The Replacements: Week 7

Photo: USA Today Sports

The Coronavirus recently forced sports to adopt unique measures to produce a playing season. While there's still potential for a positive test to sideline a player for at least three weeks, and there’s no way of projecting how many positive cases occur during the NFL season, there are also compelling factors beyond illness that create a demand for this feature: Late-week injuries, suspensions, and coaching decisions with personnel.

We developed this feature to give you resources that will help you weather the potential loss of players.

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, signed to practice squads, and training at home with dreams of that phone call from an NFL team.

Each 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. This feature is also a great list for preemptive selections, a method of free agent shopping that's successful for a lot of fantasy GMs who reserve their funds for one costly addition and to stream defenses and kickers.

I won't be updating this piece over the weekend, but you'll get the goods on players worth consideration, and based on the past last two years, this column offered a lot of quality short-term and long-term options — many of them as preemptive picks:

• Khalil Herbert
• Craig Reynolds
• Boston Scott
• Josh Reynolds
• James Robinson
• Robert Tonyan Jr
• Travis Fulgham
• Tim Patrick
• Russell Gage
• Braxton Berrios
• Duke Johnson Jr
• Rashaad Penny
• Davis Mills
• A.J. Dillon
• Tyler Conklin

This is a partial list, but you get the point.

We’ll examine three types of replacements:

1. Players who get immediate playing time.
2. Pre-emptive additions from your league’s waiver wire.
3. 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. These are options you'll often find in your First-Come, First-Serve section during the latter part of the week prior to kickoff.

If you think street-free agents won’t be factors TySon Williams from Week 1 last year is on Line 1 waiting for you to pick up. Craig Reynolds is on Line 2. Boston Scott is waiting patiently on Line 3. They each have a long list of players before them who would like to make an appointment to set you straight. 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.

WEEK 6 REVIEW

Add Now:

• Geno Smith: Safe to say he's playing well enough and in a good position to be considered for real as a starter.
• Eno Benjamin: His the safest choice as the lead back on Thursday with James Conner still out and rookie Keaontay Ingram (see below) replacing Darrel Williams. Ingram could earn more playing time after a limited but good first impression last week. Still, Benjamin is the known quantity in this passing offense. Expect numbers on par with low-end RB2 production that could be higher with a receiving score from the red zone. When Conner returns, Benjamin could still retain low-end flex value while Wiliams is out and if Ingram doesn't earn more touches.
• Khalil Shakir: Fantasy analysts will tell you that Shakir is a short-term fix who had one good game, and you should sell due to his fifth-round draft capital. Bills fans will tell you that Shakir clearly has more talent as a future fixture than Isaiah McKenzie. While I agree, don't expect McKenzie to lose his job due to injury. Shakir is a good short-term addition who might expand his role but think of his ceiling as a bye-week player this year.
• Nico Collins: He led the Texans receivers with 6 targets, 4 catches, and 65 yards prior to last week's bye.
• Gus Edwards: Now practicing, Edwards is worth adding, even if he's a week or two away from meaningful value.
• Jared Goff, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Davis Mills: I presumed most of your league doesn't have them as free agents, but I'm listing them here if that's not the case. I'd roll with them in this order of preference, but Garoppolo and Mills are close enough that I wouldn't fault anyone for opting for Mills.
• Odell Beckham: I can't think of many scenarios where it doesn't make complete sense to add him.
• Darius Slayton: After a solid week against the Packers, Slayton had one catch for 14 yards against the Ravens. The box score doesn't show that he was targeted twice in the end zone and one of those targets drew a penalty. Give it another week because this offense cannot live off Daniel Bellinger and Saquon Barkley alone.
• Marvin Jones: He suffered a hamstring injury late last week and wound up a surprise scratch for Week 6.

Preemptive Pick:

• Keaontay Ingram: Eno Benjamin will start again with James Conner (ribs) unlikely to go this week and Darrel Williams still out with a knee sprain. Ingram is a longshot for a big game but could make an impression over the next two weeks to potentially leapfrog Williams with a strong performance. He performed well with limited touches last week. Expect more this week if Kliff Kingsbury has an ounce of sense, but not enough to be all-in on him as a fantasy contributor. Adding him is a calculated gamble on talent earning an opportunity and potentially running with it.
• Isiah Pacheco: Locked in a committee, Pacheco's heaviest workloads come as a closeout option in blowouts. However, the rest of the Chiefs' backfield isn't that far ahead of him in volume, which keeps Pacheco an intriguing option to keep on your roster if you have the luxury. If not, he's a gamble that will likely tease more than fulfill fantasy expectations.
• Josh Reynolds: A viable flex or bye-week option in most leagues, Reynolds is often the second or third option in Jared Goff's progressions and occasionally the first read. He won't beat top man-to-man coverage with timing routes, but he's reliable in the middle of the field and at the boundary against off-coverage.
• Latavius Murray: Nathaniel Hackett's offense and personnel decisions will drive you to madness. Murray can still produce, but whether he'll remain a high-volume option is a guessing game.
• Caleb Huntley: He was more efficient than Tyler Allgier two weeks ago but earned 8 carries to Allgier's 13. Last week, Huntley out-touched Allgier 16-15 and outgained Allgeier 59-51. Neither back was a factor in the passing game.
• Dontrell Hilliard: He sees more playing time in a Titans offense that won't dominate game scripts. He's a good receiver and earning red-zone duty in this capacity. The biggest concern is if the Titans switch to Malik Willis and Willis opts to run more than check the ball, a legitimate possibility based on his playing habits at Liberty and last week.
• Marcus Mariota: The veteran journeyman is a weekly threat to deliver strong ground-aided fantasy production despite below-average fantasy value as strictly a passer.
• Richie James: James still looks like one of the most reliable receivers in the Giants' lineup but it doesn't make him consistently productive.
• Tyler Conklin: Zach Wilson's presence in the lineup hasn't kept Conklin's production afloat and that was the potential concern expressed here weeks ago. He's probably a better player to monitor than to add preemptively, but giving it one more week before dropping him more than I already have. Dar

• Parris Campbell: After multiple weeks of poor production, Campbell had a strong outing against the Jaguars, but you'll need another 1-2 weeks of solid numbers to determine if he's worth adding in most leagues. In deeper leagues, he may be worth a preemptive addition if you have room and you like to rotate the end of your bench with players like Campbell.
• Greg Dortch: He didn't earn any targets in Week 5, and with DeAndre Hopkins returning soon, Dortch is only an injury substitute.
• Jerick McKinnon: He's an injury away from being the lead back in the Chiefs offense -- or he'll at least earn the first shot to compete for it when Kansas City brings Ronald Jones II into the three-way mix with Isiah Pacheco if Clyde Edwards-Helaire gets hurt.
• Isaiah Likely: He didn't surprise me in Week 1, and while he was more active in Week 2 when Devin Duvernay suffered a concussion, Duvernay is the more compelling third option in this passing game. It leaves Likely in the role of a low-end desperation addition unless you have the luxury to add a player with athletic promise who has a tangible possibility of growing with the offense if he proves his reliability.
• Mack Hollins: When the Raiders face a team with a poor pass rush, Hollins has value because he's targeted on longer-developing routes.
• DeAndre Carter: The window is nearly closed on Carter.
• Nelson Agholor: He's not pretty, but he's likely to continue being more reliable than DeVante Parker if his hamstring isn't a major issue. Even so, that's not saying much. Worth considering with greater weight when Mac Jones returns.
• Noah Brown: His window may be closing as a flex-play with Michael Gallup's return in Week 5.
• Foster Moreau: He's on the verge of forgetting about if not for the fact that he'll be a good replacement for Darren Waller if injury strikes.
• Denzel Mims: He has yet to earn a snap, but his talent is good enough to keep tabs on.
• Trey Sermon: He earned his first playing time in Week 4, carrying the ball twice for 19 yards against Jacksonville, including a solid 14-yard gain on a cutback.
• Malik Willis: Most likely to become a preemptive pick if the Titans fall to 0-6 or 1-5. He already earned clean-up duty in a blowout against the Bills in Week 2.
• Calvin Austin: He's returning to practice, but he's likely a small-volume gadget option for the Steelers' offense until there's another injury to a teammate ahead of him.
• Kyle Philips: An infrequent target, Philips is on the verge of forgetting.
• Justice Hill: Now that Gus Edwards is practicing and Hill is nicked up, you can probably dump Hill back into the free-agent pool, but he remains worth monitoring.
• Darrel Williams: Still dealing with a knee sprain.
• Skylar Thompson: He performed better than his teammates during his truncated first start in the NFL thanks to a thumb injury in the first half. Tua Tagovailoa is on track to return in Week 7.
• Teddy Bridgewater: While there's a good chance Skylar Thompson will leapfrog Bridgewater next year, Thompson's opportunity to shine may be over this year.
• Tevin Coleman: He followed up an 11-touch, 67-yard, and 2-score game in Week 5 with a 4-touch, 3-yard performance in Week 6. And there are rumors the 49ers are interested in acquiring Christian McCaffrey. It's unlikely Carolina parts with McCaffrey, but Coleman will be frustrating to predict with or without McCaffrey in the picture.
• Pierre Strong: He earned one carry for five yards because New England didn't separate from Cleveland by the final margin we see until later.
• Kevin Harris: He earned three carries for five yards and may be the better option to monitor if Damien Harris remains out and Rhamondre Stevenson gets hurt.

ADD NOW: Tyquan Thornton and Cade Otton

The Skinny on Thornton: A speedster out of Baylor, Thornton displayed promise as a player who might develop at a faster rate than what's typical for a collegian coming from an offense that didn't demand much from him technically and conceptually.

After impressive moments during training camp, Thornton suffered an injury that kept him inactive for the first half of the season. He made his debut two weeks ago. Last week against Cleveland and delivered as both a receiver and a runner. He already has 6 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown, but expecting him to be the Northeastern Deebo Samuel is overly optimistic, especially when Mac Jones returns.

And yes, Mac Jones is the obvious choice as a starter in New England when completely healthy.

Whether Thornton and Jones have enough chemistry is a legitimate question.