Another week, another batch of injuries to contend with in the real
world and in fantasy, though not nearly as many as we’re accustomed to seeing. The biggest near-term news is Ben
Roethlisberger’s alleged torn meniscus.
When I tore my meniscus 22 years ago, recovery and rehab took about four
months. Big Ben might return in three
weeks. There will be plenty of panicky
sellers; if you can afford to stash him, I’d trade a top 8-12 QB for him
without hesitation.
But as we saw last season, Ben’s loss hurts almost every Steeler. Landry Jones was adequate at best last season
when forced into action. Expect steep
fantasy drop-offs for all offensive players not named Le’Veon Bell. The fact is, Bell enjoyed big numbers last
year even while Ben was sidelined. If
you can scare an opponent into giving him up for anything less than top dollar,
consider yourself lucky.
One note on Brown: I would absolutely sell high. The unpredictability of Ben’s return,
combined with a bit more of a share-the-wealth passing game, has left Brown
well off of last year’s pace in targets, receptions, and yards. His five TDs position make him look like a
more elite receiver than he actually is.
Don’t get me wrong: there are few players I’d rather have year to
year. But if you can trade him for Bell
or Elliott or Julio Jones—or even package him with an RB3/4 or WR3/4—barring injuries,
you’ll come out ahead. Even when Ben
returns, I don’t see Brown as a top 5 WR.
Over the years, few players have teased fantasy footballers more than
Eddie Royal. He’ll mix bursts of fantasy
dominance with two-catches-for-23-yards letdowns. And then there are injuries. Battling a calf ailment this past week, Royal
suffered a toe injury in the first half.
Whenever he returns to action, the rise of Cameron Meredith leaves
little room for Royal as a starter-caliber WR.
Davante Adams left yesterday’s game with concussion symptoms. He’s been a surprising fantasy producer this
season. But we saw yesterday that Ty
Montgomery and even Jeff Janis are available to help pick up the slack. Adams was one of my favorite sell-high WRs
entering Week 6, and clearly nothing has changed.
And some inverted injury news: Dak Prescott continued to roll Sunday
despite a tough road matchup and despite another week without Dez Bryant. I gave up Derek Carr for Prescott several
weeks ago (I also received a small WR upgrade, but still . . .); it’s finally starting
to pay off. Prescott continues to
strengthen his grip as Dallas’s franchise QB.
He’s a QB1 who could be acquired for much less with Romo’s name still
lingering.