Injuries are always a part of real and fantasy football. This year seems to be different with the sheer number of players coupled with the fact there have been many Tier 1 talents injured. Week 4 saw Malik Nabers leave early with a season ending ligament injury and the MNF game saw a horrible injury for Tyreek Hill. Razzball favorite Ricky Pearsall and his 49er teammate Jauan Jennings are now officially on the bruised and banged list with Pearsall’s status up in the air and Jennings vowing to play in the short-turn SNF contest. Though the Lamar Jackson injury does not appear to be as serious as some others to date, those in single QB leagues will now be looking for insurance should Jackson miss time.
I just shake my head as each injury occurs because I know we are only four weeks in and there are bound to be additional ailments on the horizon. Stay the course and work your waiver wire and open some trade discussions. We do not quit!
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WAIVERS:
ADD OF THE WEEK = RB Woody Marks – 31% rostered: Before anyone goes crazy, please recognize Houston played a rather disappointing Tennessee team. Also, Houston’s O-line is not great. In fact, that line is not even considered good. With the amount of RB injuries and the stats reflecting less than stellar output from the position, I like Marks as more than a flier. He is a must add in all formats.
QB: Well, folks, the usual suspects are still on your waiver wire. In my home league, I am considering cutting bait named Trevor Lawrence and either using my back-up, Jake Browning, or streaming from this point forward. The only time, in my long and storied fantasy football career, I have ever considered or practiced streaming at the QB position is in one QB leagues during the bye week for my QB1. I waited (too long) on QB this season and am now staring down Lawrence each week. He simply is not cutting it, so I will be looking for favorable matchups moving forward. The short list at QB includes Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz, Bryce Young and even Jaxson Dart. Wish me luck!
RB: I handed you Kenneth Gainwell – 23% rostered and he delivered for the Steelers and any fantasy managers that added him to cover down for Jaylen Warren who missed Week 4. Gainwell has been in the mix for Pittsburgh regardless of Warren’s health, so he is more than a speculative add at this point.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Jeremy McNichols – 3% rostered & Chris Rodriguez – 5% rostered can be added if you have a season long supply or antacids. I cannot figure out this backfield and I am not alone. Add either if you absolutely must have RB coverage during the upcoming bye weeks. Neither can truly be trusted to own the position for Washington. That goes for Bill, too. This is a mess, and I want to stay away from it if I can.
Kendre Miller – 5% rostered saw double-digit carries for the first time this season. He also found the end zone which is a huge bonus. Miller looked more explosive than Alvin Kamara. With the Saints at 0-4, and not expected to compete at all this season, the Saints may look to trade AK47 which will open the door for Miller to be the lead dog in the Big Easy. Miller is probably slightly more than a stash at this point.
Ollie Gordon II – 32% rostered: Got some early and very late carries on MNF? Speculative add only.
WR: Romeo Doubs – 40% rostered: I sure do love me some Romeo Doubs considering I am a Packers fan. Going back to last season, I lauded Doubs as Jordan Love’s favorite target, and I continue to feel that is the case. It does not take a genius to see the value of Doubs in the red zone with his three TDs on SNF. Josh Jacobs is still the first option for this Green Bay offense, but you can do much worse than throwing Doubs in your FLEX position moving forward.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Darius Slayton – 2% rostered led the Giants in targets after Malik Nabers went down. Slayton is the clear downfield threat for the Jaxson Dart Giants. Nabers gone means Slayton’s stock is on the rise. If Dart can figure a way to throw for more than 111 yards (his Week 4 output) then I think Slayton becomes more valuable.
Sterling Shepard – 4% rostered: The Tampa Bay offense is still friendly for Shepard with the absence of Mike Evans. He did not shine in Week 4 (two catches) with the return of Chris Godwin, but he was still out there and might be a deep stash option.
Elic Ayomanor – 31% rostered: This is the only current optimistic player for the Titans offense. I like the seven targets. I like three TDs in four weeks. I do not like the offense enough to start him with confidence.
KaVontae Turpin – 15% rostered: Dude was open, A LOT against the Packers. CeeDee Lamb is on the shelf for at least three more weeks. Dallas throws A LOT. At this point, what do we have to lose by acquiring a lightning fast WR in a pass happy offense?
TE: Darren Waller – 8% rostered and Mason Taylor – 6% rostered looked great on MNF. They are welcome additions to this column considering the position is messy and often unproductive. The only other name that is relatively appealing is Theo Johnson – 5% rostered as he appears to have a decent connection with Jaxson Dart and, based on Nabers being done for the year, will undoubtedly receive more looks.
As mentioned above, it has only been two weeks, so if you lost, got smashed even, relax. It will be OK. There is no need to rush to drop any specific player, unless you see the name in the opening paragraph.
Follow me @stiles08 on X and send questions comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs. We have a ton of free content, including our Defensive Slot vs. Wide and Zone vs. Gap tools and articles from our crack team of writers.
-Stiles-
