Drew Brees injury: Fantasy football waiver wire strategy, replacements

While Drew Brees wasn't the only elite Fantasy signal-caller to suffer an impactful injury in Week 2, his absence could have the most devastating impact on the Fantasy football world. 

After tearing ligaments in his throwing thumb after making contact with Rams' pass rusher Aaron Donald, Brees is set to miss a significant amount of time and his absence threatens to make a potent New Orleans offense quite ordinary. 

Immediately after the Saints' Week 2 loss in Los Angeles, Brees saw a specialist and it was determined that surgery would be needed to repair the injured thumb. The recovery timetable for that procedure puts Brees out for up to six weeks. 

Brees has not missed more than one game in any season since 2003 when he sat out five games while with the Chargers. New Orleans has a bye in Week 9, so it's entirely possible that we could see Sean Payton hold him out until Week 10, to allow for an extra week or two to fully heal. 

As one of the most cerebral quarterbacks in the NFL, this is a huge blow for a Saints squad that will struggle to replace an unreplaceable player. The Saints are now going off as 5.5-point underdogs in Week 3 at Seattle, according to the latest NFL odds. 

It's also bad news for Fantasy footballers and NFL DFS players who were counting on Brees's usual standout numbers. With Ben Roethlisberger owners also now looking for a replacement, the Week 3 waiver wire could turn into quite a battle. 

Obviously, many Fantasy players will look to add new starter Teddy Bridgewater, who replaced Brees against the Rams and should fill that role for the foreseeable future. While that strategy is understandable, relying on Bridgewater as a weekly starter is risky. 

In relief of Brees, Bridgewater only averaged 5.5 yards per attempt and failed to throw a touchdown. Without the accuracy and vision that Brees has always displayed, Bridgewater has a limited ceiling and could even lose weekly reps to Taysom Hill. 

The Saints are far more likely to score fewer points, which makes another widely-available waiver wire option like Mason Rudolph, Andy Dalton, Case Keenum, and Jacoby Brissett far more appealing Fantasy options. 

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