Well, that was brutal. NFL Preseason Week 3 that is. Not only did we see a giant door swing open in the Kansas City backfield for rookie running back Kareem Hunt due to teammate Spencer Ware tearing his PCL, but a couple of significant fantasy assets at wide receiver also went down for the entirety of the 2017 season, as Patriots veteran Julian Edelman and breakout candidate Cameron Meredith of the Bears both suffered ACL injuries.
With those potentially high-volume targets now out of the mix from their respective passing attacks, there are obviously some suddenly new opportunities for other New England and Chicago route runners alike. If you have already completed your fantasy football drafts for the year, then the two wide receivers below could well be available on your waiver wire. In the event that you still have one or more drafts to come, listen up.
Kevin White (CHI)
White was the seventh overall selection of the 2015 NFL Draft, and so far, to put it bluntly, he has been a bust. That may be a little harsh, seeing as how an inability to remain healthy has been the primary reason for that. The former West Virginia standout has played a mere four games over his first two years in the NFL. Ironically enough, it is an injury that has cleared the way for yet another prime opportunity for White to emerge as a playmaker in Chicago.
With Meredith sidelined, White is now poised to become the de facto No. 1 wide receiver for the Bears. He could certainly be in line to see something in the range of 10-12 targets per game, and as long as he stays on the field and hauls in at least half of those looks, we could be looking at a legitimate WR3 in standard-depth formats with some fair upside to boot.
For what it’s worth, White has the endorsement of new veteran teammate Victor Cruz, who told reporters earlier this week that “this is the year he (White) has to take over.” Cruz went on to declare that White is “ready for that.”
Chris Hogan (NE)
Even with Edelman out of the picture in the Pats’ passing game, there are still plenty of mouths for Tom Brady to feed in New England. Although new addition Brandin Cooks may indeed turn out to be the biggest overall beneficiary of Edelman’s absence, Hogan is the guy who warrants the highest uptick in fantasy stock.
During his first season (2016) with the Super Bowl Champs, Hogan saw less than four targets per game and caught a grand total of 38 passes over 15 regular-season games. However, he managed to rack up 680 yards and four scores on those grabs while leading the NFL at 17.9 yards per receptions.
Hogan also delivered for the Patriots when the lights were shining the brightest. Over three playoff games, he gained 332 yards on 17 receptions and hit paydirt twice during a 180-yard performance in the AFC Championship Game against the Steelers.
With the sudden opportunity for additional targets, Hogan’s penchant for the big-play alone makes him worthy of WR4 consideration in most leagues. By the way, don’t turn a blind eye to fellow Patriots Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola either.