Kareem Hunt no longer has to contend with Spencer Ware

@DFF_Shane
Aug 26, 2017 · 3 min read

Preseason football reared its ugly head yet again yesterday, wounding dynasty teams around the world. As you probably already know, Julian Edelman suffered a non-contact ACL tear, and Spencer Ware sustained a still-unclear knee injury. As much as I feel for the players, and obviously never like to see a man go down, it is my job to focus on what these injuries could mean to fantasy football players. Out of the two major injuries that occurred last night, I am intrigued most by the Chiefs’ starting RB going down due to positional scarcity and potential upside. My 2 cents on what this means and how dynasty players should move forward are below.

Spencer Ware sustained what the Chiefs are calling a “knee sprain.” As of the time of this writing, Ware has yet to receive his MRI, which will give us a better idea of how much time the RB will miss. So far the thought from NFL insiders and Twitter doctors is that a sprained PCL is most likely, but there is a possibility of additional ligament damage. So far I have seen everything from a best-case 2–3 week timetable to a possible 6–8+ week absence. Either way, Ware will miss regular-season games, giving someone in that backfield a chance to take the starting job and never let it go.

There is no surprise here, but Kareem Hunt’s value immediately jumps through the roof. The assumption that Hunt has the most to gain here is certainly correct. In fact, Andy Reid has already been quoted as saying Kareem Hunt is the “next man up,” and big-shot analysts are using phrases like “Bell-cow back”. Reid has a reputation of creating a very RB-friendly scheme and feeding one running back a gargantuan workload. Per @TheRBScout on Twitter, Andy Reid has 11 seasons as a head coach in which one RB has received over 250 touches, averaging 1,612 yards from scrimmage. The immediate upside created by this Ware injury is huge.

Kareem Huntinstantly becomes a top-40 dynasty player, and if he can capitalize on his opportunity, has a chance to become a 1st-round start-up pick in dynasty leagues next year. I was already in the camp of analysts who thought Hunt would take the job during the season, even without an injury, so I am trying to buy Hunt in any leagues I do not already have him rostered. An unsuccessful offer I floated out to a Hunt owner last night was a 2018 1st and a 2018 2nd. The price is high, but if Hunt reaches his upside, it will get even higher. Dynasty leagues are won by taking risks, not playing it safe. Getting Hunt on my team for what could be a potential over-pay is a risk I am willing to take.

If buying Kareem Hunt is not happening, there is still some potential value to squeeze out of this unfortunate situation. Charcandrick West assumes the #2 role behind Hunt, making him a valuable stash in standard 25-man leagues. West was the starter for a 9-game stretch back in 2015. During that time he averaged 15.44 carries and 1.88 receptions per game, resulting in an average of 13.58 PPR points per game.

He played well in his limited action in 2016, reinforcing the idea that, if given the opportunity, West would be a major fantasy contributor. Spencer Ware is a hold. His value is at rock-bottom right now, and will most likely increase, even if slightly, upon his return from injury. In really deep dynasty leagues, C.J. Spiller is now rosterable, but I am personally not falling for that one again, as he is still two injuries away from holding any real value.

Thanks for reading and give me a follow @TravisNFL.


Originally published at dynastyfootballfactory.com on August 26, 2017.

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