There have been some major injuries to the running back position through the first month of the 2023 NFL season. Here are some injury updates to a few of the biggest names at the RB position in fantasy football.
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Injury Updates for Top Fantasy Football RBs
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
The RB1 overall in fantasy last year has missed the last three games while dealing with an ankle injury.
On the negative side, you’ve been without your first-round pick from your fantasy draft for three weeks and will have to make do without him again in Week 5 with the Chargers on a bye.
On the positive side, he did return to the practice field last week and now has another two full weeks to get that ankle as close to 100% as possible before returning to the field.
If I had to place a bet right now, I’d lean toward Ekeler returning to the field in Week 6 when the Chargers take on the Dallas Cowboys.
The loss of Mike Williams for the rest of the season means Ekeler should continue to be heavily involved in the passing attack once he returns to action.
Whenever Ekeler does manage to get back into the lineup for the Chargers, he immediately returns to the top-5 picture at the running back position in my weekly rankings.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams picked up a hip injury during the team’s 29-23 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4.
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Williams posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his young career while generating his third multi-score game through the first four weeks of the season.
The fact that Williams was able to finish the game despite suffering the hip contusion is an encouraging sign of his availability in Week 5.
Monitor his practice participation throughout the week and be ready to scoop up Rams backup running back Ronnie Rivers if Williams starts trending in the wrong direction in the coming days.
Currently, I have Williams firmly planted in the weekly ranks as the RB7 overall heading into their matchup with the Eagles due to his usage rate through the first four weeks of the season.
However, if Williams doesn’t make regular appearances in practice this week, which could suggest his hip is giving him bigger issues than originally anticipated, I could move Williams down my rankings due to the tough matchup against the Philadelphia defense.
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins running back room has quickly become one of the most talked about backfields in all of fantasy football in 2023.
Well, Raheem Mostert’s absence from Wednesday’s practice certainly gives us a bit more to talk about heading into their Week 5 matchup against the New York Giants.
Dolphins not spotted at practice today: Raheem Mostert, Terron Armstead, Justin Bethel.
Back at practice after missing time: Jaelan Philips, Connor Williams, DeShon Elliott, Nik Needham, Robert Jones.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 4, 2023
Obviously, Mostert missing Wednesday’s practice is noteworthy, but it could be a veteran rest day for a 31-year-old running back.
We will gain some clarification on this once the Dolphins release the official injury report, but if Mostert were to miss any time in the coming weeks, it would immediately vault rookie running back De’Von Achane into top-five consideration at the RB position for Week 5 against the Giants.
If Mostert is available for this game, then he will likely fall just inside my top-15 at the position, while Achane will come in around the top-10 mark. Achane’s efficiency and big play ability feels like he can do more with fewer opportunities. Either way, both players would still be very involved if Mostert is active.