Dion Lewis Fantasy Outlook Could Skyrocket Following Saquon Barkley Injury

The New York Giants now fear that Saquon Barkley has suffered a torn ACL in their Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears. Whether Barkley is done for the season or just misses a few games, Dion Lewis instantly becomes a compelling target in fantasy football leagues.

#Giants RB Saquon Barkley suffered an ACL tear, based on the manual tests and initial diagnosis, source said. He’ll have an MRI to tell the full story, but the belief is the star is done for the season. Coach Joe Judge said they are holding out hope.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2020

Dion Lewis Fantasy Outlook

Lewis was brought in to New York as a change-of-pace back, but with this injury, he's now in line for a much bigger workload.

The Giants offensive line has struggled immensely this season when it comes to the run. Barkley had one of the worst games of his career on the ground in Week 1 and didn't look particularly good before the injury in Week 2.

From a rushing perspective, it certainly seems like Lewis could have a fairly mediocre ceiling. But he could bring real value in the passing game for a team that appears like it will be trailing in games a lot this season. He caught 4-of-5 targets for 36 yards in Week 2, adding 20 yards and a TD on 10 carries. He also caught 84 balls while backing up Derrick Henry over the past two seasons.

If Barkley's injury is as bad as it seems, Lewis could be a viable FLEX option the rest of the way.

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David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.