Getty Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.
The Carolina Panthers were dealt a brutal blow during Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season. Tight end Greg Olsen, who was already dealing with a back ailment, suffered a foot injury against the Dallas Cowboys and will now be sidelined for an extended period.
As NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo revealed, the exact timeline is not yet known, but Olsen will miss a “significant” amount of time.
The Panthers will now move forward without one of Cam Newton’s most reliable targets, and fantasy football owners may need a new starting tight end. Following the news, fantasy owners will head to the waiver wire to look for a potential replacement and we’re going to evaluate a few top options.
*Note: All ownership percentages are based on Yahoo Sports fantasy football.
Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders (52 Percent Owned)
Amid all the drama surrounding the Raiders this offseason, it’s easy to forget that Cook had one of the best years of his NFL career in 2017 with Oakland. He totaled his second-most yards (688) and receptions (86) while working in an offense that struggled mightily.
To go along with that, he hit the ground running in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams. Cook caught nine passes for 180 yards and was the go-to target for quarterback Derek Carr, drawing a team-high 12 targets. The closest player to him in the category was running back Jalen Richard, who received 11 targets while no wide receiver saw more than four.
As an added bonus, Cook draws a matchup with the Denver Broncos, who have a strong defense but allowed four catches for 116 yards and one touchdown to tight ends in Week 1.
Ricky Seals-Jones, Arizona Cardinals (29 Percent Owned)
A perfect follow-up is the Cardinals tight end, who will now draw a matchup with the team Cook picked apart in Week 1.
While Seals-Jones disappointed in the opener, catching just three passes for 19 yards, the Arizona Cardinals offense as a whole was somewhat painful to watch. If he hadn’t come up just short on hauling in a late touchdown, though, we’d be having a completely different conversation.
Expect the 23-year-old to have a big role in Arizona’s game plan moving forward. The struggles by the offense and Sam Bradford during the opener were concerning, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism about the playmaking ability of Seals-Jones.
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (2 Percent Owned)
Dissly was arguably the most surprising player of the entire day opening week. He not only caught 3-of-5 targets for 105 yards and one touchdown, but the injury to Seattle’s top wideout Doug Baldwin could add even more work for the rookie.
The Seahawks were hoping to find a replacement for Jimmy Graham, and it seems they’ve done just that. Now, fantasy football owners may find their replacement for Olsen in the form of a player who’s on virtually no one’s fantasy roster.
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