Fantasy Fallout: Seth Jones' injury a minor nuisance to owners

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Here are the fantasy implications following Columbus Blue Jackets D Seth Jones being placed on injured reserve with a hairline fracture to his right foot:

Don't lose any sleep over it

Through no fault of his own, the Blue Jackets' ice-time leader Jones is going to miss three weeks following a laceration from an opponent's skate that fractured his foot. While his offense comes in fits and spurts, his all around play was often beneficial in fantasy. His greatest value comes in banger leagues as he is usually landing on the stat sheet with a few hits and blocks each game.

By all means, if there is an available IR slot you can stash him, but should another player wind up injured, he will be an expendable asset. Jones has three goals and three assists to date. Defensemen aren't expected to score often, and while his three goals are only two off the league lead among D-men it's not enough of a sample size to suggest he's taken the next step.

His relatively fast start is reason enough to hold onto him if you have room. If not, cut him loose and re-evaluate closer to his activation.

Will anyone join Werenski?

Jones' temporary departure will put a strain on Columbus' defensive corps, including his partner Zach Werenski who has put up 10 points in 10 games, including five with the man advantage. Needless to say, if Werenski is still available in your league, pick him up.

Other than Werenski, none of the Blue Jackets' blueline is worth exploring in standard or banger leagues at the moment. David Savard might be of interest if he gets more ice time with the man advantage or if his right-handed shot joins Werenski in the top pairing, but even then his upside is very limited.

You're better off going to the waiver wire, or pursuing a trade, if you're looking to bolster your defense. Of greater interest to Jones owners might be Winnipeg Jets D Jacob Trouba who should be hitting the ice soon after finally signing a contract.

Waiver Wire Options

In addition to Trouba, and the three options listed here, value can be found on waivers in a pinch. Here are a few options should your first choices fall through:

• Adam Larsson, Edmonton Oilers: Though his offensive touch is limited, Larsson will provide enough hits and blocks in banger leagues to be of interest. To date, he has 37 hits and 23 blocks with 20:31 in average ice time. Hardly owned, he should be yours for the taking.

• Alexei Emelin, Montreal Canadiens: Similar to Larsson in that Emelin won't do much in the way of scoring, he adds a lot of sandpaper to any fantasy blue line. His 41 hits leads all defensemen. If you already have a non-scoring defenseman, he won't be all that appealing, but as a role-player with solid plus-minus numbers he will be of value.

• Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks: The very definition of a temporary fix. Campbell may be without a point in five games, but he has six on the season and gets time on the Blackhawks' power play. Keep expectations low, but use him while Jones is on the shelf and freely abandon him the second Jones is activated.