Fantasy Football: Is Marlon Mack’s handcuff Jonathan Williams or Jordan Wilkins?
Marlon Mack suffered a broken hand but should fantasy football owners replace the Colts running back with Jonathan Williams or Jordan Wilkins?
Fantasy football owners have undoubtedly enjoyed the impact of Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack on their rosters. Per Fantasy Pros, he was the 19th running back taken in terms of average draft position in PPR leagues. This season, he’s ranked just outside of the top 10 at the position. That’s good return on investment.
Unfortunately for those same fantasy football owners, Mack suffered a broken hand in Week 11 and will miss some time, most surely a matchup on a short week against Houston as they play on Thursday Night Football. Thus, it’s time for those owners — or opportunistic owners fighting for a playoff spot — to look at the handcuffs.
It’s not a cut-and-dry situation for the Colts in terms of backup running backs though. Nyheim Hines has been a factor and will continue to be so as a passing-down threat. Having said that, Jonathan Williams split time with Mack and then took over in Week 11. He shined in that opportunity, taking 13 carries for 116 yards and one reception for 31 yards.
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If it were just Williams taking over, it would be a simple matter of picking him and rolling with it. Having said that, one of the reasons Williams got those opportunities against the Jaguars is because Jordan Wilkins was out due to injury. And though he’s questionable for Week 12, he does seem possible — or even likely — to play.
That leaves us in a conundrum. Obviously, the best course of action would be to pick them both up and see what happens. However, if you play in a competitive league, you may be questioning who you should prioritize with your waiver claims heading into Week 12.
Just going purely off of the production they’ve shown when given opportunities, the gut instinct would be to say Williams is the guy you want in fantasy football. Wilkins has been fine in spot duty this season but has not been anything spectacular. Williams, however, came in and lit a spark in the Colts offense when Mack was sent to the sidelines.
Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard clearly have an affinity for Williams as they sought him out and have kept him in the building up to this point. Thus, for him to show up big when given the chance, it stands to reason that the staff would roll with him now that Mack isn’t available.
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The truth is that there is not a clear, apparent answer right now. Having said that, if you have to choose who to prioritize between Williams and Wilkins, the former is the better option given what we know. But unless you’re desperate or willing to take a big swing knowing you might whiff, it might be a situation that’s too risky and that you should avoid altogether.