Target: T.Y. Hilton
Reggie Wayne tore his ACL in week seven against the Broncos. The 13 year veteran has not missed a game since his rookie year in 2001. Also, Wayne had earned at least one reception in every game dating back to week 16 of 2005. That streak of 119 consecutive games with a catch ended Sunday, when the Colts traveled to Houston for Sunday night football. Wayne was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending his season.
Entering week nine, second-year receiver T.Y. Hilton has seen 54 targets for 27 receptions, 412 yards and two scores. In his last 16 games, the Miami native has 59 catches for 1,020 yards and eight touchdowns. That’s an average of 3.7 receptions for 63.8 yards and 0.5 scores per game. Among all wide receivers during that span, Hilton ranks 10th in touchdowns, and 17th in receiving yards, while Wayne was 32nd in scores and 13th in yards. Wayne was also ninth in receptions and seventh in targets over that time.
Andrew Luck will have a lot of targets to distribute in Wayne’s absence. And Hilton ranks second on the Colts in receptions, targets, yards and receiving touchdowns. The new number one wideout on the depth chart has a great opportunity ahead of him. Hilton owners are obviously aware of this situation, but if the receiver can capitalize, his fantasy value may just continue an upward path.
Target: Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles left Sunday’s game against the Jets with concussion-like symptoms. He caught one pass for two yards before leaving for the sideline. In the last four games, Sproles has just 15 receptions for 91 yards, and eight rushes for another 25 yards. Buy low, anyone?
In 2012, the 5-foot-6 back rushed for 244 yards and a score, while catching 75 passes for 667 yards and seven more touchdowns. In 2011, Sproles made 86 receptions for 710 yards and seven scores, and ran for an additional 603 yards and two touchdowns. In case you forgot, he set the all-time NFL record that year for most all-purpose yards, with 2,696.
Even with an incomplete game in the books, Sproles is on pace for 972 yards of offense and 72 receptions. If your league offers any reward for return yardage, he is a must start RB2 every week. Even without the special teams production, he is deserving of a flex start in every contest. A lot of turmoil has surrounded the running back and wide receiver positions this year in fantasy, with so many unpredictable injuries and slumps abounding. Few players are as reliable as Sproles, and that dependability could certainly help a franchise absorb these hiccups.
Target: Lamar Miller
As reported by NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington, Dolphins players were “starting to wonder about this offensive game plan,” following their week seven loss to New England. In the first half of that game, Miami ran 22 times for 120 yards, but called only six run plays in the second half. The Dolphins were leading 17-3 at halftime, before allowing 24 unanswered points to lose 27-17.
Lamar Miller just put up 129 total yards against the league’s eighth ranked defense this week. He has created 241 total yards in two weeks, while garnering 20 touches or more in each contest.
Last summer, Miller trained with fellow former Hurricane, Frank Gore. The two also worked out with trainer Pete Bommarito, who has helped other backs like Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Jonathan Stewart, among others.
Bommarito called Miller “the fastest running back I’ve ever seen,” and mentioned that “since Lamar started gravitating toward Frank, his work ethic and mentality are unparalleled.” Gore went on to compare the second-year back to the last 20 years of University of Miami rushers; that’s a list that includes former NFL greats Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee, and Gore himself. The 49ers rusher decided, “Lamar is probably the fastest. He reminds me of Portis.” NFL writer Bucky Brooks said he believes “Miller is a Clinton Portis clone, with the tools to be a dominant runner in the NFL.”
Through the halfway point of the season, Miller now has 448 yards on 93 carries (4.8 yards per attempt), and 13 catches for another 72 yards. During the first three weeks of the season, backup Daniel Thomas received 21 carries for 65 yards (3.1 yards per attempt) while the starter ran 32 times for 134 yards (4.2 yards per carry). Since then, Miller has run for 5.2 yards per carry, while earning more touches and yards per game. Miller was the 46th highest player drafted in 2013 fantasy leagues, and should easily grow into a second or third round pick for 2014 redrafts. In the keeper game, a young stud running back of such high value is the best asset an owner can find. If you don’t get Miller now, you may not have a chance later.
Stats and data courtesy of pro-football-reference.com, footballguys.com, and myfantasyleague.com.
