For many people, broken bones are a rarity; but unfortunately for the NFL quarterbacks below, these types of injuries happen all to often. Ailments such as broken bones and torn ligaments not only affect NFL players health, but can also skew the outcomes of Fantasy Football leagues across the nation. If your Fantasy team is suffering from an injured quarterback, consider these replacements below…
Drew Brees
Week Two was devastating for Drew Brees as he suffered a thumb injury against the Los Angeles Rams. The Saints now look to back-up quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to lead the team to victory in the upcoming weeks. However, Bridgewater looked lack luster versus the Cowboys and Fantasy owners need to look for a better replacement for Drew Brees.
1. Philip Rivers
Rivers was looking hot in week four versus the Miami Dolphins. Rivers threw for 310 yds, 2 TDs, with an 80% completion rate. Fantasy leagues should take a hard look at making Rivers their replacement QB for the next few weeks. With the Broncos 0-4, Steelers 1-3, and Titans 2-2, Rivers could be a great asset to your roster.
2. Jacoby Brissett
Despite a loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week Four, Brissett is doing a decent job replacing Andrew Luck as QB. Brissett’s stats for September total 10 TD, 911 yds, 2 ints, with a 102.1 passer rating. Brissett will be facing the Chiefs in Week Five before a bye week. You may want to consider playing Brissett in week seven versus the Houston Texans as they rank 23rd in pass defense.
3. Daniel Jones
Since Eli Manning can no longer hack it as the face of the New York Giants (sorry Eli), Jones has stepped onto the field in hopes to bring New York a title. While his September stats might not stack up against elite quarterbacks of the game, Jones has some talented offensive weapons behind him with a lot of room to grow. Jones was drafted sixth overall in the 2019 draft and is trying to prove his worth for the Giants. Since September, Jones threw for 49 of 71, 578 yds, and an average of 8.1 yds per completion. Although his three TDs on the season seem bleak, Jones has weapons like Golden Tate to get the job done through the air in the coming weeks.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold is having a rough start to his sophomore year with the New York Jets after being diagnosed with mononucleosis. He has been away from the team since Week One as mono can be contagious. However, he began throwing the ball this week, but physical contact is still off limits. Here are a few gunslingers to consider instead of Darnold.
1. Philip Rivers
Rivers September stats so far are looking great, 1254 yds, 7 TDs, and a passer rating of 105.8. With the Broncos ranked 6th in pass defense, Rivers will need to prove his worth this week to keep the momentum alive. However, Week Six should look great for Rivers as the Chargers take on the 31st ranked pass defense with the Steelers.
2. Gardner Minshew II
With Minshew at the helm for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they were able to squeak out a victory in Week Four, winning by two over Denver. But don’t let that small victory fool you, Minshew has a 106.9 passer rating and 7 TD’s on the season to boot. Consider playing Minshew Week Six versus the New Orleans Saints 30th ranked pass defense.
3. Jacoby Brissett
Brissett is ready to lead the Colts. He threw for 254 yards and 3 TDs against the Oakland Raiders last week and has much more room to grow with his team. Week Seven would be ideal to start the young quarterback as Indianapolis will be coming off a bye week playing the 23rd ranked pass defense in the Houston Texans.
Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, and Nick Foles
Cam Newton
After suffering a mild Lisfranc injury in the third week of the preseason, Cam Newton re-aggravated the injury in the Panthers week 2 game against the Buccaneers, and is now sidelined indefinitely. With Newton out, second year quarterback Kyle Allen has taken the reigns for Carolina, leading the team to a 2-0 record with him as the starter.
Ben Roethlisberger
What began as a difficult start to the season for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers turned even worse when the quarterback suffered an elbow injury in week two against the Seahawks. Ultimately, it was decided that Big Ben needed surgery, ending his 2019 campaign and putting him on IR.
Nick Foles
Fresh off leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory in 2018 and another playoff win in 2019, there were high expectations for Nick Foles entering this season with his new team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, Foles suffered a broken left clavicle in the first quarter of the team’s Week One game against the Chiefs. Currently, there is no definitive timetable for his return.
With Newton, Roethlisberger, and Foles sidelined for the majority of the season, if not all of it, here are three long-term solutions to replace these quarterbacks on your fantasy team.
1. Philip Rivers
Assisted by the return of Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon, Rivers should see an uptick in fantasy numbers, as Gordon establishing himself in the running game will help the passing game. Rivers’ production also should be aided by a favorable schedule, as the Chargers play six opponents in the bottom half of the league in passing yards allowed per game. If you want to pick up Rivers, you’ll have to act fast, because he is only available in 18% of ESPN leagues right now.
2. Jacoby Brissett
After the shocking retirement of Andrew Luck, the Colts turned to Brissett as their new franchise quarterback. Through four games, Brissett ranks in the top 10 in quarterback fantasy points. With 12 games left in the season, Brissett faces nine teams ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in passing yards allowed per game. Brissett is only rostered in 32% of ESPN leagues, but that number will quickly rise if he keeps playing well.
3. Mason Rudolph
Despite struggling early in the season after replacing long-time Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph has seen an increase in his fantasy production each of the three weeks he has started. In a pass friendly offense and some struggling pass defenses coming up on the schedule, Rudolph could be in-line for major fantasy production if he continues to progress. The Rudolph bandwagon has plenty of seats remaining, as he is only rostered in 12.4% of ESPN leagues. Pick him up now before he is gone!
Story authored by: Joshua Konecke and Kevin Dohm
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Solid advice! These guys know football!
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