’s season looked over when he fell with a non-contact injury, but it turns out he has a sprained knee. He’s not even ruled out for Monday night, although that’s unlikely. Losing Cromartie doesn’t dramatically affect the Jets’ D/ST. He is a quality player, but they actually have depth in the secondary this year.
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