It seems like it’s been ages since we’ve seen Khalil Herbert on the football field, but the dynamic RB is nearing a return after being on injured reserve with an ankle injury for the past month.
Should fantasy football managers who have been stashing him this entire time expect him to be available here in Week 11? What’s the latest news on the Chicago Bears backfield?
Latest Injury Update on Khalil Herbert
We have to go back to Week 5 for the last time that we saw Herbert in a game. He suffered an ankle injury against the Washington Commanders and was quickly placed on injured reserve afterward.
Herbert has returned to the practice field again this week, but he’s logging a limited practice to start, and he’s also being designated with an ankle/shin injury. This appears to be a brief step back from where he was last week with just an ankle injury.
However, according to Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune, Herbert appears to be on track to return in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions.
Will Khalil Herbert Play This Week?
At the time of writing, it’s still unclear if Herbert will be fully ready to roll come Sunday. After practicing in full last week — and still sitting out — a limited practice session with apparently a new injury designation isn’t exactly encouraging.
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
We’ll continue to monitor the latest news and information regarding Herbert and will update this piece regularly, so check back in frequently!
Editor’s note: Herbert was upgraded to a full participant in practice on Thursday.
What Does This Mean for D’Onta Foreman’s Fantasy Ranking?
D’Onta Foreman has been a solid fantasy option in Herbert’s absence — he’s been the RB9 in all of fantasy football in the time that Herbert’s been out of the lineup. He’s averaged 4.3 yards per attempt and has found the end zone four total times in that period.
However, Foreman figures to be sent back to the bench as soon as Herbert’s healthy and active.
The Bears’ coaching staff made the hierarchy of Chicago’s backfield clear to begin the season, as Herbert dominated the touches while Roschon Johnson rotated in on third downs. Don’t forget that it wasn’t all that long ago that Foreman was a healthy scratch for this offense.
Has Foreman been impressive enough to continue demanding touches when everyone’s healthy and active? Or will his own injury clear the path for significant touches for Herbert in his first game back?
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Foreman sustained an ankle injury in Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers and is similarly logging limited practices to begin this week. We’ll need to continue to monitor the practice reports for both options as we move throughout the rest of the week before we can ascertain which option is a reliable starter for fantasy lineups against the Lions.
The most likely outcome is that both players return for this game, which means that we’re not going to get enough clarity to know who we can trust in starting fantasy football lineups. If you can, I’d recommend taking a wait-and-see approach with this backfield before confidently starting Herbert or Foreman.
Make sure to stay glued to our free Start/Sit Optimizer, as it is constantly being updated with the latest news and information. It’s here to guide you as you look to figure out whether you can start Herbert or Foreman in Week 11.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!