What kind of impact will the concussed Jahvid Best, ruled out for Week 7 vs. the Falcons, have on the rest of the Lions' fantasy plays? Not much, probably. Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson are going to get their points, as they've done every week this season. Brandon Pettigrew as of late, too.
Best's injury opens up the running back position, though, which has had a bizarre week to say the least. First, they traded for Eagles' running back Ronnie Brown (who I immediately picked up in my fantasy leagues), but the trade was voided when Jerome Harrison failed his physical. As it turned out, Jerome Harrison failed his physical because he had a brain tumor, which kind of put "the Lions' running back situation" into perspective.
The Lions signed no-name Eldra Buckley, but the running duties will belong to Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams on Sunday. Morris was somewhat of a decent fantasy play at the end of last year when Best was out, putting up 89 points in PPR formats in the final seven weeks, including two 20-plus games.
The Falcons are Top 10 in the NFL against the run (having allowed only one 100-yard game this season), but they may lay off worrying about the running game this week, knowing the Lions' current situation. If that's the case, the Lions might surprise and Morris could see some running lanes.
But, even if the Lions' offensive line doesn't open up any running holes against a stingy defense, Morris should benefit from the dump off passes the Lions often fall back on. Best was the 6th ranked running back in PPR fantasy this season, but only had one 100-yard game and only one other game over 60 yards rushing. He picked up a large chunk of his points from his 20-plus receptions and nearly 300 yards receiving. You can probably expect the same from Morris.
If you're slim at running back, especially in a PPR league, like I am, I think you could do a lot worse than Maurice Morris. (crosses fingers)