NFL Preseason Week 3 Injuries: Fantasy Implications
NFL Preseason Week 3 Injuries: Fantasy Implications
Week three of the NFL preseason didn’t show much mercy to a handful of teams. The Patriots, Chiefs and Bears all fell victim to season-ending injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Losing a player for the entire season is difficult to swallow, but for it to happen during a game that doesn’t count in the standings is a whole other ordeal.
When news broke about Julian Edelman, Spencer Ware and Cameron Meredith being out for the season with knee injuries, fantasy players immediately began to contemplate the fantasy impacts. These injuries have left significant voids and created opportunities for players to step in.
For those who already drafted, let this be another testament to the rule of drafting after the NFL preseason has concluded. That being said, if you are an Edelman, Ware or Meredith owner, there is no reason to panic. You most likely weren’t relying on any of these guys to carry your team this season and you have time before the start of the season to look for replacements.
If you’ve been patient to this point and have yet to draft, your resilience has paid off. As your draft approaches, you need to adjust your rankings appropriately. Here are some things to think about when doing so.
Fantasy Football Preseason Injuries: Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman transitioned seamlessly into fantasy significance in the post-Wes Welker era for the Patriots. He has become one of Tom Brady’s most trusted wide receivers and his flexibility allows him to line up in multiple receiver spots. Last season, Edelman received 29 percent of the target share for the Patriots, which attests to his increased value in PPR leagues.
As soon as Edelman was ruled out, the Chris Hogan buzz became quite clear. If you asked me if this buzz is news or noise, I’d say noise. Hogan runs primarily on the outside, receiving 42 percent of the targets on passes over 15 yards last season. Danny Amendola is the most likely to fill the slot position, but isn’t much of a lock to stay healthy for the entire season. In his eight seasons in the NFL, Amendola has only played in 16 games twice, starting only six and four games in each season.
Brandin Cooks gets my vote for biggest beneficiary of Edelman’s absence. There are 159 targets available and expect the newly acquired speedster to see a large chunk of them. Disgruntled with not getting enough opportunities last season with the Saints, expect Cooks to be bombarded with looks from one of the best quarterbacks of all time, especially if Rob Gronkowski struggles to find a way to complete an injury-free season.
Fantasy Football NFL Preseason Injuries: Spencer Ware
The Chiefs’ situation is a lot simpler than that of the Patriots. Spencer Ware’s PCL injury has open the door for Kareem Hunt to take control of the backfield. Andy Reid came out and said right away that Hunt would take over the feature back role. The rookie has already received rave reviews throughout the NFL preseason, even as Kansas City’s number two back. Since Reid’s reign with the Chiefs began in 2013, they have ranked 14th, 9th, 6th and 14th in terms of running play percentage. Hunt has shot up the running back rankings and should be off the board in the fourth round.
If you’ve already drafted and managed to grab Hunt deeper in the draft, you’ve done yourself a huge favor. You now have a running back number two with high upside. It wouldn’t hurt to test the waters with the panicking Ware owner to see if you can’t strike a deal in your favor.
Fantasy Football NFL Preseason Injuries: Cameron Meredith
If you didn’t get a chance to see Cameron Meredith’s knee injury for yourself, just take my word that it was ugly. A brutal contact injury has left the Chicago Bears without their number one wide receiver option and potential Alshon Jeffery replacement.
Kevin White is the likely choice to become the team’s top wide receiver, but health concerns are major factor in his fantasy value. White missed his 2015 rookie campaign with a stress fracture in his shin and the final 12 games of 2016 with a fractured fibula in the same leg. White proved to be a talented pass catcher during his time at West Virginia, but has yet to log enough game to prove himself in the NFL. This season could be his opportunity with plenty of receptions available.
The player with the next biggest fantasy bump is Kendall Wright. The former Tennessee Titan moved to Chicago over the off-season, reuniting with former offensive coordinator, Dowell Loggains. Wright posted his best season in 2013 with 94 receptions and 1,079 yards in Loggains’ system. Most notably, Wright saw 8.7 targets per game that year, which are 2.7 more than his average without Loggains as offensive coordinator. The combination of opportunity and familiarity have the potential to make Wright a sneaky late round sleeper.
The Chicago passing attack will take a step backwards with Meredith’s injury, but the running game might be affected as well. Opposing defenses could be more likely to stack the box against the Bears now that they are lacking a proven vertical threat. Consequently, this could translate to difficulties for Jordan Howard to find space to run. I wouldn’t overreact as Meredith isn’t an elite receiver, but it wouldn’t be ridiculous to drop Howard down one or two spots in your running back rankings.
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