It was an awful sight, and the timing could not have been any worse.

The fantasy playoffs had just started, and there was Christian Yelich, the reigning NL MVP, on the ground writhing in pain after fouling a ball off his knee and suffering a fractured right kneecap.

With less than three weeks until a champion is crowned in fantasy leagues, losing a player like Yelich is catastrophic. There aren’t four months left where you’re able to find a resurgent vet like Hunter Pence or a red-hot, out-of-nowhere rookie like Aristedes Aquino to fill the void until Yelich returns in 8-10 weeks. There’s no heavily hyped player — a Vlad Guerrero Jr. type — waiting in the wings to ease your pain.

There’s really no way to sugar-coat this: Yelich is irreplaceable.

Yelich ranked sixth in the majors in stolen bases, fourth in homers, third in average (second in the NL), second in on-base percentage and first in slugging percentage and OPS. How do you replace that?

You have to do the best you can, though, because the season is not going to stop while you try to figure things out.

If you’re finding yourself in a bind, your best outfield (or outfield-eligible) options are St. Louis’ Tommy Edman (67.6 percent owned), Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds (65.7 percent) or Adam Frazier (39 percent), Cleveland’s Franmil Reyes (44.5 percent), the Yankees’ Brett Gardner (35.7 percent), Oakland’s Ramon Laureano (33 percent) or Mark Canha (39.7 percent), or Baltimore’s Anthony Santander (24.3 percent).

Edman is eligible at multiple positions, getting steady playing time and has hit a respectable .278 in the second half. He also has hit seven homers (four since July 18), driven in 27 runs and stolen 12 bases (nine since the break).

Reynolds, a 24-year-old Pittsburgh rookie, has hit over .300, despite striking out in 23.1 percent of his at-bats, with 16 homers, 66 RBIs, 82 runs and a .904 OPS. He even has stolen three bases, all in the second half.

Frazier is not the sexiest name, but he hit .373 (31-for-83) with three homers, 15 RBIs, 17 runs, a stolen base and 1.024 OPS from Aug. 20 through Friday. And he has multi-position eligibility.

Reyes is overlooked because he strikes out in almost 30 percent of his at-bats and entered Saturday hitting .229 since arriving in Cleveland. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story — the powerful 24-year-old was hitting .303 with five homers, 21 RBIs, 13 runs and a 1.019 OPS in 19 games since Aug. 23.

Gardner, 36, has a hit a career-high number of homers and is close to reaching a career mark in RBIs. His average won’t do much to help your squad, but he is guaranteed playing time with the Yankees’ injury-riddled outfield.

Laureano has been a Roto Rage favorite since before the season, and his stats (.282., 22 HR, 63 RBI, 12 SB, .852 OPS) are a good indication why. He has been cold since his return from a stress reaction in his right shin, but steady playing time for a playoff contender is never a bad thing. He also is just 25-years-old, so he has keeper potential.

Canha, also eligible at first base, entered Friday hitting .305 with 11 homers, 31 RBIs, 35 runs, two stolen bases and a .937 OPS in his first 55 games of the second half.

Santander entered Saturday hitting .277 with 14 homers, 36 RBIs and a .820 OPS in the second half. He may be an Oriole, but that doesn’t mean he can’t produce.

Other options include Brewers who will get more playing time, like Eric Thames (5.5 percent) or 22-year-old Trent Grisham (2.4 percent) — who was 12-for-36 (.333) with a homer, three RBIs, five runs and a .942 in his first 12 games this month. You can also look at players to slide into your utility spot, like Jurickson Profar (67.3 percent), Robinson Cano (48.5 percent), Starlin Castro (41.4 percent) or Rougned Odor (57.2 percent), who hit .317 with five homers and 11 RBIs in his first 11 games this month.

Big Hits

Matt Olson 1B, Athletics

Entered Saturday having raised his average from .258 to .273 over his previous 18 games after going 24-for-68 (.353) with seven homers, 18 RBIs, 18 runs and 1.208 OPS.

Dallas Keuchel SP, Braves

The 2015 Cy Young winner has allowed four earned runs over his past six starts, going 5-0 with a 0.97 ERA and 35 strikeouts. He has won his past five decisions.

Adalberto Mondesi SS, Royals

In his first 11 games since returning from the IL, he has hit .273 with two homers, five RBIs and a .721 OPS. Most impressive, however, is the fact he stole eight bases in that span.

Dakota Hudson SP, Cardinals

Has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts while going 5-1 with a 1.70 ERA and .156 opponent average in that stretch.

Big Whiffs

Wade Miley SP, Astros

The lefty has failed to get out of the first inning in his past two starts, recording only one out. He is 0-1 with a horrifying 324.00 ERA (12 ER in one-third of an inning), a ghastly .923 opponent average and a disgusting 2.241 OPS.

Will Smith C, Dodgers

The rookie catcher entered Saturday with just four hits in his previous 35 at-bats (.1114). He had just one homer, one RBI and a .348 OPS in that 11-game span.

Edwin Jackson SP, Tigers

The well-traveled veteran has no wins since Aug. 14, going 0-4 with a 12.10 ERA, 17-11 strikeout-walk rate and .391 opponent average in his past five starts.

Andrelton Simmons SS, Angels

Ice cold since returning from the IL on Aug. 23, seeing his average go from .274 to .256 after going 10-for-60 (.167) with a homer, five RBIs and .447 OPS in that 16-game span.

Check Swings

Despite taking a loss Wednesday, Zach Eflin has not allowed more than three earned runs since rejoining the starting rotation on Aug. 17. He has gone 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA, 18 strikeouts and a .258 opponent average. He is owned in less than 30 percent of ESPN leagues.

Let’s talk about how good Steven Matz has been since the All-Star break: He has allowed more than two earned runs in one of his 11 second-half starts while going 5-2 with a 2.52 ERA, 61-15 strikeout-walk rate and a .227 opponent average. Owned in less than 50 percent of leagues.

Minnesota’s Mitch Garver entered Friday night on a modest four-game hit streak but had homered four times in that stretch (two on Sept. 7). His big fly Tuesday was his 30th, and he reached that milestone in just 83 games. He is hitting a round-tripper once every 9.4 at-bats. If he had enough at-bats to qualify, his HR/AB rate would be ahead of league-leader Mike Trout (10.4). Garver is available in more than 40 percent of ESPN leagues.

Team Name of the Week

18 Wheeler