Perhaps fantasy managers simply can’t have nice things. With the game’s top running back (David Johnson) lost for months in Week 1 and one of the top wide receivers being ousted for the season last week with a knee injury (Odell Beckham Jr.), now the quarterback position has been hit hard. Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone and, because it’s on his throwing shoulder side, his season could be over. Rodgers was injured early in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings and his absence will, naturally, affect others and leave a gaping hole on fantasy rosters.
It’s a bit unfair to judge the new Packers from Sunday’s game, as backup Brett Hundley is inexperienced and the Vikings are recognized as one of the top defenses in the league. Hundley, quite predictably, did not play error-free football, but as backups go he is stepping into an advantageous situation with many offensive options and an attractive schedule. While much of the fantasy discussion Sunday morning was about choosing between running backs Ty Montgomery and Aaron Jones, with neither ultimately effective, some of this can be attributed to starting tackles Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari and guard Lane Taylor leaving early with injuries. When the offensive line is right, the Packers can run the football.
Receivers Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams were each targeted 10 times Sunday, so it’s a good sign that Hundley, in his third season after being a dual-threat option at UCLA, looked their collective way. Adams caught a touchdown and Hundley made some nice throws to Nelson as well. Hundley was also under constant duress, which wasn’t surprising considering the plight of his protectors, throwing two of his three interceptions when harassed. Nobody’s saying Hundley should take Rodgers’ place in the hearts of fantasy owners. There are myriad quarterbacks available each week with positive matchups but we shouldn’t be so automatically dismissive of the athletic Hundley’s upside and ability to keep fantasy options around him relevant.
The Packers host the New Orleans Saints in Week 7 and then, after the bye week, face divisional foes Detroit and Chicago. There isn’t a top defense among those teams. The Lions gave up 52 points Sunday to the Saints and scored 38 themselves, though turnovers played an enormous role. The point is Hundley isn’t facing Denver and Seattle anytime soon. Let’s call him intriguing for two-QB formats but Buffalo’s Tyrod Taylor, Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton, Denver’s Trevor Siemian and the Rams’ Jared Goff are available in at least half of ESPN’s standard leagues and fantasy owners should look that direction first in 10-teamers.
Nelson and Adams might fail to be quite as productive as we’ve come to expect but let’s not be so quick to call their demise as fantasy options. The former can remain a top-10 fantasy wide receiver for the next game and beyond and the latter can remain top-20. Would it be wise to trade for either option? Well, it always depends on context and price. If a Nelson owner is panicking and asking for RB3 choices in return, it’s wise to buy low. Hundley has barely played in the NFL but in a year in which another athletic rookie passer with a strong arm, an innate ability to run and strong options around him has stunned the league (Deshaun Watson), it’s tough to dismiss any quarterback on a good team. Don’t be surprised when Hundley is competent and potentially valuable.
Second down: Rodgers’ early departure wasn’t the only change at quarterback Sunday. Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Jameis Winston, projected as one of the better options of the week for a road tilt in Arizona, injured his throwing shoulder, though it certainly doesn’t appear to be nearly as serious as what occurred to Rodgers. Winston was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick and what appeared to be a blowout loss became awfully close in the end. The Buccaneers face the Bills and Panthers next and perhaps Winston wouldn’t have been regarded as a definite top-10 QB for either matchup even with pristine health, but again, let’s not presume wide receivers Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson and running back Doug Martin will fail if he’s out. Fitzpatrick threw three touchdowns passes against Arizona.
Speaking of injured quarterbacks, the Oakland Raiders welcomed back Derek Carr from a back injury but that didn’t go so well. Carr scored 6.8 PPR points against the Los Angeles Chargers and averaged a mere 5.7 yards per attempt, bringing back memories of his underwhelming rookie season when he rarely threw the football downfield. Wide receiver Amari Cooper made it to double-digit receiving yards for the first time since Week 2, but 28 yards is certainly nothing to celebrate. The Raiders have attractive matchups on the horizon, including the Chiefs, Dolphins and Patriots, but at this point Carr and Cooper shouldn’t be trusted as fantasy starters. Don’t cut them, but wait for them to emerge from season-long struggles.
Third down: A season-best seven running backs attained at least 100 rushing yards, with five of them generally known as top-10 options and New Orleans Saints starter Mark Ingram, a top-20 choice, having his best day in years. The other standout performance was surprisingly delivered by Adrian Peterson, who began the day owned in more than 80 percent of ESPN standard leagues but with little expected after the recent trade to the Arizona Cardinals. Expectations will be high after the future Hall of Famer, so quiet statistically since 2015, emerged for 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Buccaneers. No, Tampa Bay isn’t quite like facing off against the Broncos or Seahawks, but Peterson showed burst, elusiveness and drive that few believed he could still muster. He’s not going to be any factor in the passing game, so in PPR formats he’s more flex choice than RB2 and probably best floated in your league as a sell-high trade target; at least he’s relevant again.
As for Ingram and his Saints teammate Alvin Kamara, they sure didn’t seem to miss Peterson, as Ingram turned his 30 touches into 150 yards and two touchdowns, his 30 PPR points being one of his most productive games in his career. It should be noted that while everyone loves Kamara, each of the five ESPN rankers still bestowed a better spot for Ingram, who continues to see substantially more volume. The Saints and their generally elite offense can support more than one running back in the fantasy world, and while we love Kamara as well -- and he scored 12.7 PPR points Sunday and remains a RB2 option -- don’t discount Ingram becoming a RB1 soon. He’s been valued that way in the past.
Fourth down: The top fantasy performance from a tight end on Sunday was delivered by Patriots great Rob Gronkowski, who scored a pair of touchdowns and topped 22 PPR points for the third time in his five contests. Gronkowski was active in 94.9 percent of ESPN standard leagues. The next two top outings were courtesy of Buccaneers starter Cameron Brate and the New York Jets' Austin Seferian-Jenkins, neither of whom was active in as many as 55 percent of leagues. Brate, who has the most touchdowns at the position since the start of last season -- yes, more than Gronk! -- has scored touchdowns in four consecutive weeks and is a clear top-10 choice, a weekly play. Seferian-Jenkins found the end zone twice -- excuse me, only one counted -- and has scored more than 30 PPR points the past two games. He too has earned himself weekly TE1 status.
Then there’s Washington star Jordan Reed, who caught four passes in the win over the 49ers but remains sans a touchdown in his four games. Reed seems to constantly battle physical ailments and his fantasy owners likely believe he’s an automatic starting option as long as he actually suits up to play. Well, Reed’s best game this season still doesn’t equal any of the past four games for Brate. The Chargers’ Hunter Henry has become reliable. The Vikings’ Kyle Rudolph is back to seeing weekly targets. Reed owners should be frustrated and might want to see if there’s a trade market there for a brittle play or a better option on free agency, because reputation doesn’t win fantasy leagues.