The New York Giants lost Saquon Barkley to a nasty twisted ankle in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. It's a tough blow for Barkley, who fought tooth and nail for a one-year contract with incentives based on snap count.
Despite all the posturing from New York in contract negotiations, Barkley is still the bedrock of that offense. He carried the ball 295 times for 1,312 yards in 16 games last season. The Giants' entire offense is built around Barkley's ability to vacuum up yardage on early downs, and he was responsible for 11 total touchdowns in 2022. Without him, the Giants' struggling offense could be in deep trouble.
Just like the Giants, fantasy teams the world over are panicking over the fallout of Barkley's injury. You probably picked him in the first round. That was the right move — he's one of the most talented rushers of his generation, and the Giants are still reliant on the run game — but every fantasy pick comes with risk. Barkley more than most, given his injury history.
With Barkley sidelined for three weeks, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, here are some temporary stopgaps worth investing in.
For the sake of self-imposed limitations, we will focus on players owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues. If you can replace Barkley with Christian McCaffrey, we advise you to do so.
No. 3 Saquon Barkley fantasy football replacement: Kenneth Gainwell
Kenneth Gainwell is currently on the injured list after suffering a rib injury during the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 1 victory. He missed the Eagles' Thursday night bout in Week 2 and watched as D'Andre Swift exploded for 175 yards on 28 carries, effectively ending the conversation around who should lead the Philly backfield.
Even so, Gainwell was the Eagles' go-to back in Week 1 (when Swift accrued only two touches) and Nick Sirianni has expressed a desire to split touches and limit Swift's workload in certain weeks. Even if he's no longer the No. 1 back, Gainwell should factor heavily into the Eagles' gameplan once he's back in business.
His availability for Week 3 is uncertain, but Gainwell will have extra time to recover due to the Eagles' favorable schedule. The Eagles love to spam the run game, and while Gainwell could theoretically end up third in the pecking order behind Swift and the run-happy Jalen Hurts, that won't preclude him from goal line touches and valuable early-down work.
He should be on rosters anyway, but a team with a gaping hole at RB following Barkley's injury should be especially inclined to invest in Gainwell's obvious upside. He ran for 54 yards and added 20 yards through the air on four receptions in Week 1.
No. 2 Saquon Barkley fantasy football replacement: Matt Breida
This is why you draft a handcuff, folks. Matt Breida wasn't the most popular handcuff in fantasy drafts (he is owned in 1.1 percent of ESPN leagues) but he's about to become Tuesday's most popular waiver claim. With Barkley out of the lineup, Breida is set to lead the Giants' backfield. This is a clean and simple solution if you can get to Breida before the competition.
Of course, Breida won't receive the same workload as Barkley and he's unlikely to match Barkley's impact on a per-touch basis. Still, Breida is an experienced rusher in his seventh NFL season. He's a career backup — with the exception of 13 starts in 2018, his sophomore season — but Breida has long been a reliable No. 2 with utility in the passing game.
The 28-year-old only has four touches for 11 yards through two weeks, but he received a heftier workload with the Giants in 2022. He appeared in all 17 games and was Barkley's replacement in the one game the Pro Bowler missed. On 54 carries, Breida accumulated 220 yards (4.1 per attempt) and one touchdown. He also caught 20 passes for an additional 118 yards.
He has PPR utility and he will theoretically be the Giants' go-to on first down and at the goal line. Gary Brightwell and rookie Eric Gray will also factor into the New York backfield, but neither has a ton of high-level experience (Gray has been exclusively special teams to date). Breida has the benefit of veteran savvy and he's going to be well positioned for high-value touches until Barkley returns.
No. 1 Saquon Barkley fantasy football replacement: Zack Moss
Zack Moss took on No. 1 RB duties for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, to great effect. He carried the ball 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown. He also accured four receptions for 19 yards, proving to be a versatile and reliable weapon for young QB Anthony Richardson. There is every reason to believe Moss can build on his success in a Week 3 matchup with the Ravens.
A third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Moss spent his first 2.5 NFL seasons as a change-of-pace regular for the Buffalo Bills. The Colts traded for him last season and he saw a sharp increase in usage as Jonathan Taylor's backup. With Taylor on the PUP list (and potentially the trade market), Moss' reign as the lead runner in Indy could last well into the regular season.
So, with Moss on the mountaintop in Indianapolis, he should be rostered in all leagues. If you can get him before the competition, he's a more than suitable Barkley stopgap. By the time Taylor returns and relegates Moss back to fantasy benches, there's a good chance Barkley is back on the field. The timelines align perfectly.
In eight games (three starts) for the Colts last season, Moss accrued 365 yards on 76 carries (4.8 per attempt) with one touchdown. He's not a prolific pass catcher, but Moss was the only Colts RB to carry the ball on Sunday. That's notable. Anthony Richardson will steal some run attempts if he's healthy, but Moss is that dude for the Colts until Taylor gets back — if he ever does.
