There is a reason people seek closure on a wide array of matters: It is cathartic. It allows individuals to move on from one issue and begin adjusting to a new reality.
Too bad we still don’t have complete closure in the Ezekiel Elliott matter. After his motion for a preliminary injunction for his six-game suspension (the result of a domestic violence incident) was denied, the ban goes back into effect. However, Elliott can still appeal, which means another court decision on whether he gets to play while awaiting an actual court battle.
Fantasy owners just want this to end already. As it stands, you have to hedge your roster bets toward the growing possibility he serves his ban this season, rather than putting it off until next year — a la Tom Brady and Deflategate.
If it feels like we just did this, it is because we did, just a couple of weeks ago when Elliott’s original motion was denied because it was filed prematurely. Hopefully, if you nabbed either Alfred Morris or Darren McFadden then, you kept them on your roster. If you do not have them, hopefully whoever did grab them has since cut them loose.
But here’s another problem: There is no guarantee one or the other or either will just inherit the Zeke workload. In fact, it seems unlikely. Both have been around a while — Morris is 29, McFadden 30. Morris is of a thicker build (5-foot-9, 219 pounds) and more of a north-south runner. McFadden (6-2, 210 pounds) is more of a slasher, or was in his younger days, but not without power.
McFadden has spent the season on the inactive list, while Morris has served as the fill-in when Elliott needed a breather. That makes us lean toward Morris absorbing the lion’s share. Our best guess is something similar to a Devonta Freeman/Tevin Coleman-type split.
If you can’t get your hands on either of the Dallas duo, target Alex Collins or Marlon Mack.
Beyond those options, the pickings get slim real fast. You can look into trades, but expect other team owners to extort your desperation. But here’s the thing: We don’t know for certain quite yet. Elliott can still, and likely will, appeal, meaning we get to do this whole thing again. So don’t break the bank to get a Zeke replacement just yet. We could get another ruling in the next several days that puts another hold on the ban.
Maybe one day this will be over. Maybe then we can move on, experience some catharsis. Until then, fantasy owners are stuck trying to obtain some RB insurance while avoiding a panicked overreaction.
Elsewhere, the 49ers traded for backup Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo on Monday. It is a good move for the 49ers football team, giving them a QB with some upside on a roster that had none. But don’t expect him to make a ton of fantasy impact, especially in the next few weeks. First, he won’t play this week. Next, he will have to learn the playbook, and coaches will have to learn what he does well, or not. By the time he is a usable fantasy commodity — assuming he attains that status, which is no given — it will be late in the fantasy season. He isn’t worth spending big on in waivers.