Fantasy Injury Updates: News on James Conner and Aaron Jones Impacting Waiver Wire

Fantasy football managers aim to stay healthy at the running back position, but as time goes on, that task grows difficult, if not impossible. As we head into the final game of Week 5, there are more than a few lineup locks who are nicked up.

Naturally, that is going to dictate the waiver process ahead of Week 6. Here’s a look at the injuries surrounding Aaron Jones, James Conner, and Saquon Barkley.

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Injury Updates for Top Fantasy Football RBs

Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

Jones (hamstring) returned to action last Thursday night against the Lions, but it was far from a full effort. After missing a pair of games, he was out-snapped 38-20 by AJ Dillon and managed just 14 yards on his six touches in what appeared to be a favorable spot.

We know what Jones is capable of (RB1 in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears courtesy of 127 yards and two scores) when he is fully healthy, but when will we next see that version of him?

Jones is listed as questionable for tonight’s game in Las Vegas due to limited participation in practices throughout the week. The talk out of Green Bay seemed to be trending in the wrong direction, and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Jones will be out in Week 5. This would make AJ Dillon the defacto starter despite his underwhelming efforts in that role thus far.

Jones saw his per-touch fantasy production dip by nearly 10% from 2021 to 2022, a potential red flag for a player with over 1,300 career touches. He is coming off of just his second career full season and given the top-heavy nature of the NFC, it’s very possible that the Packers take the cautious approach with their bye week on the horizon and make long-term health the priority.

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Look for another managed workload tonight with Week 7 (at DEN) potentially being a spot for him to return to his lead role.

James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

A knee injury early in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals knocked Conner out for the afternoon, opening the door for Emari Demercado to get extended run (11 touches for 57 yards and a touchdown). We are talking about a 28-year-old back who has never gone through an entire NFL season without missing time who has been placed on IR – this could linger for a while.

Demercado is a rookie out of TCU who averaged a tick under five yards per touch during his collegiate career. The appeal of him, and why he is atop many waiver wire wish lists this week, is the idea that he could step into Conner’s 17.5-touch role with little competition. That seems like a decent bet, but the short-term schedule isn’t going to do him any favors.

• Week 6 at LAR
• Week 7 at SEA
• Week 8 vs BAL
• Week 9 at CLE

Even with Conner now locked in to missing at least four games, it’s going to be hard to consider Demercado as anything more than a Flex play over the next month. The Rams have allowed under 3.6 yards per carry to running backs since Christian McCaffrey lit them up in Week 2 and the Seattle Seahawks had their best defensive effort of the season in Week 4 prior to their bye.

Emari Demercado Fantasy Waiver Wire: Should I Pick Up the Cardinals RB This Week? . Read more below ⬇ https://t.co/GphtNYGGIw

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Consider Demercado a nice short-term add, but not one that is worth the fanfare that Jerome Ford generated when Nick Chubb went down. I’m viewing him in a similar light as Joshua Kelley when we got word that Austin Ekeler would miss time: a viable fill-in that shouldn’t break your bank.

The running back situation in New York is a different issue.

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

This analysis was last updated on Monday afternoon. Here is the latest injury update for Saquon Barkley.

The hope is that Barkley (high ankle sprain) will return from what has been a three-game absence next week in Buffalo, but that is far from a certainty at this point. Given that the injury occurred in Week 2, Matt Breida is likely on a roster, but Eric Gray (team leader in carries and rushing yards in Week 5) is likely available.

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Don’t worry about it. Over the past month, it has become very clear that Barkley’s talent has been the reason he was a good fantasy option, and it had very little to do with the supporting cast. Breida has been the leading ball carrier since Barkley was injured and he is still in search of his first 10-yard carry this season behind a struggling offensive line.

Ideally, you get him back into your lineup this week. Whether or not you roster Barkley, there is no need to prioritize fantasy running back depth by way of the New York Giants. If Gray (fifth-round rookie out of Oklahoma) passes through waivers, he’s a fine free add due to the underwhelming performances of all other options in this backfield.