After we saw Las Vegas Raiders RB Josh Jacobs limping away from the sideline on Sunday, fantasy football managers have been left up in the air as to whether he will play this week. With fantasy playoffs either starting this week or next, a player of Jacobs’ caliber would be a big blow to lose at this point in the season.
Let’s take a look at the latest injury updates coming out of Las Vegas and whether Jacobs will be playing on Thursday Night Football in Week 15.
Is Josh Jacobs Going To Play Week 15?
Editor’s note: Jacobs has been ruled OUT for Week 15’s matchup against the Chargers.
Somewhat surprisingly, there appears to still be a chance that Jacobs will play in Week 15 when the Raiders face the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite being listed as a non-participant at practice all week as he deals with a quadriceps injury, Jacobs got the questionable tag on the final Raiders injury report ahead of today’s game.
Normally if a player doesn’t practice all week, he tends to be ruled out on the final injury report. However, with the short week, Las Vegas could just have been cautious with Jacobs so that he was available Thursday. A report from Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo stated that Jacobs is not expected to play in Week 15.
The good thing for fantasy managers is that we’ll find out Jacobs’ status ahead of the first game of the week so there will be no guessing games.
If this was a Monday Night Football game instead of Thursday, Jacobs would be a much tougher proposition for fantasy managers in Week 15.
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce spoke to the media ahead of practice but had no injury update on Jacobs. He did tell the media, “If Josh Jacobs is ready to go, it’s the Josh Jacobs show, let’s not get fooled by that one,” when discussing the plan at RB in the final few weeks.
That would suggest that if Jacobs is active, we should expect to see a healthy dose of him. However, it would be wise to be cautious on that front. Even if Jacobs was active, there’s always a risk he aggravates the injury and has to be removed from the game. At that point, fantasy managers are stuck with whatever stats he has accumulated to that point.
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It probably makes the most sense to take the path of caution here with Jacobs. Unless we hear that this has all been about resting the veteran and he’ll be close to 100% against the Chargers, then it would be dangerous to have him in your lineup.
Of course, that somewhat depends on the health and skill level of the potential replacements, but it’s worth considering.
Potential Fantasy Options If Jacobs Is Out Include Ameer Abdullah and Zamir White
If Jacobs is out then the Raiders backfield is likely to be handled by a combination of Ameer Abdullah, Zamir White, and Brandon Bolden.
The Raiders could also elevate Sincere McCormick from the practice squad to provide depth at the position. However, the bulk of the work in Jacobs’ absence would likely be handled by Abdullah and White.
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We have not seen much from the backup RB options for Las Vegas this year. Jacobs has dominated the touches with 233 rushing attempts and 54 targets. White has seen 20 rushing attempts and six targets, with Abdullah chipping in for six rushes and 19 targets.
Last week, with Jacobs dealing with his injury in the second half, White had two carries, while Abdullah saw one carry and two targets. The projected split here would be for White to handle a lot of the early down and short-yardage work, with Abdullah playing on third down and in clear passing situations such as the two-minute drills.
In terms of fantasy, White could end up being the better option simply because that short-yardage role can often be valuable around the goal line. His floor might be somewhat safer if he has a chance to see 10-15 carries. In PPR formats, Abdullah becomes the safer option with the potential boost that five or six receptions could offer.
This uncertainty is frustrating because Los Angeles is one of the worst defenses in the NFL against the run from a fantasy perspective. For the year, they have allowed an average of 24.34 fantasy points per game to running backs.
From Abdullah’s point of view, the Chargers have allowed the second most receptions to running backs with 85 at an average of 6.54 per game.
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