Fantasy Replacements for Bucs-Dolphins

The first big surprise of the fantasy football season, aside from a few injuries, is the Buccaneers-Dolphins game being postponed to Week 11. Now many will scramble to replace players involved in their starting lineups. Because it is week 1, most have viable bench options they just drafted and this is an easy fix. For those that had their only QB or D/ST suddenly get benched hopefully I can point out a few possible replacements with upside.

QB

Carson Palmer – [email protected]

If you lost Jameis Winston to Hurricane Irma this week Carson Palmer is worth a look. Palmer’s age and injury history have kept him from being a highly-targeted draft choice (only owned in 35% on ESPN leagues), but a solid week one matchup with a poor Lions’ defense makes him a reliable start this week.

Tyrod Taylor- BUF vs NYJ

Having the Jets as an opponent makes a lot of borderline players decent starts this season. While the Bills traded away top target Sammy Watkins, Tyrod Taylor’s agility should add some fantasy value. With the Bills run game requiring the Jets to stack the box Taylor has some serious upside.

RB

Jeremy Hill – CIN vs BAL

Well, hopefully you drafted a few spare RB’s because honestly there’s not a lot of great options available in most leagues. Jeremy Hill (19.3 %OWN) is possibly your best option. Bengals fans can tell you that Marvin Lewis does not like to play rookies in important roles early in the season, and Joe Mixon’s fumble in Week 3 of the preseason could have won Hill the larger share of touches early this season.

Chris Thompson – WSH vs PHI

If you’re playing in a PPR league, Chris Thompson (55.5%OWN) is a reasonable option week 1. Thompson will serve as Washington’s passing down back and should see a few targets this week. Most likely Thompson should only be playing this week in deep leagues.

WR

Torrey Smith – PHI @ WSH

Likely the WR2 for the Eagles, Smith (30.9%OWN) should be on the field a lot. He will fight with new Eagle Alshon Jeffrey, Zach Ertz, and Darren Sproles for targets, but Smith has big play potential as an over the top outlet.

Cole Beasley – DAL vs NYG

The Cowboys slot receiver could be in line for a lot of targets if the Giants shut down the deep options for Dak Prescott. Beasley (25.2%OWN) has been reliable for a few catches a game over the past few years and is worth a look in PPR leagues. Other options include Kendall Wright(PPR) and Tyler Lockett.

TE

Evan Engram – [email protected]

A terrific athlete at the Tight-End position, Engram (20.3%OWN) is a wild card as a rookie in his first NFL game. The Giants clearly like Engram taking him at 23rd overall. He’s a high upside option week 1, and could see value as the season continues.

D/ST

Rams – LAR vs IND

The Rams are a sneaky option week 1. The Colts Scott Tolzein will be starting for Andrew Luck even though he didn’t show much in the preseason. Tolzein was a 3rd stringer for the 49ers recent seasons, and entered the league as an UDFA. The Rams will be reasonable on defense this year and this is a juicy week 1 matchup. The Bills D/ST will also be a solid play this week with their matchup against the Jets QB issues.