Every year, fantasy football players draft teams to compete with friends just for those teams to be changed because of injury. Injuries are an unfortunate inevitability in sports but that doesn’t mean that the season is over. In the event an important player gets hurt, here are some of the best options to replace those players.
Several teams have seen their quarterbacks go down to injury such as Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Finding a solid quarterback is essential to any fantasy football player as having consistent production at the position can give players a leg up on competition. It is hard to find a quarterback putting up more consistent numbers than New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr. To start the season, Carr is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with five and a quarterback rating of 96.2.
The Saints offense has started the season operating at max efficiency leading to their upset of the Dallas Cowboys at home. In that game, Carr finished with 243 passing yards and three total touchdowns. One of Carr’s biggest assets to help him dominate has been the play of running back Alvin Kamara whose resurgence has led to more space for Carr to throw with defenses moving their linebackers to the line of scrimmage.
Carr has historically been a solid quarterback. Since coming into the league Carr has averaged 4,175 yards and 26 passing touchdowns per year. Carr brings consistency to a position that is perfect to fill in for players who have been hurt this season.
Trying to predict how players will perform coming off an injury is no easy task. For the most part these players get written off because of their injury. One such player is Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins, who since coming off his Achilles tear in week one of last year, leads the league in rushing yards through week two.
Dobbins is flourishing under new head coach Jim Harbaugh's heavy run based offense which has seen him bounce back to form. In last week's game against the Carolina Panthers, Dobbins produced 131 yards and a touchdown. What stands out most about Dobbins is his ability to produce long touchdown plays, having two touchdowns of over 40 yards in back-to-back weeks.
Although the injury concern is still there for Dobbins who tore his ACL back in 2021, Dobbins appears to have turned a corner in his career, taking the next step towards becoming a star so many thought he would be for the Baltimore Ravens. It’s not often that the league's leading rusher is available to be picked up as a free agent, so if Dobbins is available, he is a must-get.
Speaking of the Ravens, the start to the season is not going great for them, beginning with two losses. Despite this, the emergence of tight end Isaiah Likely remains a bright spot in a turbulent start to the season. Likely, who first emerged after an injury to star tight end Mark Andrews last year, has started off the season flashing the potential he showed last year.
In the season opener, Likely produced nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. While Likely’s performance was overshadowed by his comments post-game, it does not take away from Likely’s ability.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson has historically thrown to tight ends a lot during his career. Last season Jackson threw to tight ends approximately 22% of the time, fifth best among quarterbacks. Knowing this, Likely will provide not only a player who gets consistent targets but also one that provides fantasy owners with big play ability.
These players would make for an excellent addition to any fantasy manager's team regardless of injury status. Other viable options that may be available in free agency include Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who will see more targets due to injuries on his team, and Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders who is a consistent kicker who has only missed one kick this season.
Jasper Greuel is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the views expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Jasper about his column? email him at jg453620@ohio.edu.
