Dion Lewis Injury: How Fantasy Football Owners Should Replace Patriots RB
New England Patriots fans and fantasy football owners received disappointing news Monday afternoon when The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride reported, citing a team source, that running back Dion Lewis has suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Lewis has been a valuable fantasy performer this season. He ranks 15th in ESPN standard scoring and eighth in DraftKings points per game among running backs.
In addition to Lewis’ four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving), he tallied 100 total yards three times and averaged more than five catches through seven games, which made him a factor in PPR leagues.
How should fantasy owners replace him? Let’s look at some options.
New England Patriots options
The most likely candidates on the Patriots to see an increase in carries and/or targets now that Lewis is gone for the season are LeGarrette Blount, James White and Brandon Bolden.
Blount has received the majority of the carries on the season, and he gave his best performance of the campaign Sunday against the Washington Redskins with 129 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. He’s a player to target on the trade market if you’re desperate for a running back.
For owners in deeper leagues, Brandon Bolden is a decent option. Bolden scored a touchdown Sunday and received his first carry since Week 2. He’s a powerful back, so it’s also possible he could receive some goal-line looks, although Blount excels in that area of the field as well.
James White is the third RB in the mix. He’s only run for 15 yards on seven carries with zero touchdowns and isn’t worth a roster spot right now.
One player outside the running back position on the Patriots who could replace some of Lewis’ PPR scoring is wide receiver Danny Amendola.
One of the concerns with Amendola, though, is inconsistency. He caught just five passes for 35 yards in the last two games after tallying 15 receptions for 191 yards in the previous two contests. He’s still available in a lot of leagues. Patriots receiver Brandon LaFell is another interesting PPR option after tallying his first 100-yard game of the season on Sunday.
Waiver Wire
The waiver wire probably is your best bet to find a fill-in for Lewis, especially since the trade deadline has passed in a lot of fantasy leagues.
James Starks (Green Bay Packers), Antonio Andrews (Tennessee Titans), Shaun Draughn (San Francisco 49ers) and Karlos Williams (Buffalo Bills) all are worth a look on the wire entering Week 10.
The Oakland Raiders running back situation is one to monitor throughout the week with starter Latavius Murray suffering from a concussion. The two players expected to compete for carries if Murray misses time are Taiwan Jones and Marcel Reece.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images
