NFL DFS: Once again, we will have multiple backup quarterbacks starting this weekend, as Daniel Jones and Kyle Allen will make their second starts of the season. Of course, there are also skill players dealing with injuries. Plenty of tough decisions have to be made heading into the weekend. The big names that went down last week were Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants and with T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts. These injuries will certainly affect your DraftKings and FanDuel rosters. Let’s take a look at some replacements, like Wayne Gallman of the New York football Giants.
Don’t forget to check out “On The Contrary” with Alex Baker, Ian Hartitz, and Chris Spags from Saturday!
We have reached Week 4 of the 2019 season and byes are now a factor. The New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers have the week off, forcing fantasy owners to hit the bench or waiver wire to find viable replacements. Of course, injuries aren’t going away and continue to impact how we approach our fantasy rosters.
Saquon Barkley (ankle) out 4-8 weeks
That Giants-Buccaneers game was eventful, but unfortunately, not all of it was for the right reasons. Star running back Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss the next four-to-eight weeks, at the minimum. This is obviously a huge loss, but the show must go on. Wayne Gallman will handle the load for the Giants, likely getting anywhere between 15-20 touches each week. No, Gallman isn’t exactly the greatest player in the league, posting three 20-plus yard plays on 220 career touches. However, opportunity is king in fantasy and Gallman is now the lead back in an offense that looks way better with Daniel Jones at the helm.
In tougher matchups, you may not even look to him but Gallman gets the Redskins this week, who are coughing up 3.22 points per drive on the year, the second-worst mark in football. They are much better against the run but New York should be able to move the football here, presenting Gallman with plenty of scoring opportunities. He’s a back-end RB2 for me.
Mike Williams and Justin Jackson out for ChargersÂ
Originally, it was expected that recently reported Melvin Gordon wouldn’t suit up this week. However, Justin Jackson is in a walking boot and is ruled out for this game, opening up the door for Gordon to play some snaps. I still don’t think you should be starting him just yet but this obviously impacts Austin Ekeler, who lost snaps to Jackson last week. Jackson logged 32 snaps last week, a season-high. Ekeler can get 18-20 carries as the main back in an offense that is favored by 15 points. Only nine percent of all carries against the Dolphins have been stuffed at the line of scrimmage, which is the lowest rate in football. So yeah, this is obviously an elite matchup.
Mike Williams (back) has also been ruled out. With tight end Hunter Henry also still out, Keenan Allen’s target floor should remain 10-12. You know to play him so I won’t waste your time. However, does this make guys like Travis Benjamin or Dontrelle Inman viable? Usually, I’d only consider these guys as cheap GPP plays but the Dolphins are so bad and around 18 percent of Los Angeles’ targets are now up for grabs. Ekeler will continue to see four-to-seven targets each week while Benjamin will see an uptick in targets, especially ones deep down the field. Inman will likely line up in the slot and could see five-to-seven targets too, making both viable cheap options in a game where the Chargers should score a ton of points.
T.Y. Hilton (quad) doubtfulÂ
Hilton aggravated his quad after scoring a touchdown last gameand after missing practice all week, he is now listed as doubtful for Sunday. With Devin Funchess already out, the Colts will now rely on Zach Pascal, Parris Campbell, Deon Cain and Chester Rogers. Cain is probably my favorite because he is the immediate Hilton backup, logging 37 snaps on offense last week, leading the team. Pascal scored a touchdown but played 30 snaps, while Campbell and Rogers were at 30 and 27 snaps. The Raiders secondary is poor and have already allowed 17 passing plays of 20 yards or more, the most in the NFL. That might bode well for Cain, who leads the team in aDOT (13.6), though Pascal currently ranks second in the league in yards per target at 17.6. There is a huge price discrepancy between Cain, Campbell and Pascal, making the former my favorite.
Of course, it is possible the tight ends become more of a focal point. Through three weeks, Jack Doyle has played 138 snaps compared to just 93 for Eric Ebron. The latter has also run just one more route than Doyle (55), but both rank outside the top-24 at the position in routes run. Eric Ebron may be used as more of a wide receiver than a tight end in this game, while Doyle focuses more on run-blocking. I love Ebron as a bye week replacement for George Kittle or GPP play in DFS.
Looking for more content from Adam? Check out his comprehensive Week 4 NFL Matchups article!
