Fantasy football managers who picked D’Andre Swift as the running back who would emerge as the leading man from this Philadelphia Eagles backfield this season have reaped the fantasy benefits since Week 2. However, Swift is still a little banged up at the moment heading into the team’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Let’s take a closer look at the most recent news we have on Swift and the potential fantasy impact this injury could have on the Eagles offense.
Latest Injury Update on D’Andre Swift
Swift appeared on the team’s injury report for a second consecutive week while still dealing with an ankle injury. According to a recent report from Brooks Kubena, Swift was at Thursday’s practice a day after being listed as a limited participant for Wednesday’s walkthrough estimation.
For some context, Swift was a limited participant for Wednesday and Thursday’s practice last week before logging a full practice on Friday ahead of their matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Will Swift Play This Week?
Swift picked up an ankle injury in the team’s 21-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs back in Week 11, 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 in the NFL, which is evidenced by the fact he has missed a minimum of three games in each of his first three seasons.
Fantasy managers will certainly need to monitor his participation in practice throughout the week, but his appearance on the practice field on Thursday certainly bodes well for his potential availability against the 49ers on Sunday.
What Does This Mean for Kenneth Gainwell’s Fantasy Ranking?
Swift’s fantastic 2023 campaign is certainly the best start of his NFL career through his first 11 games of the 2023 season with 971 total yards and five scores on 195 total touches. Swift is currently the RB8 in PPR formats, which has firmly put him into RB1 conversation on a weekly basis.
After seeing just one carry in the season opener, Swift has seen double-digit carries every game since, which included 14 carries for 80 rushing yards last week against Buffalo. 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 ever so slightly in PPR formats.
MORE: Kyle Soppe’s Week 13 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
The Eagles’ matchup against the 49ers is certainly not a great one on paper but could present the potential for a high-scoring affair with Philly’s struggles against opposing passing games this year.
If Swift manages to take the field against the 49ers, I have him as a top-20 play at the RB position for Week 13. He has scored a minimum of 10 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games in PPR formats.
The real question is which Eagles RB would benefit the most if Swift is unavailable for Week 13. 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 the same amount carries as Boston Scott last week against the Bills. 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 49ers.
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