Fantasy football managers who rolled the dice on Philadelphia Eagles RB D’Andre Swift have been pleased with the results through the first 11 weeks of the 2023 season.
Unfortunately, he has popped up on the injury report for the first time this year, which could have a big fantasy impact heading into their showdown against the Buffalo Bills. Let’s take a closer look at Swift’s fantasy outlook heading into Week 12.
Latest Injury Update on D’Andre Swift
Swift has easily been the most productive fantasy running back in the Philadelphia backfield through the Eagles’ first 10 games of the season, but his durability concerns from his first three seasons in Detroit may be rearing their ugly head. According to a recent report from Ed Kracz, Swift was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice.
Will Swift Play This Week?
Swift picked up an ankle injury in the team’s 21-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, but his appearance on the practice field to start the week is certainly an encouraging sign for his status heading into this Sunday.
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Swift has a lengthy history of durability concerns after missing a minimum of three games in each of his first three seasons in the NFL. Fantasy managers will certainly need to monitor his participation in practice throughout the week, but his participation in any capacity to start the week certainly bodes well for his potential availability against the Bills on Sunday.
What Does This Mean for Kenneth Gainwell’s Fantasy Ranking?
Swift is off to the best start of his NFL career through the first 10 games of the 2023 season with 887 total yards and five scores on 180 total touches. Currently, Swift is the RB7 in PPR formats, which has firmly put him in the RB conversation on a weekly basis.
After seeing just one carry in the season opener, Swift has seen double-digit carries every game since. His pass-catching floor hasn’t been quite as high on a per-game basis as it was during his days with the Lions, but his three receptions per game do raise his weekly floor slightly in PPR formats.
The Eagles’ matchup against the Bills is mostly a neutral matchup but could present the potential for a high-scoring affair with the Eagles’ struggles against opposing passing games this year.
If Swift manages to take the field against Buffalo, I have him as a top-10 play at the RB position for Week 12. He has scored a minimum of 10 fantasy points in eight of his last nine games in PPR formats.
The real question is which Eagles RB would benefit the most if Swift is unavailable for Week 12. Odds are Kenneth Gainwell would be the next man up in a leading role from this backfield. He did lead the team with 14 carries in the season opener and saw another 14 carries in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, Gainwell did see fewer carries than Boston Scott last week against the Chiefs. In all likelihood, Gainwell and Scott would both split work out of this backfield if Swift is unavailable. I would have Gainwell ranked just inside my top 30 at the RB position, with Scott ranking inside the top 50 if Swift can’t go against the Bills.
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