As anyone who has ever played fantasy football can attest, a rash of injuries to your team can turn your championship dreams into a full-blown nightmare.
Replacing running backs and wide receivers takes some extra effort, but the obstacles aren’t insurmountable. A hassle? Yes. A weekly chore if you use a FAAB budget? Of course. But with a deep player pool, you can find a workaround when necessary.
Replacing your quarterback is a different story. With so many people not just drafting their quarterbacks early, but also hoarding backups in case of emergency, finding a replacement at this point of the season means you either accept being price-gouged in a trade or you settle for what’s out there. But with 15 NFL teams already dipping into their back-ups, there still might be an option for you on your waiver wire.
After losing Kirk Cousins to a ruptured Achilles tendon, the Vikings were prepared to move forward with rookie Jaren Hall. Wildly unproven and still very raw, expectations weren’t very high, so to protect themselves and their chances to make the playoffs, the team traded for Joshua Dobbs —who was expendable in Arizona in front of the expected return of Kyler Murray.
But Hall’s first game as a starter didn’t go as planned, and a vicious hit at the goal line left him concussed and forced him out of the game. With the team for just three days, Dobbs, without a working knowledge of the team’s playbook, was thrust into action and led the Vikings to a tremendous come-from-behind win against the Falcons.
Dobbs only threw for 158 yards, but he tossed two touchdowns and ran another one in while amassing 66 rushing yards. It was exciting, to say the least, and it also kept Dobbs active in the fantasy realm.
Between his time in Arizona and Week 9 with Minnesota, Dobbs has 10 passing touchdowns to just five interceptions, and has averaged 36 rushing yards per game with four rushing touchdowns. He may not be posting numbers like Josh Allen, but the rushing upside is key to his fantasy value, and with games coming up against the Saints, Broncos and Bears, he should be able to continue producing at a strong level.
Replacing your starting fantasy quarterback can be a daunting task. Your options become Dobbs, Gardner Minshew and maybe Taylor Heinicke. The names aren’t lighting up a marquee anytime soon, but they can serve you reasonably well with the right matchups.
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If you are in need, start with Dobbs since he has the softest upcoming schedule. From there, look to Heinicke and then Minshew. You don’t need them to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns to win, but each one has a floor significantly higher than, say, Tommy DeVito. Take what you can get.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football advice.