LeSean McCoy: Advice for Concussed Philadelphia Eagles Star's Fantasy Owners

With a scant 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter, head coach Andy Reid found his Philadelphia Eagles down 31-6 to their NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins.

Instead of taking out most of his starters, allowing the backups to get meaningful experience and taking a knee, the beleaguered coach decided it was wise to still try and win the game.

Reid dangled star RB LeSean McCoy in front of the defense, and ‘Skins defensive back Madieu Williams took the bait. The safety absolutely destroyed the 5’11”, 210-pound back and sent him away on a cart to the locker room with a reported concussion.

Shady’s fantasy owners, Eagles fans and even unbiased viewers are wondering why Reid had the audacity to leave McCoy in at that point in the contest. The coach is just 3-7 on the season and many are calling for his job after a second-straight failed season.

Considering Reid hasn’t been axed yet, it’s safe to assume he’ll get a chance to finish out the 2012 campaign before hitting the unemployment line. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help the injured McCoy, or his fantasy owners who are now reeling.

If you own Shady in any of your leagues, you must immediately hit the waiver wire and put a claim in for Bryce Brown, the first-year back out of Kansas State. He’s second on the depth chart and would be the unquestioned starter should McCoy be forced to miss any time.

Brown also gives owners some flexibility going into the Eagles Week 12 Monday Night Football matchup with the Carolina Panthers. If you have Brown on the roster, you can wait until Monday night’s announcement on McCoy’s status and roll with either the starter or backup.

If you don’t get awarded your claim for Brown, you either have to gamble that McCoy will be healthy come Monday, or go with a safer alternative in one of Sunday’s games.

If you decide to go the latter route, some viable waiver/free-agent options this week are Jalen Parmele (now starting for the Jacksonville Jaguars at RB), Bilal Powell (New York Jets backup who scored two TDs last week) or Jonathan Dwyer (should get the lion’s share of carries for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday).

Stay tuned here on B/R for the latest news, updates, opinions and analysis on LeSean McCoy’s concussion, his recovery and any possible return to the lineup as soon as it breaks.