Fantasy Football: Emergency replacement for Terrelle Pryor

Just when the Cleveland Browns feel like they finally might have a player, he has to go and hurt his hamstring. Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor has been labeled with the questionable tag for Sunday’s action after injuring his hammy.

Pryor did not practice at all on Wednesday or Thursday. He also was a limited participant at practice on Friday. The lack of practice time suggests that Pryor is a true game-time decision. He likely is looking in from the outside in terms of suiting up for the Browns’ contests against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Swiss Army Knife like football player will certainly be missed by the Browns and fantasy players alike if he does have to miss this game. He has scored the 11^th-most fantasy points by a wide receiver and certainly has been a nice addition for savvy fantasy players that snagged him off the waivers early in the season.

With the possibility that Pryor will miss Week 7 due to the injury, these same fantasy players will need to be savvy once again as they seek a replacement for the Browns’ pass catcher.

As fantasy players scour the waiver wire for a fill in for Pryor, they need to look no further than the Washington Redskins’ Pierre Garcon. The veteran wide receiver is available in 67 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues.

He has a combined 11 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown over his last two games. Look for Garcon production to continue this weekend. There is plenty of reason to expect Garcon to be a solid play in Week 7.

With Jordan Reed out last week with a concussion, Garcon received 11 targets in the passing game. The Redskins’ tight end has already been ruled out for this Sunday. And also DeSean Jackson will be less than 100 percent in this one. His shoulder kept him out of practice most of this week so even if he plays he shouldn’t be his normal self. These injuries to the Redskins’ top pass catchers should open up plenty of opportunity for Garcon in Week 7 to produce.

It also doesn’t hurt Garcon chances of replacing Pryor this week that he is facing the Detroit Lions. The Detroit defense has been a mess this season allowing 25.5 points per game in 2016. They have been particularly bad against the passing game. According to Football Outsiders, Detroit has the 31^st DVOA versus the pass this season.

These struggles with the passing game have translated to fantasy football success by opposing wide receivers. They are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to the position in 2016. A lot of that damage has come in the past three weeks. Over that span, Detroit has allowed the most catches to wide receivers.

With Reed out, DeSean banged up and the Detroit defense being a disaster, Week 7 has all the making of a big game for Pierre Garcon. The wide receiver should see double-digit targets in the passing game again this week and should help fantasy owners fill the void left by an injured Terrelle Pryor.