Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE
Injury has now been added to insult for the New York Jets, as if being shutout by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 was not enough. Wide receiver Santonio Holmes has reportedly been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot after being injured during Sunday’s game and is likely done for the season. That takes the best wide receiver away from an already struggling Jets’ offense, and also creates a potential quandary for Holmes’ fantasy owners.
Holmes has 20 receptions for 272 yards and a touchdown so far this season, which are not elite numbers but he was on track to at least be valuable depth for his fantasy owners with bye weeks starting in full force in Week 5. Those that drafted him now have to replace him, so how should those owners deal with the situation?
Let’s take a look first at the rest of the Jets’ wide receivers, then I’ll offer up some options from other teams that fantasy owners should consider to replace Holmes.
The Jets Wide Receivers
With Holmes out of the picture, rookies Stephen Hill and Jeremy Kerley would be in line to start and be the primary downfield targets for whoever is under center for the Jets. But Hill is dealing with a hamstring issue that caused him to miss Week 4 and he is not guaranteed to be ready to go for next Monday night against the Houston Texans. If Hill is unable to play, former Oakland Raiders receiver Chaz Schilens would likely start opposite Kerley with Miami Dolphins castoff Clyde Gates possibly moving into an increased role. The Jets have signed veteran Jason Hill, who spent his first five NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars before being released by the Denver Broncos prior to Week 1 this year. Hill’s impact is likely to minimal, and he really just gives the Jets a healthy wide receiver. All things considered fantasy owners should not entertain adding a Jets’ wide receiver right now, but Hill and Kerley are potentially intriguing options that are worth keeping an eye on.
Any reference to the Jets’ passing game is incomplete without mentioning tight end Dustin Keller, who himself is dealing with a hamstring issue that has kept him out of the last three games. His status for Week 5 is unknown right now, and may not get any clearer for a few more days with the Jets not playing until Monday night. If he can get healthy Keller seems to be the one Jets’ pass catcher that could produce solidly, and thus have some fantasy value, if Tim Tebow takes over for Mark Sanchez at some point. Keller could be a nice buy-low candidate in a trade or a cheap waiver wire addition for those with the roster space to carry him if he remains out for another game or two.
Other Options
Fantasy owners looking to replace Holmes will have to go outside the Jets’ roster for a capable replacement right now, and that is not such a bad thing. Some of the better options that should be available in a lot of leagues include Brian Hartline (Miami Dolphins), Andre Roberts (Arizona Cardinals), Leonard Hankerson (Washington Redskins), Kendall Wright (Tennessee Titans) and Domenik Hixon (New York Giants).
