We now approach Week 15 and are entering the thick of the fantasy football playoffs in most leagues, and every lineup decision could either be the one that wins you the championship and all the glory — or sends you home packing with nothing. This is especially true with so many different injuries to the RB position to watch out for. As a result, we now need to consider the Week 15 fantasy RB injury report. The statuses of key players like Damien Harris and Salvon Ahmed are up in the air.
Fantasy RB Injury Report Week 15: The biggest injury question marks heading into Week 15
What is the latest on Salvon Ahmed and Miami’s other RBs?
Update, Sunday, December 20th: Salvon Ahmed and Matt Breida are active for the Miami Dolphins Week 15 matchup with the New England Patriots.
Due to injuries and players being placed on the reserve list, the Dolphins were without all three of their top running backs — Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin, and Matt Breida — for their Week 14 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. As a result, they were forced to turn to DeAndre Washington at running back, and their ground game suffered.
The Dolphins shouldn’t be quite that shallow in the backfield this week. Salvon Ahmed, who missed the Chiefs game with a shoulder injury, returned to practice on a “limited” basis. Miami is currently listing him as “questionable” for Sunday’s Week 15 game against the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins also missed Matt Breida last week. They had him on the reserve list, but he made his return to Miami’s practice facility this week and is set to play on Sunday.
“I feel 100 percent healthy,” Breida said on Thursday. “I’m ready to go.”
The Dolphins need that return, as they not only have to worry about Salvon Ahmed’s “questionable” status, but they’ll be without Myles Gaskin, who tested positive this week. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Gaskin will not only miss Miami’s Week 15 bout with New England, but he could miss multiple games.
Without Gaskin around, that puts a lot of added pressure on Salvon Ahmed and Matt Breida to perform well against the Patriots and Damien Harris.
Who will be active for the Jets at RB in Week 15?
Update, Sunday, December 20th: Frank Gore and Ty Johnson are active for the New York Jets Week 15 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Jets didn’t expect Frank Gore to play in their Week 14 game against the Seattle Seahawks after suffering a concussion against the Las Vegas Raiders, but he managed to complete concussion protocol in time to play.
In that Seahawks game, we saw Frank Gore split carries fairly evenly with young Jets running backs Josh Adams and Ty Johnson. Adams and Johnson should continue to see a respectable workload considering Gore’s age, the Jets’ youth, and the stage of the season we’re in.
With that said, Adams and Johnson could see a slight boost in production this week after Gore was a non-participant in Thursday’s practice, though his status isn’t in question for Sunday’s game.
Could Rashaad Penny rejoin the Seahawks RB rotation?
Update, Sunday, December 20th: Rashaad Penny is active for the Seattle Seahawks Week 15 matchup with the Washington Football Team.
The Seahawks activated former first-round pick Rashaad Penny off the injured reserve list last week. Seattle expected him to make an appearance for them against New York, but surprisingly, they chose not to activate him come gameday.
The Seahawks instead turned to Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde, and DeeJay Dallas, who combined for 149 yards on 21 carries.
Now, after enjoying an extra week of rest, Penny should return to the field this Sunday against the Washington Football Team.
“He looks terrific,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said on a Thursday Zoom call. “He’s looking fast, he’s looking explosive. … I think he just looks as good as you could expect him to. I think he’s getting really close to being ready to go.”
Will Ezekiel Elliott be active in Week 15?
Update, Sunday, December 20th: Ezekiel Elliott is inactive for the Dallas Cowboys Week 15 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott has been battling a calf injury that has helped him out of practice this week. He did not participate in a single practice this week and carries a questionable tag into the weekend.
Mike McCarthy told reporters that he plans on Elliott playing on Sunday. However, the issue revolves around how effective Elliott will be for fantasy managers. If Elliott is absent or limited, Tony Pollard sees a huge boost as a fantasy asset in Week 15.