(Getty)
When everyone assumes Bill Belichick will zig, he tends to zag.
So, while the popular fantasy football waiver-wire pickup following Julian Edelman’s foot injury has been Danny Amendola, it may not be a bad idea to keep a close eye on Keshawn Martin.
A hamstring injury has forced the fourth-year receiver to miss the last four weeks, but he has been practicing. Moreover, when asked about players to step up in Edelman’s absence, quarterback Tom Brady named Martin first:
Keshawn Martin is still obviously a good player for us and is hopefully coming back here soon. And I’ve got a lot of confidence in Brandon LaFell. (Danny Amendola)’s role has been very different than Julian’s was for us. I just think they’re a little different type of players. And certainly Julian has been incredible for us. Incredible.
Amendola will certainly see an uptick in targets, but he’s not a perfect fit to straight-up replace Edelman. Whereas Edelman played on both the outside and in the slot, Amendola is far-more suited for the latter. That means when the Pats go to 2-WR sets, it may be Martin on the outside instead of Amendola.
Even in that case, Martin would be third on the target pecking order behind Rob Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell, and Amendola will still get a lot of looks out of the slot. But Martin showed the ability to make plays down the field earlier in the year, catching six balls for 95 yards (15.8 AVG) and a touchdown in three games. The mere possibility of being a No. 2 WR in a Tom Brady-led offense makes him worth owning in fantasy circles.
Martin is more of a stash at this point because there is still plenty of unknown when it comes to how the Pats offense will play out sans Edelman. But if you have room on your bench, he’s in a situation that could make him very useful once the fantasy playoffs roll around.
I still like Amendola as a pickup first, especially in PPR leagues, but Martin makes for a smart speculative add with yardage and touchdown upside.