New England Patriots Wide Receiver Julian Edelman. Photo Credit: Seatacular – Under Creative Commons License
The knee injuries to Spencer Ware and Julian Edelman are a huge blow to the offensive production of their respective team. The injuries also affect millions of fantasy rosters around the country, especially those who drafted early.
Breaking down the fantasy implications of the loss of these two stars is pretty easy. Each team will have to come up with a way to fill the void, and find a solution to the loss in production.
The Fantasy Implications Of The Ware and Edelman Injuries
Spencer Ware:
#Chiefs RB Spencer Ware is now being carted off the field after suffering a leg injury.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 26, 2017
Ware was one of the most productive pass catching backs in 2016. He managed 447 yards through the air to go with his 921 rushing yards. Replacing 1,368 yards from scrimmage is not going to be easy, especially on a roster that is lacking in talent.
Kareem Hunt, the rookie out of Toledo, will be the favorite to assume the lead back role in the Chiefs offense. He gets an immediate bump to RB2 with the potential to hit RB1 if things go well.
Hunt is well suited for tough runs but may lack the pass catching ability that set Ware apart. He caught 41 balls for 403 yards his senior year but may find the NFL to be less forgiving than the Mid-American Football Conference.
Julian Edelman:
#Patriots WR Julian Edelman just caught a pass early in the game vs. the #Lions and limped off grabbing the back of his knee.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2017
This injury will hurt the Patriots a lot less than the Ware injury does KC. The simple fact that Tom Brady has made stars out of everyone that he has played with should give New England fans some comfort.
Chris Hogan will be the benefactor should Edelman miss a significant amount of time, and should fill in nicely.
Comparing the two wide receivers is pretty straight forward. In 2016, Edelman went for 1,103 yards and three touchdowns, while Hogan managed 680 yards and four touchdowns. Edelman’s targets will have to go somewhere, and Hogan looks likely to be the one to pick them up.
Hogan will not make much of a jump in the wide receiver rankings simply because Edelman wasn’t ranked that high. He will make a solid flex play, and if the Brandin Cooks experiment doesn’t work out, he could creep up into the WR2 category.