Injuries

With David Johnson out in Houston, perhaps this Texans staff will give the other Johnson, Duke Johnson, an opportunity to shine. A reminder of his college production is in order; For Miami, the Duke posted a 33.0-percent (76th-percentile among qualified running backs) College Dominator Rating, 6.8 (90th-percentile) Yards Per Carry, and a 14.8-percent (93rd-percentile) Target Share. It’s been a while since those days, but this may be a proper chance for Johnson to prove his worth.

Preston Williams hits the inured reserve, taking a prime target away from newly-minted starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. Look for tight end Mike Gesicki to benefit early on, as opposed to other receivers. Tight ends are like security blankets, right? However, one wideout to keep an eye on for the future is Kirk Merrit.

Kenyan Drake’s absence in Arizona can only mean one thing; get ready for a Chase Edmonds Dance Party! The third-year back is already enjoying a solid 2020 in his minimal role. Most impressive, he ranks No. 4 among qualified running backs with 222 receiving yards, No. 7 with 26 receptions and No. 9 with a 13.6-percent Target Share. Add in a full workload on the ground against Miami’s average run defense and it adds up to a big day for Mr. Edmonds.

With Myles Gaskin on IR, Matt Breida becomes the back to roster in Miami. Unfortunately for Breida, he is currently dealing with an injury of his own and will miss Week 9. That leaves Jordan Howard and Patrick Laird. YUCK! Avoid, avoid, avoid. Please. And go trade for Breida. Like NOW. Though Gaskin isn’t expected to miss more than a few weeks, the Week 9 Laird/Howard combo will leave the Fins clamoring for Breida’s return.

Should Mark Ingram, listed as doubtful with an ankle injury, sit out this week, Gus Edwards and rookie J.K. Dobbins will likely share the workload. Though Edwards has been good when given the opportunity, it is Dobbins’ time to shine. The future lead back of the Ravens will get his first chance to be the man in the Baltimore backfield, and will do wonders with it.

Dalvin Cook has had an up and down week, injury-wise, but he will be good to suit up for the Vikings come Sunday. The running back situation in Seattle isn’t quite as clear. Both Chris Carson and Travis Homer are game time decisions, leaving the possibility that rookie DeeJay Dallas will lead the team at the position. At 5-10 and 217-pounds, Dallas doesn’t quite have the speed that one would hope; but he is a productive runner and fits nicely in the Seattle scheme.

Aaron Jones has had a stellar start to the year, but it appears he will miss his first action of the season. Though questionable, reports state that Green Bay coaches are likely to hold him out. With Tyler Ervin also declared out, the Packers backfield will be led by Jamaal Williams. Rookie A.J. Dillon will see some work as well. Fellow Packer Tonyan has a good shot to play.

Whoever the quarterback for the Jets is on Sunday will be worse off with a Jamison Crowder absence. The wideout is not only talented, but reliable. The good news for the offense (if Jets fans can find anything), is that rookie Denzel Mims has been activated from IR and is set to make his debut against the Bills. The youngster is exactly what this offense needs, and he should quickly establish himself as a top option.

The injury to Dak Prescott is devastating on many levels, but this won’t kill the fantasy value of the skill players. Is backup Andy Dalton some sort of Cowboy savior? Unlikely, but he has proven in the past that when he has weapons (and boy does he have them in Dallas), that he can provide very good quarterback play. Ezekiel Elliott may be a bigger part of the game plan going forward with Dalton, but there should be little drop off with the receivers.

Drew Lock has a good chance to start; he will be missing some weapons, however. With Noah Fant, Melvin Gordon and K.J. Hamler all out for this week, Lock will have to rely on Phillip Lindsay, Tim Patrick and rookie Jerry Jeudy. Being down weapons against a Bill Belichick-led defense isn’t exactly ideal, particularly for a second-year quarterback coming off of an injury. Lock is better off returning next week.

The Broncos continue to pile up the beaten bodies, with K.J. Hamler the next man down. Though Tim Patrick has played well with the opportunity afforded to him, Jerry Jeudy is the receiver to roster. If Drew Lock returns, he’ll do so to a depleted receiver group; so don’t sleep on Jeudy going bananas over the next few weeks.

In what has become rather routine for the Eagles, they will once again be short handed at wide receiver (and tight end, for that matter). Sure, Zach Ertz will get his, but another receiver needs to step up. Greg Ward has been solid, but nothing spectacular in his run as the top guy. The interesting name here is Travis Fulgham. Promoted from the practice squad, Fulgham stepped in and made two big catches last Sunday. Monitor this situation.

A big question mark for Monday Night, Davante Adams practiced in limited fashion on Saturday. In addition to the Allen Lazard injury, this may leave quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a cast of wideouts led by Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Robert Tonyan anyone? He’s caught a touchdown each of the last two weeks, garnering five targets for five receptions including the TD in Adams’ absence versus the Saints. It appears he’s earned some semblance of Rodgers’ trust, which could be huge come Monday Night.

Plenty of teams are suffering multiple injuries, a few nearly decimated at one position. The Eagles, for example, continue to play thin at wide receiver and the injury to Dallas Goedert exacerbates the situation, given he’s out multiple weeks. Greg Ward needs to be in lineups this Sunday, if it wasn’t already obvious. However, don’t forget about Philadelphia’s two rookie wide receivers, John Hightower and Quez Watkins, the latter of which is set to return from I.R.

Kenny Golladay and Julio Jones are tricky this week. The Detroit offense badly needs a playmaker, but in a late-afternoon game it’s difficult to stay hopeful for this game-time decision. Let Golladay ride the pine another week. As for Jones, this isn’t unfamiliar territory for those who roster the Falcons star receiver. It’s a much tougher sit if he does play, but the fear of a donut is a strong motivator. Oh, and play Russell Gage with confidence, if you weren’t already.

The top wideouts to miss this week will be Michael Thomas and A.J. Brown. For New Orleans, Thomas’ injury is clearly devastating to the offense and the aging Drew Brees. Tre’Quan Smith is still a great play, but expect the team to rely heavily on Alvin Kamara. As for Brown, the Titans will be fine this week without him. Derrick Henry will lead the way against a banged up Vikings defense while Jonnu Smith and Adam Humphries (that’s right, no Corey Davis fawning here) handle receiving duties.

Alshon Jeffrey will vacate a 22.6-percent (No. 23 among qualified wide receivers) Target Share and 15.4-percent (No. 20) Hog Rate while he recovers from his Lisfranc injury. Dallas Goedert exceeded an 80-percent Snap Share five times from Week 11 to Week 17 while Jeffrey was out last year. During that time, Goedert had four games with 30-plus routes run and finished as the fantasy TE13 or higher in all four.

The Dolphins turned to two players to carry their passing game when Preston Williams was placed on IR. DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki combined for 41-percent of Miami’s targets from Weeks 10-17 last season. Gesicki finished as a top-15 TE in five of the eight games that Williams missed, and Parker finished as a top-24 WR in six of those games. If Williams struggles to perform in his post-ACL season, look for Parker and Gesicki to pick up the slack in the receiving game.