The Way This Works...
Late-week injuries, suspensions, and unexpected coaching decisions with personnel can upend a fantasy lineup.
We developed this feature to give you resources to navigate potential player losses and stay ahead in free-agent bidding wars by securing an early look at the week's future fantasy flavor.
As the author of the most comprehensive scouting analysis of skill players since 2006, I'm one of those resources—especially for players at the bottom of depth charts, practice squad hopefuls, and even the occasional case of the guy training at home with dreams of that phone call from an NFL team.
Every week, I'll walk you through the shortlist of players who will get their shot to contribute as replacements for players falling victim to unexpected late-week events.
I won't update this piece over the weekend, but you'll get the goods on players worth considering, and over the past three years, this column has offered plenty of quality short-term and long-term options — many of them as preemptive picks.
This is a partial list, but you get the point.
We'll examine three types of replacements:
- Players who get immediate playing time.
- Preemptive additions from your league's waiver wire.
- Options worth monitoring in case the established backup eventually misses time.
Many of these players are late-round picks and street-free agents. I'm not giving you obvious waiver candidates that will command a large percentage of your FAAB dollars. You'll often find these options in your First-Come, First-Served section late in the week before kickoff.
If you think street-free agents won't be factors, talk to Rico Dowdle, Kyle Monangai, Christian Watson, Parker Washington, Michael Wilson, and Colby Parkinson last year. What about Jordan Mason the year before? James Robinson would like to tell you about his 2020 campaign. And Raheem Mostert has time on his hands if you need a deeper consultation.
Past Replacements
This is where I will keep a running list of previous recommendations with brief thoughts about them moving forward if they are still available. I update my categorization as we learn more.
Add Now
WR Rashod Bateman (Ravens): Bateman looked like the No.1 receiver the Ravens hoped he'd become all along. The coaching staff's plan with Bateman has been to move him around to generate mismatches. We'll see if Bateman remains a viable entity when Zay Flowers returns. Flowers isn't practicing as of Thursday, so expect another week with Bateman as one of the top two passing-down options.
RB Emmett Johnson (Chiefs): If you watched Week 2's Chiefs game, you now know why I listed Johnson as a preemptive addition. Johnson was quick, agile, powerful, and physical.
Now a popular Week 3 waiver-wire addition, you're likely out of luck unless you're in a shallow league with 8-10 teams and small roster sizes. If you have Ken Walker III, it's important you consider Johnson as your quality backup, especially when Walker is on pace for a record workload and has a history of missing games.
Preemptive
WR Jaylin Noel (Texans): Noel earned 5 targets against the Bengals but caught only 1 for 31 yards. As productive as C.J. Stroud was, he could not hit Noel with accurate throws. Kayshon Boutte delivered 3 catches for 37 yards last week. Noel and Boutte are on even ground with targets after I had Noel as an Add Now and Boutte as a Monitor. Both are viable considerations in future weeks, especially if the Texans have additional trouble executing on the ground.
WR Kayshon Boutte (Texans): Boutte made good catches this week, especially over the middle. He looks like he's quickly getting comfortable with the offense, and his versatility is showing up in how the Texans use him. Short-term, I like Boutte's fantasy value more than Noel's, but long-term it's still close because Noel earned more targets from C.J. Stroud, and we should see that volume remain in place and eventually click.
Monitor
RB Demond Claiborne (Vikings): Claiborne had one touch against the Bears for two yards while Aaron Jones Sr. shouldered the workload like a proven veteran. Jones will continue to shoulder the load for as long as he stays healthy or as long as both teams are still competitive during the game. Claiborne is worth watching to see signs of life, but that's it.
Ignore
None at this time.