If you haven’t already had your fantasy football championship yet, it is likely now in Week 17. That means we now need to follow our Week 17 fantasy RB injury update closely. The statuses of key players like Cam Akers and James Robinson are up in the air and could determine your team’s future — let’s dive into the RB injuries to consider for Week 17.
Fantasy RB Injury Update Week 17: The biggest injury question marks heading into Week 17
James Robinson didn’t play in last week’s game, but now that the Jacksonville Jaguars have the No. 1 overall pick, and therefore Trevor Lawrence, secured, don’t be surprised if he returns.
What is James Robinson’s status for Week 17?
Last week, Head Coach Doug Marrone announced that he would allow James Robinson to sit out of practice. Marrone made that move in the hopes it would help Robinson recover in time for Jacksonville’s matchup with the Bears. Unfortunately, Marrone’s plan didn’t work, and Robinson was not ready in time for the Week 16 tilt.
That forced the Jaguars to turn to back-up running back Dare Ogunbowale, who played adequately. However, he didn’t make up for the absence of James Robinson, one of Jacksonville’s lone bright spots. Ogunbowale averaged over five yards per carry on the ground and gained 71 yards. Through the air, he added another seven yards on three receptions.
If the Jaguars had beaten Chicago on Sunday, it might’ve been best for them to sit Robinson for Week 17. He’s one of their best offensive players and could help Jacksonville win a game. If they had beaten the Bears, the first overall selection in this year’s draft would be undecided. That would make them want to lose next week and potentially bench some players, like James Robinson.
However, they locked up that first overall selection this week. That means they can try to win next week’s game if they want, making Robinson’s return more likely. With that said, they could still opt to rest their RB of the future, to preserve him for 2021.
Will the Rams have Cam Akers or Darrell Henderson back in Week 17?
The Los Angeles Rams are not entering the playoffs with the type of trajectory one would hope. They’re coming off back-to-back losses to the Seahawks and Jets and are now down their top two RBs. Both Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are now on the fantasy RB injury update for Week 17.
Akers was hurt last week against New York when he sustained a high-ankle sprain. During the week, Rams head coach Sean McVay stated that the injury would force Akers to miss the upcoming game.
That meant Los Angeles had to lean on Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown, which did not go well.
Henderson joined Cam Akers on the sidelines partway through the game with an ankle injury of his own. The injury came after Henderson sprung one of his runs free when Jamal Adams made a touchdown-saving tackle.
As of now, we don’t know how long the Rams are expecting Henderson and Akers to remain out for. Once we see the practice reports from this week, we’ll have a better idea.
If Cam Akers and Henderson do miss this week’s game, Malcolm Brown would be an excellent waiver target. The Rams are one of the most run-heavy teams, and Brown will be their only healthy RB with experience.
Will Ronald Jones be active in Week 17?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were without Pro Bowl-snub Ronald Jones on Saturday against the Detroit Lions. Jones was placed on the list before the Bucs’ Week 15 game but did not come off it this week. As a result, he was unable to play in Week 16 against the Lions.
Along with being on the reserve list, Jones is also battling a finger injury. Considering Jones is on the reserve list, it’s much harder to forecast when he’ll be able to return. With that said, most players have returned after approximately two weeks, so Jones could play this week if he follows that trajectory.
If Jones remains on the fantasy RB injury update for Week 17, watch for Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Leonard Fournette to split carries. Vaughn took over the ‘lead back’ role last week with 62.5 percent of the carries, though Fournette got plenty of work as well.