ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp to Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which injury replacement will have a big impact the rest of the way?
ERIC CATURIA
Seven weeks of the NFL season have been accompanied by the typical menagerie of injuries, but those to star players have been particularly concerning to owners in all formats. We've already lost standout receivers Julio Jones and Reggie Wayne for the year, and with extended absences expected for Doug Martin, Randall Cobb, and David Wilson, their replacements are of particular interest, as one navigates the pratfalls of fantasy football. Fill-ins for Martin and Wilson are less than intriguing choices for roster spots, or even spot starts, with byes to deal with until Week 12. The pass-happy nature of the league, though, provides a handful of wideout options, who are suddenly the recipient of numerous targets. In particular, three players have emerged as a result of ailments to those that were previously listed above them on the depth chart - Keenan Allen, Jarrett Boykin, and Harry Douglas. Among the trio, Allen, the rookie, has racked up at least 67 yards receiving in four consecutive contests, with a pair of 100-yard, one-score outings during that stretch. Meanwhile, both Boykin and Douglas were one-week wonders this past Sunday, and their situations are quite similar, as the Packers and Falcons are dealing with maladies to two of their top receivers. Allen is of course the name on the tip of everyone's tongue at the moment, but Boykin has seemingly gained the trust of Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay's bye has already come to pass (unlike San Diego), and a rash of porous pass defenses -- Vikings twice, Eagles, Lions, and Falcons, among others -- are on the slate for the Packers' passing attack to pummel across the final 10 games.
Caturia is a writer/editor of NFL, MLB, and NBA content for RotoWire. He can be found on Twitter @etcat30.
SAM HENDRICKS
Mike James TB RB. He may not be better than Doug Martin but opportunity is a big part of the equation towards success. Martin is out indefinitely and I would not be surprised if he misses the rest of the season with his torn shoulder. James will get most of the touches and looks to be a decent low end RB2.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
CORY BONINI
It is T.Y. Hilton's time to shine in Indianapolis with Reggie Wayne (knee) on the shelf. I was a huge proponent of Hilton before the season began, and now he should live up to my lofty expectations, albeit because of extenuating circumstances. Following their bye, Indy has several quality matchups conducive for wide receiver success. The only real question mark to me is if Hilton can consistently beat weekly bracket coverage. He certainly has the physical skills to accomplish such a feat but will need someone to put pressure on the opposing safeties from time to time.
Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers services including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Completely free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com is property of USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
MICAH JAMES
Yeah! Hopefully your team has avoided most of these injuries...I've been unlucky at every turn this season it seems like. The player that I think will have the most fantasy value over the remainder of the season is Harry Douglas. Not just because of his fantastic performance last week, but moreso because I believe that he will remain very involved in the offense even after Roddy White returns to health. Matt Ryan continues to develop as a passer and the Falcons have a very nice opponent in Week 15 as the Redskins visit the Georgia Dome. If you can make a move to acquire him, I think you'll be glad you did.
Micah James, the FFMagicMan, won the FSTA Accuracy Rankings Challenge in 2012, finishing first out of 61 expert entries with an unprecedented Top-9 finish in each of the four measured skill positions. You can frequently hear him on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio and every week on his fantasy football podcast, Trick Plays, with co-host Coach Dennis Esser. Find James on Twitter and on Facebook, and check his website every week for the latest up-to-date player rankings.
ALAN SATTERLEE
It's been a brutal series of injuries. I don't know about being a fantasy star per se, but Atlanta's Harry Douglas is a safe option to be at least a legit fantasy starter barring injury (he isn't the biggest of players). Douglas showed this week that he can operate as an effective #1 WR if needed (albeit against a poor defense) but regardless Douglas is locked into a starting role with the season-ending injury to Julio Jones. Atlanta's offense will remain relatively pass-first giving Douglas plenty of targets. For more of a gamble, an honorable mention goes to Green Bay's Jarrett Boykin. With Randall Cobb and James Jones out this week, Boykin stepped and played very admirably with a 8/103/1 statline. Boykin has great WR size and even when James Jones returns Boykin will remain very involved with Randall Cobb out (until minimum Week 15) and Jermichael Finley's perhaps season and career in doubt. Getting a piece of the Packers' passing game is always a good thing. I would say Douglas is the safer of the two WRs mentioned here for fantasy production but Boykin has more upside ultimately.
Satterlee is Co-Owner and Chief Editor/COO of FantasyFootballWarehouse.com. FFW features comprehensive profiles for all the major 2013 skill-position rookies, its Trading Spaces series, the team Deep Dives, the Speed Bump competition plus draft strategies, rankings, projections and more. FFW runs in tandem with its dynasty site DynastyFootballWarehouse.com.
SCOTT SACHS
Although he won't be playing against the porous Browns secondary every week, Jarrett Boykin was very impressive in his coming out party, filling in on the depleted Packer receiving corps. Although James Jones may be back this week, Cobb is toast, plus now it looks like J-Finley will be riding the bike for a few weeks at the minimum, Boykin's emergence couldn't have come at a better time for the denizens of Lambeau. The NFC North is wide open again, with Da Bears coming back to the "Pack" [so to speak], with Cutler out a month, combined with the Vikes' offensive offense, and Detroit's consistent inconsistency. Let's not forget, a productive Boykin opens up the field for A-Rodg, Nelson & Jones--Finley, too, provided he returns next month--plus the running game for Lacy.
Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, offering LIVE Talk/Text/Email consulting & advice. Winner of Fantasy Football Index's 2012 Experts Poll & 2011 Mock Auction League, Scott can be found at http://perfectseasonffb.com/.
JAKE CIELY
The only potential every-week starter I see is Harry Douglas. I don't think anyone out there the past two weeks will be or become a "star" though. Jarrett Boykin has upside in that offense, but James Jones should be back soon and Boykin's hands might be actual bricks. Mike James has flex value with Doug Martin out but is a mediocre talent. Darrius Heyward-Bey... well, we already know enough about him. Jordan Reed looks to be a TE1 in the making and comes closest to "star" level. In the end though, Douglas looked great with the Falcons offense designed to work with him. He could provide WR3 the rest of the way, but that's not "star" level.
Ciely oversees the fantasy football staff for Football.com and assists with social media, including Twitter and Facebook. He is an award-nominated fantasy writer with over 15 years of experience. He started his fantasy sports career with his own blog and eventually became the Managing Editor at RotoExperts.com. He’s also a poker enthusiast, which is why you see many poker references, including his nickname “All In Kid.” Jake has also introduced new metrics to fantasy football analysis.
ANDY RICHARDSON
We know it can't be Mike James, because Greg Schiano suggests Doug Martin could return from his torn labrum at any time, and he's very trustworthy. To me it has to be Jarrett Boykin, who is the clear No. 3 wideout for a team that's lost Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley, and should send a lot of passes Boykin's way. The other key guy is T.Y. Hilton, since the Colts are going to have to lean on either him or Darrius Heyward-Bey in the passing game, and I think we've all seen enough of Heyward-Bey to know it probably isn't going to be him.
Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for 12 years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.