As seems to be the norm as of late, another NFL Sunday was filled with a handful of long-term injuries to star players. We'll look at two players who will benefit from being the next man up on the depth chart, as well as one whose performance in a limited role may earn him increased action.
WR Danny Amendola, Patriots (vs. Bills)
Julian Edelman, who ranks eighth in total receptions with 61, broke his foot in Sunday's win over the Giants and is expected to be sidelined until at least the playoffs. While Edelman undoubtedly had more value in formats that offer PPR-scoring, he had a career-high seven TDs and was a strong complement to Rob Gronkowski in New England's second-ranked passing offense.
Amendola hasn't always fit with the Patriots since joining as a free agent in 2013, missing time due to injury that year and only registering 27 receptions in 16 games last season. In 2015, though, he's been a strong third option in the passing game, accumulating 40 catches and two TDs in nine games.
Amendola led the team Sunday with 11 targets and caught 10 passes for 79 yards. With Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell the deep threats, Amendola will have the short and intermediate routes all to himself, and should serve as a cut-price version of Edelman. Tom Brady threw for a season-best 466 yards against Buffalo in Week 2, so this week's matchup is of no concern.
Verdict: DEAL
QB Brock Osweiler, Broncos (at Bears)
There are a few reasons to consider Osweiler as a deep sleeper, namely his price. He's a starting QB at the absolute minimum cost in most DFS games, and has an enviable set of receivers at his disposal in Demaryius Thomas and, if healthy, Emmanuel Sanders.
Osweiler is serving the fourth year of an apprenticeship spent largely on the bench, and surely is raring to put into action what he's learned under the tutelage of Peyton Manning and Denver legend John Elway.
He's also a largely unknown commodity, which makes him difficult to game plan against, expect in the case of the Bears, Denver's Week 11 opponent. Head coach John Fox held the same position with the Broncos for the entirety of Osweiler's tenure before being fired this offseason, with offensive coordinator Adam Gase on the staff as well.
It's hard to imagine anyone knowing Osweiler's strengths and weaknesses better than Fox and Gase, so it's perhaps best to sit tight and see how he performs in his first start before considering him going forward.
Verdict: NO DEAL. Osweiler's price can't be beat, but the upside isn't there compared to other similarly-priced QBs.
RB Jay Ajayi, Dolphins (vs. Cowboys)
After suffering a preseason rib injury that caused him to be placed on short-term injured reserve, the rookie from Boise State made his debut in Week 9. In two games' worth of limited action, Ajayi has averaged 8.1 yards per carry on 11 touches.
With the exception of blowout wins over Houston and Tennessee, Lamar Miller hasn't excelled on the ground but has been a threat through the air, recording 21 receptions in that span. Ajayi's pounding running style seems to fit interim coach Dan Campbell's desired approach, and it's possible that the Dolphins could keep increasing Ajayi's workload with an eye to the future.
Dallas is middle-of-the-pack in terms of rushing yards allowed, but has given up 10 TDs on the ground, with the longest such score on a 15-yard run. The other nine were all within seven yards of the goal line, with five one-yard plunges, meaning a short-yardage score is possibly in the cards.
Verdict: DEAL. Ajayi has a decent shot at returning real value on his near-minimum price, but with his workload, he's nothing more than a GPP flier.
