David Njoku Injury: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Replacement Pickups (Week 8)

With the injury to David Njoku, fantasy football managers are left with a potential void on their roster. Let’s check out the extent of the injury and players you can target on your waiver wire this week.

• Week 8 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice
• Erickson’s Week 7 Rapid Reactions & Top Performers
• Fantasy Football Heat Index
• Fantasy Football Week 7 Takeaways: Surprises & Disappointments

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.

David Njoku Injury Outlook

David Njoku ruled out with an ankle injury

David Njoku has been ruled out for the remainder of Week 7 with an ankle injury.

Fantasy Impact

Njoku caught all seven of his targets for 71 yards prior to the injury. Harrison Bryant is now the lone healthy tight end left for the Browns against Baltimore. The Browns should provide more details on the nature of Njoku’s injury soon.

Dr. Deepak Chona’s early injury takeaways on the Week 7 Sunday night recap show:

• On crutches after the game. Multi-week injury. High ankle sprain potentially.

Waiver Wire Replacements to Target

Greg Dulcich (DEN): 11% rostered

• Next opponents: @JAC, BYE, @TEN
• True value: $5
• Desperate need: $7
• Budget-minded: $3

Analysis: The Broncos have made it a point to get their talented rookie tight end involved. In Week 7, he played 59.4% of the snaps, running a route on 73.9% of Brett Rypien‘s pass attempts. Dulcich drew a 19.5% target share in Week 7. Since he has been in the starting lineup, he’s seen a 16.2% target share and surpassed 44 receiving yards in both games. His upcoming schedule is amazing. His next three opponents are 20th, 31st and 24th in DVOA against tight ends (per Football Outsiders).

Irv Smith Jr. (MIN): 41% rostered

• Next opponents: ARI, @WAS, @BUF
• True value: $4
• Desperate need: $6
• Budget-minded: $2

Analysis: You can toss out Irv Smith’s stats. Smith is worth a pickup and play this week, as he gets the best matchup in the league outside of Seattle for fantasy tight ends – the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has allowed the most receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns to tight ends. Smith should find himself inside my top-12 tight ends for Week 8 and on your roster.

Mike Gesicki (MIA): 41% rostered

• Next opponents: @DET, @CHI, CLE
• True value: $3
• Desperate need: $4
• Budget-minded: $1

Analysis: In Weeks 5-6, Gesicki saw a 12.8% target share with a 71.7% route run rate and 1.5 yards per route run. Those numbers put Gesicki in the weekly streamer category based on volume and efficiency. His next three opponents all rank 15th or lower in DVOA against tight ends. The Lions are especially vulnerable, surrendering the seventh-most fantasy points per game to tight ends (28th in DVOA).

Juwan Johnson (NO): 3% rostered

• Next opponents: LV, BAL, @PIT
• True value: $1
• Desperate need: $2
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Johnson enters Monday night as the TE2 in fantasy scoring for Week 7. While his star won’t burn this bright weekly, he made the most of his 10.2% target share with 32 receiving yards and two scores. The upcoming schedule for Johnson should offer more streamable weeks. The Raiders (24th) and Ravens (21st) each rank outside the top 20 in DVOA against tight ends (per Football Outsiders).

Evan Engram (JAC): 41% rostered

• Next opponents: DEN, LV, @KC
• True value: $1
• Desperate need: $2
• Budget-minded: $0

Analysis: Engram is the volume poster boy. Entering Week 7, he ranked 13th in route participation and 11th in routes. With the Jaguars lacking upper-echelon receiving options, Engram has worked his way into a higher-volume role over the last three weeks, with at least seven targets and 60 receiving yards in two of his last three games. If Engram can ever punch one into the end zone, with yardage numbers like that, he’ll finish as a top-five option at the tight end position.