As cliche as it sounds, the next-man-up mentality is vital in football and intensifies during the last few weeks of a season. The players that are stepping in the later weeks have to make the most of their opportunity because of the revolving door of professional sports. If he shines, the organization may see the player in a different light going into the offseason which translates into dollar signs.
With week 15 upon us, we will take a closer look at a handful of players who have this exact opportunity to make an impact in your DFS lineups.
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Injured: Mike Evans
Next Men Up: Chris Godwin (1.15x) Breshad Perriman (1.75x)
After Mike Evans went down early in Sunday’s tilt with the Colts, the Bucs were still able to gain yards through the air in bunches. In their last three games they have to lead the league in yards passing by averaging over 340 When you couple Tampa Bay’s willingness to throw with the Lions’ 30th-ranked pass defense, I expect another week of success for a receiving core that will be without Evans for the remainder of the season.
We all know who is Chris Godwin is so this should not come as a surprise. As much attention as Evans gets in the media, he has not had the best season for a receiver on his own team. Godwin leads the team in catches, yards receiving and touchdowns receiving. His multiplier for this week, although not juicy, leaves a high floor for the breakout receiver.
If you are looking for a flyer in this one, Breshad Perriman should be rostered. Although the fourth-year receiver has only seen over four targets in four games this season, last week was one of them where he found the end zone in Evans’ absence and had over an 80% snap share. At 1.75x I would not be surprised to see Perriman in a large number of cashing lineups this weekend.
Injured: D.J. Chark
Next Men Up: Chris Conley (1.95x) Dede Westbrook (1.75x)
Another number-one wide receiver went on the shelf last week in D.J Chark. It remains to be seen if the injury is season-ending but it would be a shame if it was with Chark less than 50 yards receiving away from eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark. With the second-year player out for week 15, that opens the door for a pair of wide receivers to feast on the Raiders’ 28th-ranked passing defense.
With Gardner Minshew under center, this season Chris Conley and Dede Westbrook have put up identical numbers in terms of targets, yards and touchdowns. The only glaring difference is the number of receptions from the two with Westbrook tallying 15 more than his counterpart.
Despite Conley having an edge in the multiplier department, I think Westbrook is the play out of these two seeing how he is at 1.75x this week. This seems like a steal to me.
Injured: Rashaad Penny
Next Man Up: Chris Carson (1.45x)
This is not the best example of the next man up because Rashaad Penny is a backup running back. However, Penny was outplaying his predecessor Chris Carson during weeks 12 and 13. Without a threat to his touches, Carson – already a 1,000-yard rusher this season – has a multiplier of 1.45x in week 15.
If that does not put a twinkle in your eye, he gets to run on the 29th-ranked rushing defense when the Seahawks travel to Carolina. I would be shocked if Carson is not one of the most-owned players this Sunday.
Injured: Derrius Guice
Next Man Up: Adrian Peterson (1.75x)
Although we never like to see an athlete hurt, is anybody surprised that Derrius Guice is injured again? There are not many reasons to watch the Redskins with Guice out, but who would not love to see some vintage Adrian Peterson?
I know what you might say, there are no stats to support rostering Peterson on Sunday. Not only are the Redskins packing it in but the Eagles possess the third-ranked rushing defense in the league. However, call me crazy, but I think the Redskins keep this game close and potentially win against an Eagles team fresh off an emotional win.
Fade me if you want but I would not be surprised if a healthy and hot Peterson finds the end zone for a third-straight game with a juicy multiplier. I fully believe that the former MVP will have his season-high in carries this Sunday.
Injured: Jared Cook
Next Man Up: Nobody
Although Jared Cook has not been officially ruled out, there is a good chance he does not see the field this weekend. This one is simple: roster the Saints you normally roster.
I do not see an obvious uptick for any Saints offensive weapon. Their backup tight end, Josh Hill, does not move the needle enough to garner any real attention from the SuperDraft community.
Could Michael Thomas see more targets? Sure, I guess – but he already has such a high usage that it will not make a difference. Besides Thomas, there was only one receiver with more than two receptions – Tedd Ginn Jr. with four. This injury is a non-story in terms of DFS.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
