IN A ‘TIGHT’ SPOT
Replacing Gronk requires risky moves
F YOU get a flat while driving along a remote back road, you don’t expect there to be a tire shop just around the corner in the middle of nowhere. You’re going to have to use a spare for a while.
It means your progress will be slower. It means you might not make it to your destination on time, if you make it at all. It could require yo u to make drastic alter ations to your travel plans.
When the news came out Thursday that Patriots all-world tight end Rob Gronkowski is out the rest of the season with a ruptured disk in his back, that “pop” you heard was your fantasy team getting a flat. Now you’re on the side of the road, trying to figure out how you can still make the drive to your fantasy title.
First, you must find a spare, knowing what is on the waiver wire this time of the year is the equivalent of putting a bicycle tire on a four-wheel drive SUV.
What this means is taking risks with your fantasy roster. Grabbing the safest option — think Dennis Pitta or C.J. Fiedorowicz — isn’t going to get it done. Even Martellus Bennett has l i mited upside in a Patriots attack that has multiple weapons. You need high upside. We like Cameron Brate’s upcoming schedule. Ladarius Green still has a low snap count, but that could rise down the stretch. Our new path to victory can’t stop at tight end, however. We also need to maximize upside at other positions. That means bailing on other “safe spots” on our roster for riskier options who could bust out.
If you still are riding Blake Bortles, Andy Dalton, Eli Manning or Carson Palmer, bench or bail on them if you can find Tyrod Taylor, Jameis Winston or Colin Kaepernick.
You feel lucky to get 10 fantasy points from Thomas Raw ls , Devontae Booker and Todd Gurl e y. Yo u need more than that. Shoot for the moon with Kenneth Dixon. Get Tyler Boyd, Taylor Gabriel or Malcolm Mitchell instead of Marvin Jones, Randall Cobb, Sterling Shepard or Steve Smith Sr. It is very possible this new route is blocked, that these maneuvers fail to produce a fantasy title. But you just lost Gronk. You’re not going to wi n a title going the speed limit. Yo u h ave to push the ga s pedal and just hope yo u don’t get a ticket along the way.