HARD TO GET
Allen elbow injury strains shallow QB pool
EVERYONE likes the easy way. After all, what kind of masochist roots for the hard way? Driving, for instance, is easier with no traffic. If you’re rooting for traffic, there is something wrong with you. No one roots for the waiter to drop a tray of food just steps from the table, sane people want it delivered safely.
If you drafted a quarterback early in your fantasy draft, you did so specifically so you could avoid the hardship of going QB shopping mideason. Yet here some of you are, trying to figure out what to do if Josh Allen doesn’t play this week. There might even be some of you working on replacing Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or David Carr — all of whom have been massively disappointing.
Because sometimes, the easy way just doesn’t work out. Because life is hard. Even fantasy life.
Allen is dealing with an elbow injury that could force him out of the Bills’ game Sunday against the Vikings. Many worry about the ramifications beyond just replacing Allen. What will happen to Stefon Diggs if backup Case Keenum is QB? How about Gabe Davis? Will Devin Singletary get more carries? Will Nyheim Hines get more touches?
The easy solution is this: Don’t sweat the other guys. Keenum won’t be Allen, but we don’t anticipate him being so bad he ruins, or significantly elevates, others. We’re still playing Diggs. Davis is still a strong Flex option. Singletary remains a fringe starter, and we will continue to sit Hines until we see production or usage that demands otherwise.
Don’t make things harder than they are.
The chaos and disappointment delivered by the QB position this season adds a new level of difficulty to this task. Throw in some bye weeks, and, we’re not going to call it Herculean, but it isn’t as easy like we like.
Maybe — maybe — you can find Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, Andy Dalton or even Jacoby Brissett.
How much do you trust Russ? Well, considering the other options, you might need to consider him.
The Titans are bottom third defending fantasy QBs.
Jimmy G now has Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, he has a healthy Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk. Garoppolo has thrown two TD passes in four straight games. Stranger things have happened than Jimmy having a good fantasy game. And as we said, this isn’t going to be easy.
All Jones needs is a rushing TD and an average day passing for a solid fantasy game, and that is possible versus the Texans. Dalton gets to play a Steelers defense that is fourth-worst against QBs. Brissett gets to face the worst: the Dolphins.
So there are some answers, just not easy answers. Sometimes, you have to win the hard way.