Lamar needs surgery. Find cover before Thursday.

Lamar Jackson needs another replacement. Baltimore says his injured throwing thumb requires surgery and he is headed to IR. Four missed games is the minimum attached to that move; it is not a promised return date. His first start back from the ankle injury lasted one snap.

The awkward part for fantasy managers is that Tyler Huntley also left hurt. His toe injury makes the usual replacement plan unreliable, and Baltimore hosts Jacksonville on Thursday. Joe Fagnano finished the Buffalo defeat but was banged up himself. Don't use a valuable waiver claim on the assumption that either backup has already been named the next starter.

The rest of the Ravens need a lower ceiling

Zay Flowers becomes harder to trust as a weekly receiving anchor until Baltimore settles the quarterback position. Keep him on the roster, but a healthy receiver with reliable volume is the better starting choice if you have one. This is a short-week problem as well as a quarterback problem: the offence has little time to rebuild its plan.

Derrick Henry still has the clearest route to touches. That doesn't make the surrounding offence irrelevant. Fewer sustained possessions and fewer scoring chances can undo the benefit of more rushing attempts. Treat him as the established starter he is, without expecting him to repair the entire unit.

Keep the replacement purchase small

A contender needs playable quarterback cover, especially in superflex. Check the free-agent pool and your own bench before giving up a core starter elsewhere. Rebuilders can hold Jackson through the absence; a frightening Sunday is not a reason to abandon his longer career.

Yesterday's recommendation to start him followed his clearance to play. That clearance was real, but it did not protect anyone from this new injury. The next decision is about having a healthy starter on Thursday, not trying to recover Sunday's points.