Fantasy Football 2017: Impacts of Buccaneers at Dolphins postponement in Week 1

The NFL rescheduled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins game this weekend due to the possibility of major issues caused by the impending presence of Hurricane Irma in the next few days. While the game will be played in Week 11, the fantasy football impacts in Week 1 need to be considered. Suddenly, there are some big name players who will not be available on Sunday, and it could be the difference between a win and a loss this weekend.

It also actually has some impact on players later in the year as well. Dolphins safety T.J. McDonald will be serving an eight game suspension before he can be added to the team’s roster and (potentially) upgrade the team defense. Since suspensions are counted by games, McDonald’s return now moves from the team’s Week 9 contest against the Oakland Raiders to their Week 10 game against the Carolina Panthers. It does mean he will be back for the Buccaneers game in Week 11, though.

The same kind of fantasy impact - and maybe an even bigger one - happens for the Buccaneers, where running back Doug Martin is serving a three-game suspension. He should have been returning for the team’s Week 4 contest against the New York Giants, but will now have to miss that game, returning for their Week 5 game against the New England Patriots.

More immediately, the Dolphins and Buccaneers will do you no good this weekend, so you need to bench any and all of them you have. This will include some early round draft picks like running backs Jay Ajayi and Jacquizz Rodgers; wide receivers DeVante Parker, Mike Evans, Jarvis Landry, and Desean Jackson; tight end Julius Thomas; and quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Jay Cutler (though you probably were not starting Cutler anyway). There are a lot of points that you will be missing this week if you planned on starting these players and do not make adjustments.

The good news is, these players will be available the rest of the season, including in Week 11 when they were supposed to have a bye. It does hurt for Week 1, however.

SB Nation recently put together their list of best available waiver pick ups, which could be of assistance if you need someone to fill in for a Dolphins or Buccaneers player this week. Their list, which was based on Yahoo! Fantasy Football stats, includes players who are owned in 50 percent or less of fantasy leagues. Here are some of those options:

Running backs

Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles
Jamaal Charles, Denver Broncos
Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots

Wide receivers

Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants

Tight ends

Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons
C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans
Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills

Quarterbacks

Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings
Brian Hoyer, San Francisco 49ers