With the preseason on the verge of wrapping up, rosters are rounding into form. Some players are being cut while others are fielding offers. Here are a couple of the big moves and the impact that they could have on fantasy.
Teddy Bridgewater Was Placed On The Injured Reserve.
Teddy Bridgewater is not a superstar in the world of fantasy football. His loss means significantly more to the Vikings organization than to fantasy owners. When a team loses their quarterback that calls many things into question, though.
The first question with the Vikings is always, "How does this affect Adrian Peterson." The short answer is that it does not affect him. The team was always going to pound the ball with AP and that strategy remains unchanged. Peterson carried some risk due to his age, but I feel the same about him now as I did with Bridgewater.
Stefon Diggs could be affected by this injury. He had the feel of a breakout candidate, particularly after week three of the preseason. The Vikings plan to start Shaun Hill at quarterback for the time being. They will likely bring in some waiver wire fodder to compete for the job. Diggs's value does not take a huge hit as a result. Still there is more risk there than there was and Diggs was already far from a sure thing. Peterson is likely to perform up to par, but the rest of the Vikings are a scary proposition at the moment.
Jamaal Charles Is Making Less Progress Than Anticipated.
The Chiefs' starting running back is recovering slowly from a torn ACL. Rumor has it that Charles may not be ready to go for week 1 of the regular season. The good news for the Chiefs is that they have Spencer Ware waiting in the wings. Ware has looked like an absolute bulldozer and would be a borderline RB1 as a starter. It is common knowledge that the Chiefs are a run heavy team and Ware would have huge touchdown potential with Charles sidelined. Even if Charles should suit up, Ware is still a nice flex play as he will make the most of his touches.
The Redskins Have Lost Keith Marshall For The Season.
The Redskins were a mess at running back last season. That could be the case again in 2016 as starter Matt Jones has been dinged up and ineffective. Keith Marshall, a promising rookie, is now out for the season as well. For the most part it is going to be prudent to avoid the Washington backfield. For bargain hunters Rob Kelley could be an intriguing name, however.
Kelley is an undrafted rookie but he has outplayed the rest of the running backs in Washington's backfield this preseason. In the last preseason game, Kelley ran 12 times and picked up 51 yards. This is not exactly setting the world on fire but he looked strong and decisive in his cuts. If Matt Jones struggles out of the gate, Kelley could be eating away at his carry total quickly.
Several other key fantasy contributors are suffering from injury troubles. Here are a couple of the most significant:
Dion Lewis RB NE - Placed on the PUP list.
Ladarius Green TE PIT - Placed on the PUP list.
Bruce Ellington WR SF - Placed on the IR.
Some notable players were also cut by their teams:
Brandon Tate WR CIN
Zach Mettenberger QB SD (Already Signed By PIT)
David Cobb RB TEN
drafted a 28 round 12 team league last night.. could have used a couple of these tid-bits!
Only other note-able guy I can think of is Ben Watson, also done for the year. If you even care that he’s out you might be interested in Jesse James (PIT). But speaking of BAL, someone has to catch these passes and I figured Watson to be the man…. looks like the best talent they have is Mike “Comeback” Wallace.. comeback as in, can he?
Looks like Wallace and/or Aiken could end up seeing a lot of targets. The Maxx Williams hype train should be getting back on track any day now as well. I think in the end this offense may just be ugly.