Fantasy Injury Updates: Jaylen Warren, Miles Sanders, and MarShawn Lloyd Impacting Week 1 Rankings

Jaylen Warren, Miles Sanders, and MarShawn Lloyd may all be listed as backups at the running back position, but they still present value not only to their respective teams but to fantasy football managers as well.

Here is the latest injury news for each player as Week 1 approaches.

Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy

Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Warren was listed as a limited participant in practice Wednesday as he continues to try and return from a hamstring strain. Warren has repeatedly said he plans to play in Week 1, and being on the practice field Wednesday is encouraging news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His impact on Sunday’s game (at the Atlanta Falcons) is certainly worth questioning. Warren, who injured his hamstring in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, was expected to miss multiple weeks with his injury.

So even though Warren has been able to get back on the field, how much should fantasy managers expect from the third-year back? While he was the No. 1 fantasy producer among Steelers running backs (11.6 fantasy points per game) in 2023, he still shared time with Najee Harris, who averaged 11.5 fantasy points per game last season himself.

Even if the Steelers’ backfield is healthy, are fantasy managers going to see anything more from that unit than they saw a season ago?

This analysis was last updated at 8:45 p.m. on Sept. 4.

Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers

Sanders was listed as a limited participant on the Carolina Panthers’ injury report after suffering an injury to his finger in Wednesday’s practice, according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press.

According to Reed, Sanders injured his finger when he hit it on a helmet and had it wrapped in the locker room. However, indications are the injury isn’t serious enough to keep Sanders out of the lineup for Week 1 Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

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Although he likely will not garner much attention from fantasy managers as a backup to Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers are expecting bigger things from Sanders in his second season with Carolina. So, Sanders’ situation going forward is worth following.

This analysis was last updated at 8:45 p.m. on Sept. 4.

MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers

As the Green Bay Packers prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil on Friday, fantasy managers looking to slide Lloyd into their lineups in hopes of getting some production had to be encouraged by Wednesday’s injury report out of Green Bay.

While the Packers did not practice Wednesday, they did provide an updated injury report before traveling to São Paulo. Although Lloyd was a non-participant Tuesday, the Packers upgraded him to limited participation in Wednesday’s report.

This is an obvious good indication that the hamstring injury that bothered Lloyd during the preseason has healed enough that he could see the field on Friday.

Lloyd is second on the running back depth chart behind Josh Jacobs, the former leading rusher in the NFL. And while his chances for playing in Week 1 are improved, he is probably someone fantasy managers probably would be better off avoiding this week.

This analysis was last updated at 8:45 p.m. on Sept. 4.