After Roger Goodell and the NFL front office made sweeping rules changes to improve player safety, EVERYBODY is injured! There are currently over 350 players on this week's injury report. This doesn't include other injured players who have missed time throughout the year. To put things in perspective, I'll list the fantasy-relevant players currently injured below. By fantasy relevant, I mean offensive positional skill players (QB, HB, WR, TE) and kickers that can be expected to have been expected to have been drafted or picked up off of waivers in most leagues. There will be a list of fantasy-relevant players (QB, K, TE, WR, and RB that could legitimately have been rostered in most leagues) who are on this week's injury report following my streamer picks. Oh, and since the NFL's rules changes were instituted to prevent concussions, 28 players are currently dealing with concussions (that's just this week, not all season). The vast majority of injuries are lower-body injuries. Concussions then, are still problematic, and the league has done a great job of creating an epidemic of lower body injuries among players. Well played Roger Goodell, well played. But anyway, your fantasy team is probably hurting because of some of these injuries, so let's get you some help!
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets. If Fitzpatrick is available in your league, he's probably the best waiver pickup you'll get at QB. He's been consistently decent all season, and will provide enough points to help you compete. Well worth a shot.
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Indianapolis Colts. Hasselbeck has done nicely filling in for Andrew Luck, and should continue to produce moving forward. If you need a quarterback and Fitzpatrick isn't there, grab Hasselbeck.
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals. All other Cardinals running backs are injured. That means that David Johnson is the Cardinals RB1 by default! Grab him while you can; the injury bug has bitten again in Arizona.
Spencer Ware, RB, Kansas City Chiefs. He's producing a bit, he's healthy...he's probably your best bet this week in the Kansas City backfield! In a season where the waiver wire is riddled with IR candidates, Ware could be a great fill-in for a week or two if you're waiting for your guy to get healthy.
Buck Allen, RB, Baltimore Ravens. The sure bellcow RB in Baltimore's backfield thanks to injury, Allen may have been forgotten as everyone in your league tried to grab Rawls last week. If you need a long-term RB to finish out your year, grab Allen. If nothing else, he'll get carries. He's looked good against the Browns on Monday night as well.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Baldwin has had a solid few weeks, and the Seahawks have lost Jimmy Graham for the season. Baldwin is likely to see an uptick in targets and should provide decent production to finish your season.
Jermaine Kearse, WR, Seattle Seahawks. If you're a bit of a gambler, grab Kearse instead of Baldwin. Kearse has had a few nice big plays, and those have resulted in nice fantasy points. He's definitely a risky play, but if the rest of your team is solid, he's worth a flex play.
DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins. Parker will finally start to ecclipse Rishard Matthews in the Miami offense. With Matthews dealing with injury, Parker has finally gotten a look, and is developing nicely. He has the potential to put up some nice production moving forward.
Bryan Walters, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars. Walters has performed well at times for Jacksonville, and with Allen Hurns on the injury report, Walters could see some extra looks this week. Worth a shot, especially in deeper leagues.
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore Ravens. Gillmore isn't getting the love he deserves in leagues this year. He's one of the few healthy options left in the Baltimore offense, and Schaub is known to rely on tight ends. Gillmore could be worth a gamble if you can't get Chandler for the week.
Zach Miller, TE, Chicago Bears. Miller has had a few nice games after Martellus Bennett went down with an injury. Miller will be a useful asset for your roster until Bennett comes back from his injury. At this point, if you're dealing with injury issues, even a short-term fix can help this late in the year.
Scott Chandler, TE, New England Patriots. Rob Gronkowski is injured and Chandler will start in his place. Chandler did well in Buffalo, and Brady will need to throw to SOMEBODY. If you need help at tight end this week, Chandler is a great option.
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST. The Bengals defense was dominant against the Rams, and should dominate again this week against the Browns. They're likely available in most leagues (I added them in nearly every one of my leagues last week to start against the Rams), and could help you out majorly this week.
Minnesota Vikings D/ST. Yes, the Vikings host the Seahawks this week. However, the Seahawks are missing Jimmy Graham and Marshawn Lynch. Thomas Rawls has done an admirable job replacing Marshawn Lynch. No replacement has stepped up for Graham yet. This could make the Seattle offense a decent matchup for opposing defenses, especially one as dominant as Minnesota.
Chicago Bears D/ST. The Bears had a solid week against the Green Bay Packers, and could be in line for another solid game against the San Francisco 49ers. This might not be a huge week for the Chicago defense, but they could get you 8 to 10 points. Worth a look.
Hope this helps, and happy streaming. I'll close with a list of currently injured fantasy-relevant players for your viewing pleasure. --Mike B.
Some currently injured fantasy-relevant players:
Chris Johnson
Andre Ellington
Devonta Freeman
Matt Bryant
Lorenzo Taliaferro
Justin Forsett
Steve Smith
Breshad Perriman
Joe Flacco
Percy Harvin
Karlos Williams
Kelvin Benjamin
Kevin White
Alshon Jeffery
Martellus Bennett
Eddie Royal
Jeremy Hill
Andrew Hawkins
Taylor Gabriel
Tony Romo
Peyton Manning
Zach Zenner
Matt Prater
Jordy Nelson
Ty Montgomery
Arian Foster
Ahmad Bradshaw
Andrew Luck
Phillip Dorsett
Allen Hurns
Jamaal Charles
Charcandrick West
Aaron Dobson
Dion Lewis
Rob Gronkowski
Julian Edelman
Danny Amendola
Khiry Robinson
Victor Cruz
Larry Donnell
Nick Folk
Zac Stacy
Jace Amaro
Cody Parkey
Zach Ertz
Sam Bradford
Le'Veon Bell
Shaun Suisham
Heath Miller
Ben Roethlisberger
Keenan Allen
Colin Kaepernick
Reggie Bush
Carlos Hyde
Jimmy Graham
Marshawn Lynch
Stedman Bailey
Greg Zuerlein
Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, New York Jets. If Fitzpatrick is available in your league, he's probably the best waiver pickup you'll get at QB. He's been consistently decent all season, and will provide enough points to help you compete. Well worth a shot.
Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Indianapolis Colts. Hasselbeck has done nicely filling in for Andrew Luck, and should continue to produce moving forward. If you need a quarterback and Fitzpatrick isn't there, grab Hasselbeck.
David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals. All other Cardinals running backs are injured. That means that David Johnson is the Cardinals RB1 by default! Grab him while you can; the injury bug has bitten again in Arizona.
Spencer Ware, RB, Kansas City Chiefs. He's producing a bit, he's healthy...he's probably your best bet this week in the Kansas City backfield! In a season where the waiver wire is riddled with IR candidates, Ware could be a great fill-in for a week or two if you're waiting for your guy to get healthy.
Buck Allen, RB, Baltimore Ravens. The sure bellcow RB in Baltimore's backfield thanks to injury, Allen may have been forgotten as everyone in your league tried to grab Rawls last week. If you need a long-term RB to finish out your year, grab Allen. If nothing else, he'll get carries. He's looked good against the Browns on Monday night as well.
Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle Seahawks. Baldwin has had a solid few weeks, and the Seahawks have lost Jimmy Graham for the season. Baldwin is likely to see an uptick in targets and should provide decent production to finish your season.
Jermaine Kearse, WR, Seattle Seahawks. If you're a bit of a gambler, grab Kearse instead of Baldwin. Kearse has had a few nice big plays, and those have resulted in nice fantasy points. He's definitely a risky play, but if the rest of your team is solid, he's worth a flex play.
DeVante Parker, WR, Miami Dolphins. Parker will finally start to ecclipse Rishard Matthews in the Miami offense. With Matthews dealing with injury, Parker has finally gotten a look, and is developing nicely. He has the potential to put up some nice production moving forward.
Bryan Walters, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars. Walters has performed well at times for Jacksonville, and with Allen Hurns on the injury report, Walters could see some extra looks this week. Worth a shot, especially in deeper leagues.
Crockett Gillmore, TE, Baltimore Ravens. Gillmore isn't getting the love he deserves in leagues this year. He's one of the few healthy options left in the Baltimore offense, and Schaub is known to rely on tight ends. Gillmore could be worth a gamble if you can't get Chandler for the week.
Zach Miller, TE, Chicago Bears. Miller has had a few nice games after Martellus Bennett went down with an injury. Miller will be a useful asset for your roster until Bennett comes back from his injury. At this point, if you're dealing with injury issues, even a short-term fix can help this late in the year.
Scott Chandler, TE, New England Patriots. Rob Gronkowski is injured and Chandler will start in his place. Chandler did well in Buffalo, and Brady will need to throw to SOMEBODY. If you need help at tight end this week, Chandler is a great option.
Cincinnati Bengals D/ST. The Bengals defense was dominant against the Rams, and should dominate again this week against the Browns. They're likely available in most leagues (I added them in nearly every one of my leagues last week to start against the Rams), and could help you out majorly this week.
Minnesota Vikings D/ST. Yes, the Vikings host the Seahawks this week. However, the Seahawks are missing Jimmy Graham and Marshawn Lynch. Thomas Rawls has done an admirable job replacing Marshawn Lynch. No replacement has stepped up for Graham yet. This could make the Seattle offense a decent matchup for opposing defenses, especially one as dominant as Minnesota.
Chicago Bears D/ST. The Bears had a solid week against the Green Bay Packers, and could be in line for another solid game against the San Francisco 49ers. This might not be a huge week for the Chicago defense, but they could get you 8 to 10 points. Worth a look.
Hope this helps, and happy streaming. I'll close with a list of currently injured fantasy-relevant players for your viewing pleasure. --Mike B.
Some currently injured fantasy-relevant players:
Chris Johnson
Andre Ellington
Devonta Freeman
Matt Bryant
Lorenzo Taliaferro
Justin Forsett
Steve Smith
Breshad Perriman
Joe Flacco
Percy Harvin
Karlos Williams
Kelvin Benjamin
Kevin White
Alshon Jeffery
Martellus Bennett
Eddie Royal
Jeremy Hill
Andrew Hawkins
Taylor Gabriel
Tony Romo
Peyton Manning
Zach Zenner
Matt Prater
Jordy Nelson
Ty Montgomery
Arian Foster
Ahmad Bradshaw
Andrew Luck
Phillip Dorsett
Allen Hurns
Jamaal Charles
Charcandrick West
Aaron Dobson
Dion Lewis
Rob Gronkowski
Julian Edelman
Danny Amendola
Khiry Robinson
Victor Cruz
Larry Donnell
Nick Folk
Zac Stacy
Jace Amaro
Cody Parkey
Zach Ertz
Sam Bradford
Le'Veon Bell
Shaun Suisham
Heath Miller
Ben Roethlisberger
Keenan Allen
Colin Kaepernick
Reggie Bush
Carlos Hyde
Jimmy Graham
Marshawn Lynch
Stedman Bailey
Greg Zuerlein
Austin Seferian-Jenkins