We have a unique situation upon us: It is the last day of the fantasy football regular season, and there are surely many managers out there who will have their fate determined by tonight’s two Monday Night Football games.
With the news that Aaron Jones won’t play tonight, those in need of a desperation start could look to Patrick Taylor Jr. as an option. Is AJ Dillon’s backup worth adding off the waiver wire?
Should Patrick Taylor Jr. Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add In Week 14?
Having played fantasy football for 21 years, I’ve read hundreds, maybe even thousands, of injury reports.
Over the course of the years, I like to believe I’ve developed a good sense of when questionable players are going to play.
Historically, any player getting in three limited practices leading up to a game typically plays. That is the situation Jones found himself in ahead of tonight’s game against the Giants.
Yet, when setting my lineups for this week and deciding whether to start Dillon, I considered the possibility Jones might not play, given the care in which the Packers have handled him following the mishap with him returning too soon from his initial Week 1 hamstring strain.
Sure enough, on Monday morning, Tom Pelissero reported that Jones is not expected to play, leaving Dillon in the RB1 role for at least one more week. Whenever Jones is out, Taylor is elevated to the RB2 role, but he does not typically even see the field when both Jones and Dillon play.
While Jones is not playing tonight, he did appear close to playing. That means it’s very likely he’s back next week, putting a damper on any handcuff value Taylor might have.
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With just three weeks left in the fantasy season beyond tonight, there are only two more opportunities for Taylor to benefit from injuries. He is not someone worth adding for any reason other than to start him tonight in a desperation scenario. So, should you do that?
Over the past two weeks, Taylor has played 48% and 37% of the snaps. While that’s a healthy enough snap share, he’s only touched the ball six times across both games combined.
Outside of a meaningless Week 18 game in 2021, Taylor has actually never touched the ball more than six times in a game. The only potential for any fantasy value is if Dillon were to get hurt early enough in tonight’s game that Taylor was forced into the lead-back role. I just can’t endorse anyone starting Taylor on that tenuous of hope and prayer.
If Dillon were to get hurt tonight, that still wouldn’t make Taylor a worthwhile pickup, as it would all but guarantee Jones returns next week. There is no likely scenario where Taylor has any fantasy value this season. There is no need to pick him up.
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