Fantasy football managers have had to deal with an insane amount of injuries already this season. One player that seems to have been injured more than not, though, is Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones.
What’s the latest update on the talented rusher, and should you target Green Bay backups Patrick Taylor or James Robinson on the waiver wire going into Week 12?
Editor’s Note: Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Aaron Jones has an MCL sprain and is not expected to play against the Lions in Week 12.
Aaron Jones Injury Update
At the time of writing, we are awaiting the results of an MRI that Jones took on Monday to determine the severity of his knee injury that he suffered during Week 11’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
It sounds as though the veteran back escaped a major injury, but he’s expected to miss some time with this injury. This means that the backup RBs in Green Bay could be on the fantasy football radar. Who should you be picking up this week?
Should You Add Patrick Taylor?
Taylor has an extensive history with the Packers’ organization. He was with the team from 2021 through earlier this year before signing with the Patriots’ practice squad. With Jones going down with an injury in Week 11 plus RB Emmanuel Wilson also leaving the contest early, Green Bay needed to bring him back to fill out the backfield.
AJ Dillon — assuming that he’s fully healthy after being limited in practice on Monday — will certainly be the lead option with Jones all but ruled out for their matchup on Thanksgiving vs. the Detroit Lions. However, we’ve seen Green Bay consistently utilize multiple RBs in this system, and Dillon hasn’t exactly been the most effective or efficient with his opportunities.
MORE: 2023 RB Fantasy Football Rankings
Taylor’s familiarity with the system should see him handle a few touches here or there on Thursday, but he’s highly unlikely to see enough volume to be on the fantasy radar for anything other than incredibly deep leagues. He’s not worth prioritizing on the waiver wire unless Dillon’s injury is more serious.
Should You Add James Robinson?
It feels like an eternity since we last saw James Robinson producing in fantasy football lineups. After a solid rookie campaign in Jacksonville back in 2020, Robinson has bounced around from practice squad to practice squad across the league and has not registered a carry in an NFL game since December of 2022.
He’s already spent time on the Packers’ practice squad this season, but he was brought back with all of the injuries to the backfield Green Bay suffered on Sunday. However, he is still just on the practice squad and has not been called up to the active roster at the time of writing.
With how long it’s been since Robinson has been utilized in an NFL game, it’s highly unlikely that he’ll suddenly emerge and become a viable fantasy option in this offense.
While there’s no harm in adding him to your roster if you’re in a deeper format and you have the space, Robinson’s better left on the majority of waiver wires going into Week 12.
We’ll most likely see Taylor receive the majority of the RB2 touches in this backfield if Jones misses this contest. But Robinson could be elevated to the active roster if Dillon missing practice on Monday is more serious than initially believed.
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