Fantasy Football: Who’s fantasy value went up after the preseason injuries?
Man football can be a brutal sport. I always hate seeing players go down with injuries especially something season ending in a preseason game. It brings back the debate on whether or not we need preseason, or if starters should even play. Preseason injuries are the main reason I think you should have your fantasy draft as late as possible. I remember a couple years ago in one of my leagues Jordy Nelson tore his ACL the day after a draft where I took him and it was pretty frustrating. However on the fantasy football spectrum you just have to accept it, find another player, and move on. Don’t be that guy that blames the player because he’s on your team. You have to remember that although fantasy football is fun, it’s not something most players enjoy hearing about. Especially when they get injured the last thing they’re thinking about is oh boy I sure disappointed Jon, I can’t score him fantasy points now. Like I said, don’t be that guy and move on. With that being said lets get into who’s fantasy stock was affected after the big preseason injuries.
Injured Player- Julian Edelman (New England Patriots)
Injury- ACL Tear (Out for season)
Affected Players- Tom Brady, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan
Tom Brady is affected more than anybody else by this blow to the Pats offense. Brady loses his go to guy, the player I’d argue he has had the most chemistry with since Randy Moss. Brady’s fantasy stock goes down for sure but not by too much. I still think he will score among the top 3 QBs in fantasy this year without Edelman.
Brandin Cooks will most likely see a boost in fantasy value, but I’m still a bit hesitant to say that. Cooks was just recently acquired by the Patriots and has yet to build that chemistry with Brady. However the raw talent is there and if Cooks can learn the plays he will be a borderline WR 1 this year.
Chris Hogan will become Brady’s go to guy this year. After just watching these guys the past season and what happened after Edelman went down, I think Hogan will take a bigger role than people think this season. Hogan’s ability for the deep ball as well as his excellent route running puts him at a very good flex play and borderline WR2 capabilites this year.
Injured Player- Spencer Ware (Kansas City Chiefs)
Injury- PCL Tear (Out for season)
Affected Players- Kareem Hunt, Charcandrick West
Kareem Hunt is an interesting fantasy option with Ware going down. In the game that Ware was injured Hunt appeared to already be splitting first team reps so the Chiefs must have already seen some great play from the rookie. I think with the Chiefs usage of their RBs in the offensive scheme this puts Hunt at low RB1 high RB2 value for this season. Obviously don’t draft him in the first couple rounds, but if he is available anywhere past the 6th round I would pick him up.
Charcandrick West is the other RB on the Chiefs I would consider taking in your draft. West has shown the ability to perform as a quality fantasy RB in the absence of Jamal Charles and Spencer Ware in the past couple seasons. West’s fantasy stock went up, however I think he is just a high priority handcuff for Kareem Hunt owners.
Injured Player- Cameron Meredith (Chicago Bears)
Injury- ACL Tear (Out for season)
Affected Players- Mike Glennon/Mitchell Trubisky, Kevin White, Victor Cruz
Mike Glennon/Mitchell Trubisky- Honestly, I don’t think either of these guys are a viable fantasy starter this year, and if that wasn’t enough whoever does get the nod at QB lost their best WR. Meredith was putting up pretty nice numbers towards the end of the season. Unfortunately he won’t be able to build upon that impressive finish. If you planned on drafting either of these guys I wouldn’t, unless it was a 2QB league and you’re desperate.
Kevin White is a guy that I think takes advantage of this opportunity (if he can stay healthy). White was extremely impressive in college and despite his disappointing 2016 campaign I think he can carve out a role for himself in this offense. White’s fantasy stock definitely goes up but I still don’t think of him as more than a sleeper option right now.
Victor Cruz can definitely become that guy in Chicago. While their offense doesn’t look too particularly great from a fantasy standpoint, someone’s gotta score in Chicago. I think the Bears revolve their offense around Jordan Howard, but Cruz definitely gets an uptick in targets with Meredith going down. We have all seen what Cruz can do, and I think hes worth a late round pick this year in fantasy.
That’s all for this week, if you enjoy be sure to check back here for more interesting stuff.
Written By: Jon Tetreault ( @jtetreault13 )