It’s the worst news for Marlon Mack after an injury in the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars: a torn Achilles will end his 2020 season.
As we predicted days before, Mack was on his way to having a good day against the Jags with four carries for 26 yards and three catches for 30 more before the injury ended his day. But now, even though it seems obvious what’s next, let’s go over how fantasy owners should approach keeping him in dynasty leagues and how to look at his replacements, one of whom is among the top waiver adds heading into Week 2.
Marlon Mack
If you have injured reserve spots in your keeper league, you could stick him there and see what happens next year, assuming you drafted him low with rookie Jonathan Taylor in town. But coming back from an Achilles injury in a contract year who, if he were to re-sign, would be on a team that just spent a second-rounder on a highly-touted rookie? I don’t think he’ll be keeper material.
Jonathan Taylor
You drafted him around RB17 per his ADP this season, hoping he’d eventually take over for Mack by, say, midseason. Well, here you go: he’s taking over in Week 2. He didn’t do a ton with his carries vs. the Jags — 2.4 ypc — but we know a starring role is worth its weight in gold and he did have six catches. He’s an RB2 going forward, and we’ll see if the hype is justified.
Nyheim Hines
Nyheim Hines scores the first TD on NFL Sunday 🚨
(via @Colts)pic.twitter.com/DXEJf2Zc3v
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2020
I actually wondered out loud on a recent episode of our The Counter podcast if Hines could have some Austin Ekeler to him now that Philip Rivers — who likes to throw his RBs — is under center. After all, Hines catch totals the past two seasons were 44 and 63.
On Sunday, he had seven carries, eight catches, 73 total yards and two touchdowns. Coupled with Mack’s injury, he’ll probably be the first name off the waiver wire, and I think that’s justified. Hines won’t be the top ball-carrier, but he’ll be a PPR monster the rest of the season who could be a Flex-level producer.
Jordan Wilkins
The last time Mack was hurt in 2019, we thought Wilkins was the best name to carry the rock. Instead, Jonathan Williams took over, although Wilkins had a good game late last year against the Panthers.
In deep leagues, maybe you throw a free-agent pickup his way, but that’s only if you have room to stash a guy who may not do much unless Taylor goes down.
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