Fantasy football managers who managed to survive rough fantasy performances from Jerome Ford, Kareem Hunt, and Rico Dowdle last week to advance to the next round of the fantasy playoffs may want to start formulating a backup plan for the RB position.
With these players all dealing with injuries at the moment, being prepared could mean the difference between a victory or defeat. Here’s the latest injury update we have on some key fantasy contributors at the RB position heading into Week 16.
Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Editor’s note: Ford was a full participant in practice on Thursday.
The Cleveland Browns‘ running game got punched in the mouth against the Chicago Bears last week. A normally productive offense generated just 29 rushing yards against a Bears defense that is quietly an underappreciated unit.
Ford accounted for 20 of those 29 yards on eight carries in one of his least productive games of the 2023 season. His four receptions for 11 yards somewhat salvaged an otherwise awful performance, but 7.1 fantasy points in a full-PPR format is still underwhelming, to say the least.
According to the team’s injury report, Ford was listed as a limited participant for Wednesday’s practice while still managing a wrist injury he sustained against the Jacksonville Jaguars back in Week 14.
Ford continues to be a frustrating fantasy option on a weekly basis with Hunt continuing to significantly lower his fantasy ceiling.
Ford’s home-run-hitting ability and clear advantage in the passing game make him a far more reliable fantasy option than his backfield counterpart. However, Hunt’s seven rushing scores on 118 carries continue to severely limit Ford’s upside on a weekly basis.
Assuming that Ford plays this week, he is positioned as a low-end RB2 play against a Houston Texans defense that allows just 93.5 yards rushing per game, which is the sixth-lowest mark in the league.
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
Editor’s note: Hunt was a limited participant in practice on Thursday.
Speaking of Hunt, he appeared on the Browns’ injury report again this week while still dealing with a groin injury. Yet, he did manage to log a limited practice session on Wednesday.
Hunt’s lack of efficiency and involvement in the passing game came back to bite fantasy managers who took a chance on him in their Week 15 fantasy lineup, with eight rushing yards on seven carries.
Additionally, the veteran RB failed to score a touchdown for the fourth time in his last five games, which led to a three-point fantasy performance in full-PPR formats. Yikes.
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To be fair, Hunt has topped 10 carries and punched in a rushing score in six games this year. But a career-low in yards per carry (3.13) and a career-low average of one reception per game this season make him an incredibly risky fantasy option in your lineup against Houston in Week 16.
Hunt’s groin injury shouldn’t be too concerning for fantasy managers, considering he’s managed to take the field the last three weeks with this injury. It’s worth noting though that his continued lack of efficiency could be a result of this lingering groin issue.
Hunt is a Flex option, at best, heading into their matchup against the Texans.
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Editor’s note: Dowdle was a limited participant in practice on Thursday.
Tony Pollard is the unquestioned leading man in the Dallas Cowboys‘ backfield with 1,138 total yards and five scores this season. However, Dowdle has emerged as a reliable complementary option in 2023. Unfortunately, his complementary role in the Cowboys’ backfield hasn’t been enough to make him a reliable option for your fantasy team.
The young RB was held to just four rushing yards on three carries against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. This marked the sixth time in the last eight games that Dowdle was held under 20 yards on the ground.
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Some of Dowdle’s recent production issues could be tied to the fact he’s been dealing with an ankle injury since Week 11, which caused him to be a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report.
In the last two weeks, Dowdle’s pattern for participation in practice has gone limited (Wednesday) to limited (Thursday) to full (Friday) and then active for the game. Given this pattern, itt would appear he’s on track to play yet again against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16.
Admittedly, Dowdle is a touchdown-dependent option for your fantasy team, seeing that he has scored 10+ fantasy points in full-PPR formats on just three occasions this season. He’s at least in the Flex conversation for fantasy managers who are in deeper leagues or devastated by injuries heading into Week 16.
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