Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
When reports of Justin Blackmon‘s indefinite suspension surfaced, fantasy owners rushed to the waiver wire, looking for a replacement of his caliber. Kenny Stills, Kendall Wright and Keenan Allen have been three of the most added wide receivers over the last week.
However, instead of going after No. 3 or No. 4 wide receivers, why not pick up the player who will be Blackmon’s replacement and get guaranteed playing time? Mike Brown is the next guy in line on the depth chart. Even with Blackmon on the field, Brown put up huge numbers (for his standards) over the last two games. He had eight receptions, 163 yards and a touchdown, totaling 22 fantasy points.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars always down in games, Brown is a good candidate to put up even bigger numbers in garbage time. Brown is obviously widely available in most leagues (0.5 percent owned in ESPN, 0.4 percent in NFL leagues), so I would grab him as soon as you can. Players like Julian Edelman, Jerome Simpson and Tavon Austin are the kinds of players to drop for Brown.
He is a must-add in deeper leagues, no question. A player who’s guaranteed No. 2 wide receiver-like numbers is tough to find on the waiver wire this late in the season.
After their Week 9 bye, the Jaguars play the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans, three of the stingiest passing defenses from a fantasy standpoint, so Brown’s success may not be immediate. However, Cecil Shorts is essentially the No. 1 guy in Jacksonville, which will force defenses to pay more attention to him, leaving Brown in single coverage.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy football writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @Mr_Piv1127.
