Fantasy Fallout: Eric Ebron's solid start interrupted by injury

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Here are the fantasy implications of Detroit Lions TE Eric Ebron being ruled out for Sunday's game with the Philadelphia Eagles due to knee and ankle injuries:

Despite numerous nagging injuries through the season's first four games, Ebron has started to live up to his promise as the 10th pick in the 2014 draft. Ebron has recorded a 18-210-1 receiving line en route to being a consistent performer. He's had at least four catches and 42 yards in every game this season, making him a solid if unspectacular option in deeper formats.

The Detroit receiving corps has largely been by committee beyond WR Marvin Jones' team-leading reception (23), target (36) and yardage (482) totals. Ebron is one of three other Lions with at least 17 receptions and 136 receiving yards, a group that surprisingly does not include WR Golden Tate (14-95-0).

In Ebron's absence, some combination of undrafted rookie Cole Wick and newly-signed Clay Harbor will fill in. Neither represent much more than daily fantasy Hail Mary options, with Wick perhaps the favorite to start due to his longer tenure with the team. The 6-foot-6 rookie has two catches for 18 yards in limited action thus far.

Harbor was recently released by the Patriots, where he was used mostly as a blocker, playing just six passing snaps in three games, according to Pro Football Focus. The seventh-year TE has 111 career catches and has managed to record at least one touchdown in every season prior to 2016, but he's the deepest of deep sleepers heading into Week 5.

Sunday's opponent, the Eagles, hasn't given up much to opposing defenses through their three games. Philadelphia has surrendered just 27 total points while failing to allow a single passing touchdown. Prior to their Week 4 bye, the Eagles recorded a 34-3 win over the offensively-potent Steelers.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford recorded a season-low 213 yards passing in a 17-14 loss to the Bears in Week 4. Prior to that, he'd had at least 260 yards in each game, with two efforts of 340 yards or more.

There are certainly plenty of yards and receptions to go around among the Detroit receiving corps thanks to the team's pass-heavy approach and frequent need to play catch-up. Veteran WR Anquan Boldin could see a slight increase in production with Ebron sidelined, as he's seen a steady workload through the first four weeks, playing between 38 and 47 passing snaps each game, according to Pro Football Focus.

The slot receiver could serve as a security blanket of sorts without a reliable pass-catching tight end in the picture, though Boldin doesn't offer much value outside of deeper PPR formats.

Waiver Wire Targets

Some realistically-available waiver wire tight ends include:

• Jacob Tamme, Falcons (at Broncos): Tamme certainly doesn't have a favorable matchup this week, but going forward, he has some value as a productive member of the NFL's most prolific passing offense. Tamme has recorded 16 catches for 157 yards and two TDs thus far.

• Cameron Brate, Buccaneers (at Panthers): With the release of Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Brate is firmly Tampa Bay's No.1 tight end. He ranks third on the team in terms of catches (16) and yards (159), and has scored two TDs. No team has averaged more pass attempts per game than Tampa Bay's 44.2.

• Jesse James, Steelers (vs. Jets): James is hardly the focal point of the high-flying Pittsburgh offense, but the 6-foot-7 second-year man has found the end zone twice, while catching 12 passes for 85 yards.