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    Fantasy Injury Updates: News on Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Aaron Jones Impacting RB Rankings

    Injuries continue to run rampant across the NFL. What is the latest on running backs Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Aaron Jones?

    It’s always a challenge to navigate through injuries in fantasy football, and the running back position has several players dealing with issues. The time to set Week 8 lineups is near. What is the latest injury information on Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and Aaron Jones?

    Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

    Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy

    Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

    Fantasy managers were left scratching their heads after Bijan Robinson was nowhere to be seen on the Falcons’ first two drives last week. It wasn’t until deep into the second half that beat reporters could uncover the reason.

    Apparently, Robinson started experiencing a really bad headache late Saturday night. It didn’t get better Sunday morning. As a result, head coach Arthur Smith opted to essentially hold the electric rookie out of the game.

    Right now, the biggest story out of Atlanta is the team’s failure to report Robinson’s ailment prior to the game. Smith, however, downplayed it at Wednesday’s press conference. According to D. Orlando Ledbetter, Smith said, “There’s nothing to it.”

    The good news for fantasy managers is Robinson isn’t injured. The bad news is headaches are impossible to predict. Those of us who have been around the block a few times remember the days of Percy Harvin’s migraines keeping him out of games. A headache may sound like no big deal, but it can be completely debilitating.

    MORE: Fantasy News Tracker

    Robinson practiced fully on Wednesday, though. That suggests he’s no longer dealing with the issue. While that doesn’t mean it won’t pop up again at a later time, the Falcons will likely be far more diligent in reporting it if it does, affording fantasy managers the ability to pull Robinson from lineups.

    For now, fantasy managers should operate as if this was a one-week blip. Unless we hear something new, assume Robinson will resume his lead-back role on Sunday in Tennessee.

    Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears

    I’m glad we’ve reached the point in society where a guy like Roschon Johnson being out multiple weeks due to a concussion is treated as delicately as it should be. Concussions are no joke, and it’s scary for such a young kid to have missed this much time with one. Most importantly, we hope he’s okay for his long-term health.

    From a football perspective, Johnson was finally able to get back on the practice field Wednesday. According to The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain, head coach Matt Eberflus said Johnson is able to practice but not fully cleared yet.

    For most concussions, Johnson is at the point players typically reach after missing just one week. They get in a limited practice on Wednesday while not fully cleared. That is upgraded to full on Thursday or Friday, and then the player hopefully gets clearance from the independent neurologist on Friday or Saturday.

    It’s been three weeks since Johnson sustained his concussion, but it appears as if he’s finally at that stage of the protocol.

    We’ve seen setbacks happen before. Nothing is guaranteed, especially when it comes to brain injuries. However, with a full practice on Wednesday, it does appear as if Johnson is trending toward making his return this Sunday night against the Chargers.

    If Johnson is able to return, fantasy managers should not expect him to take the lead-back job away from D’Onta Foreman, in light of how well Foreman has played in his two games as the starter.

    MORE: Cleveland Browns Fantasy Injury Updates Week 8

    Johnson would do well to serve as the 1B, taking the role of Darrynton Evans as the primary passing-down back. A 30-40% snap share seems likely.

    In a week with no teams on bye, fantasy managers likely have the luxury of leaving Johnson out of lineups, which is the course of action I’d recommend at this point.

    Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

    It seems unfathomable that we’ve gone from Aaron Jones saying he could’ve gone back in the game in Week 1 to him still dealing with his hamstring strain ahead of Week 8. Yet, here we are.

    Jones attempted to come back once and couldn’t do it. He returned last week and made it through the entire game but was clearly still very limited, playing just 36% of the snaps.

    We know participation in Wednesday practices doesn’t mean much overall, but it does matter for previously injured players. When you look around the league at players who have dealt with hamstring strains — Diontae Johnson, Jerry Jeudy, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jones’ teammate Christian Watson — all of them have been practicing in full. Jones, however, has not logged a full practice since before Week 1.

    On Wednesday, according to Rob Demovsky, Jones warmed up with the team but was not on the field when practice began. He is looking at opening the week with a DNP, which would be a downgrade from last week’s triple-limited sessions.

    This doesn’t mean Jones is out this week. It does mean that Jones still isn’t 100%, though. And at this point, he should be.

    Fantasy managers likely already hit the panic button on Jones. If they haven’t yet, they should now. Jones has basically every conceivable red flag.

    • 29 years old in just over a month
    • Lingering soft tissue injury
    • Bad offense
    • Bad quarterback
    • Bad on-field performance when he plays

    According to Tom Silverstein, Jones did not suffer a setback. According to Demovsky, Head coach Matt LaFleur said, “He’s just a little bit sore, [which is] to be expected. Hopefully, we can ramp him up and get him more snaps out there.”

    While that’s good news, I still have a hard time trusting Jones in fantasy lineups. LaFleur’s words are encouraging, but I want a little better than “hopeful.” Unless we see a full practice or get some positive news on his hamstring, he needs to remain on fantasy benches until further notice.

    Editor’s note: Jones returned to practice on Thursday.

    Analysis last updated at 2:01pm EST on Thursday, October 26.

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