Entering Week 14’s slate of games, fantasy football managers are surely scouring the latest injury reports to see if their stars are listed. The latest playmaker to suffer a setback and land on the injury report is Carolina Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman, who suffered a foot injury in last week’s win against Denver.
We have the latest injury update on Foreman and a breakdown of whether you should put him into your lineup if he’s active in Week 14.
D’Onta Foreman Injury Update
Update: D’Onta Foreman was upgraded to a limited participant on Thursday and was cleared from the injury report completely on Friday.
Foreman has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2022 NFL season. He’s flourished in a dismal situation after the Panthers traded star Christian McCaffrey and have cycled through four quarterbacks in hopes of finding the best of bad options. Foreman’s responded with four 100-plus-yard performances in his last six games.
The power back has been grinding out yards behind the NFL’s lowest-rated run-blocking unit. Despite this, Foreman is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and has a chance to reach 1,000 rushing yards on the season. It’s safe to say he’s earning a significant raise for 2023 and beyond.
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Seeing Foreman scurry for 113 yards on 24 carries against the Broncos’ defense was especially impressive. He missed practice Wednesday due to the injury, but he conveyed confidence he’ll play in Week 14. According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, Foreman said he’s 95% sure he’ll be able to go against Seattle.
This is a terrific sign that the team and Foreman are playing it safe. Foreman believes he injured his foot when it got caught in the turf against the Broncos. Hopefully, this will be the last season where any stadium has artificial turf, as players have been extremely vocal in their displeasure with the high injury rates compared to natural grass.
Should You Start D’Onta Foreman in Week 14?
Foreman is ranked as the RB21 and No. 78 overall player in our PPR fantasy football rankings. His upside is excellent, considering he’s likely to log at least 20 carries against the NFL’s second-worst defense against running backs.
The Seahawks are allowing an average of 112.7 rushing yards, 44.6 receiving yards, and 1.17 total touchdowns to backs each game.
Foreman’s ranking makes him a must-start when active and healthy, but those two factors are unknown, even if Foreman is confident right now. We’ve seen sprains get worse or fail to progress as expected, and suddenly someone is a game-time decision.
With that said, if Foreman is healthy, you have to start him. He’s been the RB18 since taking over the Panthers’ starter, averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game in that span. He’s a quality RB2.
Two areas that would improve Foreman’s fantasy upside are more red-zone trips and targets in the passing game. The Panthers have the second-fewest red-zone trips in the NFL with 29 and have only scored 15 touchdowns. In essence, Foreman and DJ Moore have been robbed of what could’ve been elite fantasy seasons due to the ineptitude at quarterback.
Foreman’s receiving load is also basically non-existent. With only four receptions this season and 22 over his five-year career, it’s safe to assume Foreman isn’t comfortable or competent in the role. But it’s a shame because he’d be significantly more valuable for managers if he were.
Nevertheless, you’d be hard-pressed to have a roster good enough to afford sitting Foreman this week.
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