Ugh. It was a Bloody Sunday for top fantasy football running backs this past Sunday as Steven Jackson, Ray Rice, Eddie Lacy, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Reggie Bush all hit the sidelines with various maladies of differing significance. On the more severe end was the news Tuesday that Atlanta Falcons back Jackson could be out the next 2-4 weeks with a thigh injury. Jackson hurt the high early in the team's Sunday win over the St. Louis Rams and never returned as Jason Snelling led the way to a late victory. Jackson carried this kind of risk going into the season given the fact he has past the very dangerous age of 30 coming into the year and so this news is not all that surprising. Still this leaves a decent void in the lineups of Jackson's fantasy football owners and thus that hole needs to be filled. So how to go about it? Fortunately there are some interesting possible replacements which could be sitting on the wire.
The most obvious replacement pick is Snelling who did very well down the stretch last Sunday in replacing an ineffective Jacquizz Rodgers to catch some passes, run the ball solidly, and score a touchdown to save the day. Now Snelling will be relied on to be the bellweather back for the Falcons starting Sunday against the Miami Dolphins and that along makes him the best bet to take Jackson's spot on your roster. The Dolphins defense is a tough one though so it is not the greatest matchup this week. However those in PPR formats should be especially interested.
Following up on the injury tangent, Bernard Pierce is another potentially big time injury replacement, in his case for Rice who is questionable with a hip flexor injury. Pierce opened up more than a few eyes with very good production the second half of his rookie season in 2012 which included his contributions to the team's Super Bowl title. While Pierce is not the receiver Snelling is, he is a very good runner who can easily hold down a RB 2 role in Rice's place.
In addition, James Starks is a must grab now that the news leaked out that rookie RB Lacy could be out through Week 4 due to the concussion he suffered last Sunday. The Packers gave Starks almost all the work once Lacy was in the locker room and he responded by going for over 100 yards while also catching passes out of the backfield all game.
Going even further, the options get limited quick. Joquie Bell has been snatched up in most leagues if Bush can't go so that is probably out. Chris Ivory of the New York Jets and Pierre Thomas of the New Orleans Saints are also deeper guys to focus on. Either way replacing Jackson is not easy to say the least. But as always you can't throw in the towel, especially this early in the season. Rank them Starks, Snelling, Pierce, and than the rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment