Tank Dell Trade Value, Mooney and Top Waiver-Wire WRs After Nico Collins' Injury
The Houston Texans were dealt a major blow on Sunday, as superstar receiver Nico Collins left the matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a hamstring injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
That, of course, obviously has major ramifications for fantasy football, and specifically your team if you've been rostering Nico Collins.
In the article to follow, we'll discuss the trade value of Tank Dell should the Collins injury prove to be a multi-week issue (spoiler alert: he'll be far more valuable), where Sunday's news leaves a player like Xavier Hutchinson and discuss a few waiver-wire options for your team if you're hurting at wideout.
Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson
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If Collins is sidelined for any extended period, Tank Dell instantly becomes a more valuable player and someone you should consider targeting in trade talks.
While Dell has fallen down the pecking order after the offseason acquisition of Stefon Diggs, he would be the WR2 in Houston's offense without Collins available. Remember, as a rookie Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in just 11 games as the second option for C.J. Stroud, fantastic production.
He'll be far more valuable for fantasy players while Collins is sidelined.
As for Hutchinson, potentially moving up the pecking order to the third option at receiver is a nice boost, but it hasn't exactly been fruitful for Dell in that same role. You should probably look elsewhere.
Allen Lazard, New York Jets
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Allen Lazard remains criminally under-rostered in fantasy football. In PPR formats, he's scored double-digit points in four of his five games, notching four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.
He's now found the end zone four total times and in three different games, remaining a solid No. 2 option in New York's passing game for Aaron Rodgers. And he doesn't have a bye until Week 12, so if Collins is forced to miss multiple games, Lazard can step in and be a solid option for at least the next six weeks.
He isn't sexy, no, but Rodgers keeps finding him in the red zone. It's time to stop sleeping on Lazard.
Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons
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Yes, Darnell Mooney left some meat on the bone Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also still caught nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, an epic performance that made it clear he's the No. 2 option in Atlanta's passing game behind Drake London.
Mooney now has three touchdowns on the year and in PPR formats has notched double-digit points in three of his past four outings. He's been targeted at least six times in four straight games, another reminder that he's forged a regular role in this offense.
Yes, Thursday's outburst will be an outlier in the grand scheme of things. But if you need a player to throw in the flex spot or your second wideout slot as the bye weeks heat up, you could do far, far worse than Mooney.
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Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
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Josh Downs missed the first two weeks of the NFL season, but he's been quite good for the Indianapolis Colts since returning, namely in the past two weeks.
In Week 4, he caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. This week, he remained a regular target for Joe Flacco, catching nine passes for 69 yards.
Therein, of course, lies the rub—Indy's passing game, in general, has been far better with Flacco than it was with the talented but oft-injured and inconsistent Anthony Richardson. So long as Flacco is under center, Downs appears to be a very promising option and a sneaky add on waivers. He's a murkier option with Richardson under center.
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