On Thursday, fantasy football managers were left dealing with a roller coaster of emotions when it came to the injury status of D’Andre Swift. Swift was marked as a non-participant in practice on Thursday, initially raising concern as to whether he will play Sunday, but was then later removed from the concussion protocol, with his injury status marked as an absence through illness.
Update December 6th: D’Andre Swift is inactive for the Detroit Lions Week 13 matchup with the Chicago Bears.
[sv slug=”mkftop”]D’Andre Swift’s injury could not have come at a worse time for fantasy football managers
While we should never prioritize a fantasy team over a player’s health, especially when it comes to head injuries, it is ok to be frustrated when a player is lost to injury at a crucial time. That frustration will have been felt by anyone who had drafted D’Andre Swift when he suffered his concussion in Week 10 against the Washington Football Team.
In that Week 10 matchup, Swift carried the ball 16 times for 81 yards, adding a further five receptions on five targets for 68 yards and a touchdown. In that game, he saw 26 of the 32 opportunities which were afforded to the Detroit Lions running backs.
Swift had been starting to dominate the Lions RB touches before his injury
The Week 10 domination of touches was a culmination of D’Andre Swift stepping up to take the workload for the Detroit Lions prior to his injury. Prior to the Lions bye week, Swift had 12 carries and 13 receptions on 16 targets in those first four games. In that same time frame, Adrian Peterson had 54 carries and four receptions on six targets. In that first quarter of the season, Swift had fewer carries than Kerryon Johnson (21).
Coming out of the bye, the share of touches was more even between D’Andre Swift and Adrian Peterson in terms of who was the lead running back for the Detroit Lions. In Weeks 6-8, Peterson had 31 carries and three receptions on three targets, while Swift had 29 carries and 10 receptions on 13 targets.
In Week 9 was when the Detroit Lions running back situation really switched as Swift saw 18 opportunities (carries + targets) compared to 13 for Peterson and seven for Johnson. With the drastic dominance D’Andre Swift had in Week 10, it looked like the job was his until injury struck.
Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson have underwhelmed in Swift’s absence
D’Andre Swift has now missed two weeks with injury, but his fellow Lions RBs have failed to capitalize completely. In Week 11, Peterson and Johnson combined for just 35 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards on 13 carries and five targets.
The Week 12 Thanksgiving game was somewhat better for the Lions RB, as they combined for 26 carries, 101 rushing yards, two touchdowns, four receptions on four targets, and 52 receiving yards. However, their matchup was against a Houston Texans’ team, which is among the worst at defending running backs. Put into that context, the Lions’ 3.88 yards per carry was somewhat underwhelming, with the two touchdowns saving the fantasy day of Peterson and the four receptions doing the same for Johnson.
Should we be willing to trust D’Andre Swift on his return from injury?
Assuming he will recover from his illness and play, there appears to be no reason to believe that D’Andre Swift will not be active in Week 13. After missing two straight games due to being in the concussion protocol, Swift should be set to make his second straight career start against the Chicago Bears in Week 13.
Swift’s return could not come at a better time for the Lions or fantasy football managers heading into playoff time, as wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola are both on the injury report in Week 13. Golladay has yet to participate in practice this week, while Amendola was a full participant Sunday. However, the return of Swift gives interim head coach Darrell Bevell another playmaker with which to try and scheme a way past the Chicago Bears this week.
However, the question remains how much the Lions will use D’Andre Swift this week and whether fantasy managers should be wary of his Week 13 matchup in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears have been a tough team for opposing running backs to face
In the 2020 season, the Bears are allowing ninth-fewest PPR-fantasy points to the RB position (20.99) and the 10th-fewest in standard scoring. In PPR scoring, they rank as the 21st-easiest matchup for running backs in Pro Football Network’s Defensive Points Allowed Consistency Score but have the just 10th-easiest matchup against the position in standard scoring. That D-PAC discrepancy would suggest that the Bears guard backs well out of the backfield but can be vulnerable in the run game at times.
That was especially the case in Week 12, as the Chicago Bears allowed a season-high 182 rushing yards to the Green Bay Packers. A big part of that was the absence of Akiem Hicks in the middle of the Bears defense, and he is once again listed on the Bears’ injury report with a hamstring injury, although he was elevated to a limited participant today.
If Hicks and Khalil Mack are both absent in Week 13, that opens up the game for the Bears offense, making D’Andre Swift a solid play this week. His removal from the concussion protocol is a sign he should be a full go, capable of handling the 15-20 touches per game he was seeing prior to his injury.
Want more fantasy football analysis and news?
Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PFN365 to stay up to date with all things around the NFL and the 2020 fantasy football season. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also seeing our fantasy football section for more coverage and up-to-date rankings.