The RB injury report for Week 7 is somewhat smaller than fantasy football managers might expect. Of the players who started the week on the list, just one remains as questionable, with one ruled out.
The other major fantasy options were either cleared in the final set of NFL injury updates of the week or look set to be cleared on Saturday. Let’s examine the latest injury updates for D’Andre Swift, J.K. Dobbins, Jonathan Taylor, Damien Harris, and Saquon Barkley.
RB Injury Report Heading Into Week 7
D’Andre Swift, DET | Shoulder (Questionable)
Update: D’Andre Swift is inactive for the Detroit Lions in Week 7.
The hope for the Detroit Lions was that D’Andre Swift would be ready to return once the team came out of its bye week. However, Swift was only able to log limited practices all week and now heads into the weekend carrying the questionable tag.
On Wednesday, Swift told reporters he was pushing towards playing in Week 7. Then, on Friday, Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell told the media that Swift had been doing a little more in practice each day. The hope was that he would be active Sunday, but on Saturday night, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Swift is not expected to be active.
Swift has already suffered two injuries in 2022. He sprained his ankle in Week 1 and then hurt his shoulder in Week 3. It’s tough to envision the Lions giving Swift a heavy workload, even if he is active on Sunday.
This solves the problem for fantasy managers of deciding whether to play Swift. He’s shown to provide nice outcomes on very few touches. In Week 2, Swift recorded 87 yards and a receiving touchdown. In Week 3, he had 10 touches and turned them into 48 yards.
While that Week 3 output was not great, it was not a total bust, either. It will be hard to sit Swift if he is active, but with uncertainty surrounding his usage, it might be most prudent to do so.
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If Swift is absent, Jamaal Williams remains a must-start fantasy option this week.
J.K. Dobbins, BAL | Knee (Out)
After failing to practice all week with a knee issue, J.K. Dobbins was ruled out for Week 7 on Friday. He felt his knee tighten up in Week 6, according to Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Not long after Dobbins was ruled, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Dobbins could miss four to six weeks, as he is due to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery next week.
In Dobbins’ absence, Kenyan Drake and Justice Hill should be the main options in the backfield in Week 7. The Ravens have a fantastic matchup against a Cleveland Browns run defense that allows 26.4 fantasy points per week to the RB position. That is the third-highest number in the league this year.
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The biggest issue for Drake and Hill is that we have no idea how they will split touches or whether Mike Davis might be involved. The Ravens always seem hesitant to give any single back too much work in a given game. However, with Hill working his way back from injury and Davis being ineffective in his early-season work, Drake could be an intriguing 12-team Flex consideration this week.
Longer-term, the Ravens are expected to have Gus Edwards back from his knee injury. Edwards could be an intriguing stash, but be prepared for the Ravens to slow-play his return after losing Dobbins just four weeks into his return.
Jonathan Taylor, IND | Ankle (Cleared)
We realistically expected Jonathan Taylor to return this week after he seemingly got close to being a game-time decision last week. Those suspicions were confirmed Thursday when he was a full participant in practice.
Taylor’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans is a tough one. Only five teams have allowed fewer fantasy points on average to the RB position than Tennessee’s 15.22. Since they allowed 32.8 fantasy points to the position in Week 1, the Titans have only allowed more than 15 points in one other game. In Week 4, they held Taylor to 43 total yards on 20 rushing attempts and one reception on three targets.
It is almost impossible to bench a player with Taylor’s upside, but do not be surprised if he struggles again this week. Coming back from an ankle injury and into a tough matchup is not ideal. It would be a brave move to bench him and one that ultimately could leave fantasy managers looking very red-faced on Sunday afternoon.
Damien Harris, NE | Hamstring (Full Participant)
When Damien Harris hurt his hamstring in Week 5, reports said that he could miss multiple weeks, so his recovery has been impressive. Harris was able to get close enough to cleared last week that he was questionable entering the weekend. While he ultimately did not play, he got closer than many expected.
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That good progress has continued this week. After being limited in practice last week, Harris was a full participant on both Thursday and Friday. We will get an official status later on Saturday, but right now, he should be expected to play.
Saquon Barkley, NYG | Shoulder (Cleared)
The trend of Saquon Barkley being limited for one or two practices before carrying no injury designation into the weekend could become a common one over the next few weeks. Barkley has been superb this season, and there is absolutely no reason to even consider benching him. The Giants’ offense runs through Barkley, and he should be a solid RB1 option for as long as he is healthy.