Saquon Barkley injury: Fantasy replacements for your team

These three running backs are priority pickups if you’re a Saquon Barkley owner.

Fantasy football owners across the country are holding their breath as they wait for an injury update on Saquon Barkley. The Giants’ star running back was taken to the locker room after injuring his knee early in the second quarter, creating a crater-sized hole in New York’s backfield and fantasy lineups.

Replacing a player of Barkley’s caliber isn’t easy, but in the immediate future here are three viable pickups to help your squad.

Dion Lewis, New York Giants

The easiest path here is to simply scoop up Barkley’s backup, Dion Lewis. The former Patriot and Titan doesn’t offer the immense running upside that Barkley does but has excellent skills as a pass-catcher.

Lewis is also familiar with new Giants’ head coach Joe Judge from his time in New England and should be in line for an immense workload if Barkley misses time. Consider Lewis your top priority on the waiver wire.

Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts

He may not be on the waiver wire after his performance last week, but scooping up Hines is a savvy play if he is still available. Hines will split carries with Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis and should have a defined role as a receiving running back in the Colts’ system. Philip Rivers loves throwing the ball to his backs so there is plenty of value to be had with Hines.

Adrian Peterson, Detroit Lions

The signing of Peterson in Detroit led to a bit of a shrug but he has quickly shown that he still has some juice left at age 35. Peterson carried the ball 14 times for 93 yards last week and should maintain a solid share of a committee situation in Detroit. Shooting for a role is the best bet here so look closely at Peterson’s usage in Week 2 before taking the plunge.