By Mike McCarthy
Has your fantasy team survived week one? There was multiple injuries to big name players this weekend that has them out for a little while. Colts’ star receiver T.Y. Hilton is day to day and will be out a couple of weeks with a bruised knee that he suffered during Sunday’s loss to. the Buffalo Bills. Hilton shouldn’t miss a lot of time but he will be missed by Andrew Luck and fantasy football owners alike.
Dallas Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant broke a bone in his right foot while making a catch against the New York Giants on Sunday night. He has already had surgery to insert metal screws into his foot and is due back in four to six weeks, but could be out for up to eight weeks. The Cowboys are without a solid number two receiver to step up behind Terrance Williams over the next month or two. They are currently having multiple receivers in to fill the immediate need.
Other key offensive injuries include Washington Redskins’ top receiver Desean Jackson and Arizona Cardinals starting running Andre Ellington. Jackson is expected to miss three to four weeks with a pulled hamstring. This will not only affect the passing game but also the team’s return game. Ellington suffered a grade 1 PCL sprain and will miss this coming week and potentially the week after. This is a minor loss compared to the others, with the Cardinals having multiple available backs behind Ellington to pick up the slack.
Some top targets to replace your injured this week in a regular 10-12 team league are:
- James Jones WR, GB Packers. Jones stepped up big in his return to Green Bay this week with two touchdowns and 51 receiving yards.
- Tyler Lockett WR, Sea. Seahawks. Lockett has some breakaway speed and if you are in a league where PR yards count, he took one to the house last week and it could happen again.
- Brandon Coleman WR, NO Saints. Coleman is a solid number WR3 in New Orleans behind Colston and Cooks. At 6’6 he will be a big body for Drew Brees to look for in the end zone.
- Bishop Sankey RB, TN Titans. Sankey rushed for 74 yards and a TD this past week and also caught a touchdown pass from Marcus Mariota. He seems to be the feature back for the Titans as of now with David Cobb out for the foreseeable future.
- Dion Lewis RB, NE Patriots. Lewis has taken the Shane Vereen spot this season and is good for rushing and receiving yards out of the backfield. Pick him up as a low end RB2 or a flex position spot for catches and some yardage.
There are plenty of other options out there for your fantasy team, just make sure they are up to par. One other option you may want to consider to replace Ellington is his backup, Chris Johnson. Johnson who was a fantasy god a few years back has slowed down a little bit, but is a good plug-in for most fantasy owners. Not a bad idea to handcuff Ellington and Johnson together if you have the room on your bench.
Jared Zero