Week 2 of the NFL season has been riddled with injuries, every player that is anybody has seemed to have met a roadblock in their season. The likes of Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffery, Courtland Sutton, Raheem Mostert, Cam Akers and plenty more are heading to the injury report. Their back-ups are most likely on the wire and are going to be hot commodities, so here are the players that I think you should target.
Mike Davis– With Run CMC going down with a high right ankle sprain, the Panthers’ backfield is Davis’ to lose. While he only recorded one rushing attempt for one yard, he also finished with eight catches for 74 yards. If Davis is able to continue this trend and step in for McCaffery in the receiving game, he will be a standard flex option and an even better PPR option. Curtis Samuel did also receive four rushing attempts and is an intriguing option in that offense.
Scoville Units- Scotch Bonnet- 270,000
Dion Lewis– Potentially the most unfortunate moment in recent memory occurred at Soldier Field this Sunday, Saquon Barkley suffered a torn ACL derailing his and the Giants season. With all of the carnage in New York right now Dion Lewis has come out on top. Lewis stepped in for Barkley taking 10 carries for 20 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 36 yards. My opinion on Lewis is team to team. If you need a running back go for him, but if you are looking for upside he is not your guy. In an offense where a talent like Barkley was unable to make waves in this season, Lewis’ 2 yards-per-carry does not look promising.
Scoville Units- Poblano- 1,500
Jerick McKinnon– Metlife Stadium was an absolute nightmare for the 49ers on Sunday. Despite their 31-13 rout of the Jets, they lost basically every option on their offense. Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman are all injured and likely missing Week 3. This leads me to only one verdict, fire up Jerick McKinnon. Two years and two injuries removed from being a productive fantasy option, McKinnon has not seemed to lose a step. After taking over on Sunday he put his 19 snaps to use, recording an uber efficient, three rushes for 77 yards and a touchdown. While most of these yards came from a 55 yard run on 3rd and 31, he looks just like his old productive self. With plenty of opportunities coming his way and a matchup against the Giants next week, I am all in on Jet McKinnon.
Scoville Units- Carolina Reaper- 2,200,000
Myles Gaskin– Gaskin has emerged as the main backfield option for the Dolphins, with that being said he is still a risky move in my eyes. With a backfield consisting of Gaskin, Jordan Howard and Matt Breida and each of them receiving seven, five and seven carries respectively, it’s very difficult for me to feel comfortable. With that being said, Gaskin has by far been the most efficient with his touches and is worth a deep league bench spot. In Week 2 Gaskin took his seven carries for 46 yards and brought in six catches for 36 yards.
Scoville Units- Pepperoncini- 500
Curtis Samuel– As I mentioned earlier Samuel is an extremely intriguing pickup, while he is the third string wide receiver for the Panthers he also received carries after CMC went down. Last year Curtis Samuel led all wide receivers in rushing yards with 19 carries for 130 yards. Does this mean he is a legitimate running back, no, but he is definitely an option that Matt Rhule has not ruled out. Mix this with his receiving skill and potential, Samuel is definitely worth a look.
Scoville Units- Poblano- 1,500
Keelan Cole– With success from Garner Minshew comes success for Jaguars receivers, none more so than Cole. In the first two weeks Cole has proven to be the most productive Jags receiver, recording 11 catches for 105 yards and two scores over that time. With Dede Westbrook being a healthy scratch in each of the first two weeks and Cole showing out, he may be in a good position to be a third year breakout.
Scoville Units- Serrano- 23,000
Michael Pittman Jr. – Pittman was an early second round pick by the Colts and in his first week was nonexistent, so what changed. While I do recognize that he only caught four passes on six targets in Week 2, I do need to mention that my Waiver Wire Week 1 pick Parris Campbell was injured, thus opening the door for Pittman. Pittman is a big body that I see Rivers targeting in the future.
Scoville Units- Jalapeno- 8,000
Drew Sample– Sample is yet another player to benefit from the laundry list on injured players in Week 2. In his matchup against the Browns, Sample stepped in for C.J. Uzomah catching seven passes for 45 yards. With Joe Burrow relying on the tight end like most rookies, Sample has shown potential to be a spot play against certain matchups. Lining up against the Eagles next week, who have allowed big days to Logan Thomas and Tyler Higbee, Sample may be worth a play.
Scoville Units- Tabasco- 45,000
Mo Alie-Cox– Let me start by giving props to Michael Sicoli for picking Mo Alie-Cox as his bargain bin player in DFS. He not only hit on that pick, but also chose a promising tight end for weeks to come. Alie-Cox went for five catches and 111 yards on six targets from Philip Rivers, if he can put up numbers like that without a touchdown, he can be a tight play no doubt. With that being said Jack Doyle may return in the next two weeks so stay skeptical.
Scoville Units- Cayenne- 50,000
