Rashad Penny is out of the season after sustaining a fibula fracture in the fifth week of Sunday’s loss in New Orleans. The NFL Network reported that he will undergo surgery and face a four-month recovery period.
This is shocking news for Penny, the Seahawks, and any Fantasy directors who have been counting on him this season. But his absence created an opportunity for rookie Kenneth Walker III, who would take the lead role in backyard Seattle.
After Penny left the game against the Saints, Walker shot off from 69 yards. He finished the loss with eight runs for 88 yards and a touchdown for 14 PPR, easily his best outing of the season. He also played 58 percent of the shots, which is the highest level of the season.
Penny has dominated the Seahawks’ workload this season, playing 69 percent of picks in three of five games. He had three outings with no less than 14 total touches. But keep in mind that Penny only had one game with over eight PPR points, which was Week 4 in the Lions (27 PPR points), who have arguably the worst defense in the NFL. He’s also only had four goals in five for this season.
But Penny felt like he was just getting started. And now Walker will get a chance to prove himself. He was selected in the second round of the NFL draft outside Michigan for a reason. He was expected to be a playmaker for the Seahawks – and an insurance policy for the frequently injured Penny. Now, this policy will be disbursed.
Walker is listed in 68 percent of the leagues on CBS Sports, which puts him slightly above the threshold of the players we usually discuss. But for any leagues where he’s available, he should be the #1 added player. And you should plan on spending a huge amount of the remaining FAB – all a possibility depending on the running state – for what could be a league win again.
The Seahawks will use DeeJay Dallas, newly acquired Tony Jones, and eventually Travis Homer (ribs) when he comes out of the injured reserve to spell Walker, who may not have a significant role in the pass game. But if Walker seizes this opportunity, he could be a star.
It stinks to see Penny suffer another injury and no longer able to play in 2022. But Walker is getting a chance to prove himself now, and he could be a squad-maker for Fantasy managers for the rest of the year, starting in Week Six against Arizona.
Editor’s Note: For this exemption wire column, we’re only looking at players on the bottom 65 percent of CBS sports leagues.
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Sixth week concessions
- Farewell: Derek Carr, Ryan Tanehill, Jared Gough and Davis Mills.
- Injuries: Dak Prescott (thumb), Tua Tagoviloa (concussion), James Winston (back), Mac Jones (ankle), Russell Wilson (shoulder), Carson Wentz (shoulder), Teddy Bridgewater (concussion) and Baker Mayfield (ankle).
- Drop candidates: Jared Gough (87 percent listed), Tua Tagoviloa (84 percent) and Ryan Tanehill (51 percent). Goff does not deserve to score in the leagues with the Lions in a bye in Week 6. He has two games with at least 34 Fantasy points and three games with 18 Fantasy points or less. …Tagoviloa was still in concussion protocol on Monday and could come out again in Week Six against Minnesota. He can have a long absence, which makes him someone who falls in the leagues. …Tannehill, like Goff, should not be included in league rosters with the Titans in goodbye. He has two games with at least 20 fantasy points and three games with 17 points or less.
List of assignment priorities for the fifth week
waiver wire
turn their backs
- Farewell: Dundee Swift, Jamal Williams, Damon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, Josh Jacobs and Derek Henry.
- Injuries: Jonathan Taylor (ankle), Dandrey Swift (shoulder), James Conner (ribs), Damien Harris (hamstring), Rashad Penny (ankle), Cordrill Patterson (knee), Niheim Hines (concussion), Elijah Mitchell (knee) , Daryl Williams (knee), Justice Hill (hamstring), Joss Edwards (knee), Damien Williams (ribs), Tyrion Davis-Pryce (ankle) and Boston Scott (ribs).
- Check to see if it’s available: Brian Robinson Jr (82% on the list), Alexander Mattison (81%), Raheem Mostert (80%), Michael Carter (73%), Rashad White (71%), Kenneth Walker III (68%). Robinson made his NFL debut in Week 5 against Tennessee and led Washington in nine campaigns. He only had 22 yards and had no catch, but more production should come with a 100 percent return. Keep in mind it’s flex in week six in Chicago. …Mattison may be more than a handcuff after he had 12 total touches (three touches) along with Dalvin Cook in Week 5 against Chicago. He only managed 40 yards, and it would be his main fantasy value if Cook got injured. Mattison should be listed as a lottery ticket in all tournaments. …Mostert has emerged as a straight first in Miami, and he deserves to start at least as a flexible in all tournaments. He has at least 79 yards in three of his past four games, and he just scored 18 PPR in Week 5 in the Jets. He should have a chance for another quality outing in Week 6 against Minnesota. …even as the Bryce Hall outbreak begins, Carter won’t go far. He has at least 11 total touches in every game this year, and just scored two goals in Week 5 against Miami. It could be a flexible option in the deep leagues and a potential lottery ticket if Hall gets hurt. …White is still a Leonard Fortnite lottery ticket, and he has eight total touches in each of his previous two games, with eight touches on nine goals during that time. It can be a flexible option in deeper PPR tournaments. … See above for information about Walker.
- Drop candidates: Antonio Gibson (96 percent listed), Chase Edmonds (91 percent) and Latavius Murray (34 percent). Gibson saw his shot count drop each week from 64 percent in the first week to 32 percent in the fifth, which coincided with Robinson’s NFL debut. Unless leaders use Gibson to replace J.D. McKissic as the running runner in Washington, which seems unlikely, Gibson will be hard to trust when everyone else is healthy. It also collected only 14 points in the past two weeks. … Edmonds will likely need to hit Mostert to be a related fantasy after what happened in Week Five in the Jets. Mostert played 69 percent of shots and rallied for 122 rowdy yards and touchdowns while Edmunds played a season low on 15 percent of shots and rushed once for one yard and failed to capture either of his goals. He was also benched for Miles Gaskin late in the game. …we’ll see what role Murray plays with the Broncos in week six now that he should be fully prepared for playtime, but it looks like he’ll be third on the depth chart at best behind Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone. If that’s the case, it’s not worth hiding Murray in most leagues.
List of assignment priorities for the fifth week
waiver wire
broad receptors
- Farewell: Davant Adams, Hunter Renfrew, Amon Ra Saint Brown, Josh Reynolds, Robert Woods, Branden Cook and Nico Collins
- Injuries: Terek Hill (foot), T. Higgins (ankle), Michael Thomas (toe), Kenan Allen (hamstring), Chris Olaf (concussion), Drake London (knee), Rashod Bateman (foot), Jahan Dotson (tendon) knee), Julio Jones (unknown), Jarvis Landry (ankle), Isaiah Mackenzie (concussion), Trillon Berks (toe), Cadarius Tony (hamstring), Christian Watson (hamstring), DJ Shark (ankle). ), Kenny Golladay (knee), Andel Robinson (knee) and Nelson Agulor (hamstring).
- Check to see if it’s available: George Pickens (80 percent on the list), Michael Gallup (74 percent) and Tyler Boyd (70 percent). In six quarters with Kenny Pickett centered, Pickens had 10 catches for 154 yards. He has now scored 30 PPR in the previous two games and should be on the rosters for 100 per cent of the leagues. … Gallup had mediocre production in two games of a shattered AFC Champions League last year with six combined catches for 68 yards and touchdowns on eight goals. I’m excited to see what he can do with a healthy Duck Prescott (thumb), and will try to include Gallup in all tournaments if possible. … Boyd could be heading for a bigger role if he misses T. Higgins (ankle) at any time. And even if Higgins is healthy, Boyd can still be productive, having scored no fewer than 13 PPR points in two games this year.
- Drop candidates: Allen Robinson (76 percent listed), Elijah Moore (75 percent), Hunter Renfrew (74 percent), Jarvis Landry (60 percent) and Julio Jones (58 percent). Robinson played another game in Week 5 against Dallas with three 12-yard runs on five goals. He might improve in Week Six against Carolina at home, but there’s no reason to trust him given how he’s gone this season. He only has one game with over four PPR points. …Moore has failed to score any touchdowns this season and has scored nine PPR points or fewer on every outing. In the fifth week against Miami, he had one catch for 11 yards on four goals. It would be hard to trust him if Corey Davis and Garrett Wilson were healthy. …Renfrew came back from a two-game absence with a concussion in Week 5 in Kansas City and earned four goals for 25 yards on four goals. He has now played the majority of three matches and failed to score any touchdowns or top 10 PPR points. Heading to bye in week six, there’s no good reason to hide Renfrow, especially in non-PPR leagues. … Landry missed Week 5 with an ankle injury, and we’re not sure if he’ll be ready to go in Week 6 against the Bengals. With Michael Thomas (his foot) expected to return in week six, and hopefully Chris Olaf (concussion) doing well, it’s doubtful Landry will have a big role when everyone is 100 percent. He scored 18 PPR points in Week 1 in Atlanta but has since collected only 14 PPR points. … hacking general manager Jason Licht said Monday that the team is “playing the long game” with Jones because of his knee in hopes of being fine late in the season. This says it all. It’s not worth making lists if he can’t play.
List of assignment priorities for the fifth week
- Farewell: Darren Waller, TJ Hawkinson and Austin Hopper.
- Notable injuries: Darren Waller (hamstring), Kyle Bates (hamstring), Pat Fryermouth (concussion), Dalton Schultz (knee), Dawson Knox (foot), Logan Thomas (calf) and Cameron Pratt (concussion).
- Check to see if it’s available: David Njoku (83 percent on the list). After a slow start in the first two weeks of the season, Ngoku has been on fire for his past three rounds. He has had at least five catches for 73 yards in every game during that time, and has had two games with at least 14 PPR points. Hopefully he’s still hot in Week 6 against New England, and Ngoku deserves to be used as a No. 1 tight finish in all tournaments.
- Drop candidates: Tyler Conklin (69 percent listed), Dawson Knox (66 percent) and Mike Jesicki (49 percent). Changing quarterback from Joe Flacco to Zach Wilson crushed Conklin’s fictional value, and it might be time to move on to a different tight end. Conklin has six goals in two games with Wilson for a combined eight PPR after scoring at least 10 PPR points in each of his first three games with Flacco. … Knox missed Week 5 against Pittsburgh with a foot injury and scored eight PPR points or less in each of his first four games. We don’t know if he’ll play in Week Six in Kansas City, farewell to Buffalo in Week 7. There’s no good reason for Knox to hide while he’s hurt. … Jesekke has one game with over four PPR points this season and only two games with more than one point. It’s doubtful that he’ll become a relevant fantasy anytime soon.
- Patriots (39 percent listed) in CLE
- Ponies (38 percent listed) vs. Jack
- Leaders (14 percent on the list) in Chi
- Graham Gano (38 percent listed) vs. Pal
- Chase McLaughlin (14 percent listed) vs. Jack
- Mason Crosby (33 percent listed) vs. New York
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