The NFL injury bug is an unforgiving creature, and fantasy football managers are feeling the pain every week as it indiscriminately bites any and all in its path.
Joe Burrow was your starting quarterback? Time to feast on that calf. You drafted Saquon Barkley in the first round? Let’s bite that ankle. Aaron Jones, Tee Higgins, Amon-Ra St. Brown — the list is endless as, each week, at least one marquee player is feasted upon.
Week 5 was no different, as Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson felt the pangs of the injury bug gnawing on his hamstring.
He will now be out at least four weeks after landing on IR, and fantasy managers might need to sift through that Vikings’ roster to make up for it.
Obviously, you can hit the waiver wire and seek out players from other teams, but knowing head coach Kevin O’Connell, the system the Vikings want to run and the fact that Kirk Cousins is averaging more than 40 pass attempts per game, staying invested in Vikings pass-catchers is highly recommended.
It is unlikely you will be able to land tight end T.J. Hockenson without trading an arm, a leg and Logan Thomas, but the receiving corps, based on recent roster trend number, seems to be available. Depending on the depth of your league, you should be looking to set up some claims this week.
We can start with rookie Jordan Addison, who had plenty of hype coming into the season, but after back-to-back disappointments in Week 3 and 4 there is a decent chance he was dropped in leagues with short benches.
The fantasy community is a fickle bunch, so being held without a catch one week, regardless of past performance or future potential, can often lead to newfound availability. He saw nine targets Sunday as his snap percentage jumped to a 75 percent mark in Jefferson’s absence.
Where you will likely have the most success is in setting up claims for K.J. Osborn and Brandon Powell. Osborn has actually seen a 90 percent snap share this season, and though Jefferson and Hockenson hogged the most looks, Osborn’s share will significantly increase should Jefferson miss time.
Powell saw his snap share jump from three percent to 31 percent, and his six targets ranked third this past week. The journeyman wideout should continue to see a similar share as the team’s new No. 3 receiver.
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When you scan your waiver wire, be sure to isolate players where marquee wideouts have lost time. Full-season stat lines can often be misleading. Remember to study the coaching systems and be sure to make your claims from offenses that have a high passing volume. The coaching tiger won’t change its stripes, so keep that “next man up” philosophy in the forefront of your mind.
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