The Desai Guys continue their Fantasy Football coverage this week with injury updates and replacements.
Fantasy Football Updates: Week 1 Injuries
Dak Prescott, QB – Dallas Cowboys
- Suffered a thumb injury on his throwing arm and will require surgery
- Expected to be out for 6-8 weeks, perhaps longer.
- Cooper Rush is going to be inserted as the starter but the team could explore bringing in a veteran
- Do not trust Rush when it comes to fantasy football
- Entertain the idea of picking up would be Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, and Baker Mayfield.
Elijah Mitchell, RB – San Francisco 49ers
- Suffered a knee injury against the Chicago Bears and will need surgery to repair his MCL
- He will miss about 2 months of time at the least
- 49ers build their offense around the running game so expect Jeff Wilson Jr. to be a hot item on the fantasy football waiver wire
- If you miss Wilson Jr., make sure to grab the rookie Tyrion Davis-Price as he’s sure to be involved for sure as well
- If you want to look at non-Niner fantasy football options, lots of good options like Kenyan Drake, Darrell Henderson Jr., Jamaal Williams, Kenneth Gainwell, and Khalil Herbert.
Chris Godwin, WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Seemed to aggravate his hamstring after coming back from an ACL and MCL injuries he suffered at the end of last season
- Expected to miss time but no timetable has been announced. But it could be at least a couple of weeks as a precaution
- Russell Gage and Julio Jones are good options on the Bucs, also Breshad Perriman.
Keenan Allen, WR – Los Angeles Chargers
- Suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the Week 1 game against the division rival; Las Vegas Raiders
- Considering the short week turnaround to play the Chiefs in Week 2, Allen is most likely going to miss the game
- The injury is not serious and he might have played on Sunday, but only having a couple of days will lead to him most likely being out
- Herbert spread the ball around but expect Mike Williams to take the number one role now and good pickups off the waiver wire include Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter at receiver and Gerald Everett at tight end
- Looking outside the Chargers, names to add include the previous names mentioned earlier like Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones, Jahan Dotson, DJ Chark, and Russell Gage.
Tee Higgins, WR – Cincinnati Bengals
- Suffered a concussion against the Steelers in Week 1 and was ruled out of that game
- Not confirmed if he will miss Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, but it’s a possibility
- Other Bengals pass-catchers should see an uptick in targets like Tyler Boyd and Hayden Hurst
- Want to look outside the Bengals, names you can look at are Jarvis Landry, Russell Gage, Jahan Dotson, DJ Chark, and Julio Jones.
Najee Harris, RB – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Suffered a foot injury against the Bengals in Week 1 and was forced out of the game
- Dealt with a Lisfranc injury over the summer and the newest injury was on the same foot.
- Reports are indicating that he should be good to go for Week 2 against the Patriots, but nothing is fully confirmed yet
- Rookie Jaylen Warren (undrafted out of Oklahoma State) would take the lead duties if Harris does miss the game, so he would be the guy to target on the waiver wire
- Other names to consider are Darrell Henderson Jr., Jamaal Williams, Kenneth Gainwell, Khalil Herbert, and Kenyan Drake.
Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Picks
Quarterbacks
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders (ESPN Roster Percentage – 16.7%)
- Threw for 313 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions against Jacksonville
- First time throwing 4 touchdowns passes since he tore his ACL in Week 14 in 2017 playing for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Started the game well with two straight touchdown drives, struggled in the middle including two straight drives with interceptions, then closed the game with back-to-back drives with touchdowns
- Benefits from playing a easier schedule in Detroit, Philadelphia, and Dallas in the next few weeks
- If you need a replacement for Dak Prescott or possible Mac Jones (if he has to miss time), then Wentz is a good option for you
Baker Mayfield, Carolina Panthers (ESPN Roster Percentage – 14%)
- He put up 17 points against his former team in what really should’ve been a win.
- Clearly, Matt Rhule isn’t afraid to let him use his legs (five rushes and a rushing TD)
- Their next few games are against the Giants, Saints, Cardinals, and 49ers
Running Backs
Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams (ESPN Roster Percentage – 45%)
- Yep, I’m hitting the panic button already. I am very worried about Cam Akers which is very good news for Henderson
- With 13 carries, he won often dominate the carry share but I could see him being the lead back going forward or for a time being
- Leading up to their bye week in Week 7, they play the Falcons, Cardinals, 49ers, Cowboys, and Panthers
Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions (ESPN Roster Percentage – 35.9%)
- Detroit had four red zone opportunities against the Eagles. Williams scored on two of them
- Williams had 11 carries and seven of them came inside the red zone
- D’Andre Swift was the primary rusher, so Mufasa’s throne is not being usurped by Scar here on Pride Rock
- Williams has value as long as he’s scoring touchdowns and he’s being used in the red zone
Wide Receivers
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders (ESPN Roster Percentage – 8.5%)
- Injuries and COVID-19 prevented Samuel from seeing the field much last season
- Played in a total of five games in 2021 and had 38 total yards with no touchdowns
- Coming into 2022, Samuel looks healthy and he’s showcasing skills he displayed back in his Carolina days
- Second on the team with 15 touches against the Jaguars and led the team in targets with 11
- His versatility will be useful in this offense. If he stays healthy, he gives Wentz and this offense as a whole other weapon to utilize
Jarvis Landry, New Orleans Saints (ESPN Roster Percentage – 57%)
- Targets, targets, targets.
- He finished the game with seven catches for 114 yards and had 14 fantasy football points
- Even with Michael Thomas back, I think Landry is going to be their go-to short yardage guy for quite a while
- He is a powerful weapon in PPR leagues
- Admittedly, I am a little scared of Chris Olave taking his place
Tight Ends
O.J. Howard, Houston Texans (ESPN Roster Percentage – 0.3%)
- This is the first-rounder we’ve been waiting half a decade for
- What is the one thing we always say about young QBs and tight ends?
- Do I think he’ll produce at this level (17 points) every week? Obviously not but it’s well worth the risk.
Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN Roster Percentage – 19.6%)
- Not confirmed yet if Tee Higgins is going to miss Week 2, after suffering a concussion in Week 1 against Pittsburgh
- If Higgins misses time, Hurst should see more targets in the passing offense
- He was targeted 8 times in the Week 1 game and could see similar numbers in Week 2 as teams may try to cover up Chase and Boyd on the outside
- Cowboys are coming up in Week 2 and they looked more than a little shaky against Tampa Bay. Cincinnati will look to rebound from an up-and-down game in Week 1
Defense/Special Teams
Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN Roster Percentage – 38.6%)
- This game is going to be a bounce-back game for the Bengals
- Looked to be suffering a Super Bowl hangover, but they face a Cowboys team without Dak Prescott
- Cincinnati allowed 432 total yards against the Steelers, but this Cowboys offense won’t be the same without Prescott under center
Los Angeles Rams (ESPN Roster Percentage – 32%)
- 2 picks, 2 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries against arguably the best offense in the league in Buffalo.
- They’re playing the Falcons next week, enough said.
Kickers
Brett Maher, Dallas Cowboys (ESPN Roster Percentage – 1.7%)
- Cooper Rush is their QB for the foreseeable future barring any trades or signings (Cam Newton or Jimmy Garoppolo?)
- So with that familiarity, this offense may not be all that bad but still struggle in the red zone. This could lead to increased opportunities for Maher
Cade York, Cleveland Browns (ESPN Roster Percentage – 5.2%)
- Made four field goals against the Carolina Panthers
- This includes a 58-yard game-winner as well
- The Browns offense will find times to score, but there are going to be instances when their drives will stall
- Having a kicker like York to kick longer field goals can make a difference over the course of a game then
- York was the only kicker to be drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft (4th round, #124)
