Danny Amendola Fantasy Value After Julian Edelman’s Injury

(Getty)

(Getty)

In a matter of two weeks, Tom and Brady and the New England Patriots have lost two of the most important pieces to their passing offense.

First it was Dion Lewis (7.5 targets per contest in his six full games) with a torn ACL. Now it’s Julian Edeman (10.4 targets per contest in his eight full games) with a broken foot that will likely keep him out for the remainder of the fantasy football season:

Rob Gronkowski and Brandon LaFell will be the first players to benefit from the injuries, but they won’t replace an extra 18-ish targets per game by themselves. Much of that will likely go to Danny Amendola, who becomes an immediate waiver-wire target in all leagues.

Now, you can’t expect Amendola to full replicate the numbers Edelman was putting up. Even Brady pretty much admitted that fact:

There’s nothing that’s really seamless when you lose a great player. When it’s someone that’s been the leading receiver on your team for multiple years and you lose them, it’s not like you go, ‘OK, well, let just put someone else in.’ He’s too good of a player for that. You’ve just got to kind of find your way to make some adjustments.

Still, Amendola, a possession receiver with strong hands, will play Edelman’s role as an underneath receiver and chain-mover. On Sunday, he pulled in 10 of his 11 targets for 79 yards, including three clutch catches on the Patriots’ game-winning drive in the final minute. Brady clearly trusts him, and he’s going to be looking at a large workload in an explosive offense.

His touchdown upside is limited, and he’s going to make a lot of five-to-10 yard catches, making him a far better option in PPR leagues. But a starting role in a Tom Brady offense means he needs to be owned everywhere.