We’ve been building all year to this moment. It’s the last week of the fantasy football regular season. With playoff berths on the line, let’s take a look around the NFL at the fantasy RB injury report and updates to identify which injuries will impact fantasy rosters.
Week 14 Fantasy Football RB Injury Report | AFC
The AFC has endured plenty of running back injuries this year, but the list is fairly thin for Week 14.
Jeremy McNichols, Tennessee Titans
Jeremy McNichols missed last week’s game with a concussion, but he has been a full participant this week and does not carry an injury designation into the weekend. McNichols will join Dontrell Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman in the Titans’ backfield, which could be a bit of a messy committee.
Tevin Coleman, New York Jets
Michael Carter has been on IR for a couple weeks and will be eligible to return in Week 15 for the fantasy playoffs. His fill-in Tevin Coleman is out for Sunday with a concussion.
Ty Johnson figures to be the lead back for the Jets, but I wouldn’t trust him for fantasy purposes against the Saints.
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Finally, some good news — one half of the dynamic Browns running back duo, Kareem Hunt, will be making his return to the field this weekend. He will regain his complementary role alongside Nick Chubb and be a flex play because of his potential receiving ability against the Ravens.
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon is listed as questionable with an illness but is expected to play. That said, Mixon did not practice all week and may not be back to 100% by Sunday. If he plays, you likely don’t have a choice but to play him. Nevertheless, there’s reason to be skeptical about how effective he will be this week.
Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos
Update 12/12/2021: Melvin Gordon is active for Week 14.
While Javonte Williams’ fantasy managers would prefer to see Melvin Gordon not playing, Gordon is trending in the right direction to return this week and is listed as questionable. Gordon said that he expects to play, meaning the Denver backfield could return to a committee this week.
Week 14 Fantasy Football RB Injury Update | NFC
There are plenty of running back injuries worth noting in the NFC. Let’s look around the conference at some key injuries worth monitoring.
D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, Detroit Lions
D’Andre Swift is set to miss another week with his shoulder injury, and Jamaal Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday afternoon, making him unavailable for Sunday as well.
Rookie Jermar Jefferson out of Oregon State figures to take over the lead back duties against Denver. He might be a desperation flex play if you absolutely need a fill-in.
Tony Pollard, Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Update 12/12/2021: Tony Pollard is out with a foot injury.
Tony Pollard is officially listed as questionable, but he told reporters earlier this week that he has a torn plantar fascia. If he’s active, I don’t anticipate him seeing much of a workload. Ezekiel Elliott has practiced in full all week and looks to be on track for a lot of work against the Washington Football Team.
J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team
Update 12/12/2021: McKissic is out for Week 14.
J.D. McKissic missed last week with a concussion. But after getting in two limited practices this week, he’s listed as questionable for Sunday. If he is able to clear the concussion protocol, he will likely resume his role as the primary pass-catching back for Washington.
Adrian Peterson, Seattle Seahawks
Head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Adrian Peterson has a back issue and will not play in Week 14. Alex Collins returned to practice this week and looks likely to take over lead-back duties with some Rashaad Penny sprinkled into a matchup with the Houston Texans.
Elijah Mitchell, Trenton Cannon, San Francisco 49ers
With rookie Trey Sermon on IR, Elijah Mitchell and Trenton Cannon were both listed as out for Sunday with concussions. This team is severely depleted at the running back position, with Jeff Wilson Jr. and JaMycal Hasty the last two standing. Wilson figures to see a heavy workload and could have a decent day against the Bengals.
Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
Chase Edmonds has been designated to return from IR, but it is unclear if he will be activated on Sunday or not. If he does, it’s fair to expect his workload to be limited in his first game back, with James Conner still handling a majority of the work.
Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams
After being active but not playing last week, Darrell Henderson is trending towards being active on Monday Night Football. It’s entirely possible Los Angeles features Sony Michel again, however. With the Rams playing on Monday Night Football, Henderson’s practice status on Saturday will be important to monitor.
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Saquon Barkley carries no injury designation into the weekend, making him a full-go for the Giants. With New York missing most of their wide receivers to injuries this week, Barkley could see a heavy target share. He hasn’t been the RB1 managers hoped he would be, but he should be started in most situations this week.
Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Mark Ingram will be a full go this week, as will Alvin Kamara, who was a full participant at practice this week. The two will return to their usual splits, with Kamara being the featured back and Ingram having flex/RB2 upside.