Fantasy Impact of Major Week 7 Injuries
Already going into this weekend we have had some big-name fantasy stars ruled out for the week. This will cause some shakeups in the fantasy landscape. Here is just some quick advice on how these injuries will impact the on the field replacements for these players.
Michael Thomas (Hamstring)/Emmanuel Sanders (COVID) (Both Out): Two of the Saints’ top passing options have already been ruled out for this game. The players who will benefit the most from these two missing time are Lativus Murray, Tre’Quan Smith, and Jared Cook. Murray and the Saints run game as a whole should be used heavily in this game and Murray sits as a borderline RB2 in my rankings now. Smith becomes the top wide receiver for this time, it is still a tough matchup for him but due to the likely volume, he can be used in lineups as a low-end WR2. Cook should see a bump in targets and now becomes a relatively safe TE1, you are still hoping for a touchdown but the volume should be there to safely start Cook this week.
Joe Mixon (Foot) (Out): Mixon has been ruled out of this game against the Clevland Browns with a foot injury. The main beneficiary from this injury is Giovanni Bernard who will step in as the starting running back. Clevland has a decent run defense but Bernard should see work in both the passing and running game and can be started as a high-end RB3.
DeAndre Hopkins (Foot) (Questionable): There is once again questions about if Hopkins will or will not play in the Sunday night game against the Seahawks. The Seahawks are giving up the most fantasy points to wide receivers this year at 38.3 points per game. If Hopkins cannot play Christian Kirk becomes a must start for me as the top passing game option. Andy Isabella would get a bump as a potential WR3.
Aaron Jones (Calf) (Questionable): Jones popped up on the injury report late this week. This would be a massive loss to fantasy owners because he was walking into a great matchup. The Texans are giving up the most fantasy points to running backs at 28.6 fantasy points per game. If Jones is out the biggest beneficiary could be AJ Dillion. Jamaal Williams would see a few more touches but his role might not change much and he was already someone who could be started this week due to the matchup. Dillion would see a lot of the early-down work for the Packers and with the matchup could be in lineups as an RB3/Flex play with upside.
The Las Vegas Raiders Offensive Line (COVID): This is a storyline to follow for many reasons. The entire Raiders starting offensive line was sent home from practice due to potential COVID issues. If they cannot play this has some major implications. First off Tampa Bay defense should rack up the sacks and the fantasy points that come from them, they are my top defense for the week. Second Josh Jacobs takes a hit. The Buccanneers are already extremely tough to run against only giving up 15.6 fantasy points per game to running backs. If Jacobs is having to run behind a line made up of backups his holes that he has to run through will be even smaller and he could struggle to get yardage. The entire Raiders passing game takes a hit as well due to the potential lack of time Carr would have to throw the ball.