New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola will have his work cut out for him for the remainder of the regular season.
Danny Amendola becomes hot fantasy waiver grab with Julian Edelman likely out for regular season
Danny Amendola will need to step up in the wake of Julian Edelman’s injury. We take a look at the fantasy implications.
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Fellow wide receiver Julian Edelman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot on Monday. Through nine games, Edelman totaled 61 receptions for 692 yards and seven touchdowns. Edelman exited Sunday's game in the second quarter. Amendola ended up being heavily targeted that day as a result. He caught 10 of his 11 targets for 79 yards.
Amendola will likely see a significant increase in targets with both Edelman and running back Dion Lewis (torn ACL) unable to play. Amendola's best season of his career was in 2010, catching 85 passes for 689 yards and three touchdowns while with the St. Louis Rams. He's likely to exceed those numbers in 2015 with seven games remaining and a 40-403-2 stat line on the season.
Fantasy impact: Edelman could return in time for the NFL Playoffs, but is unlikely to return during the regular season, when most fantasy leagues are finishing their seasons. Amendola immediately becomes a must-own receiver in all formats. He's owned in just 29 percent of Yahoo! leagues as of Monday morning. Tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Brandon LaFell should see a boost in volume as well. Amendola went from an unpredictable WR4/5 to a WR2 in the wake of Edelman's injury.
