When you have six teams on a bye week, any injury can have a major impact on your fantasy football lineup.
Here are the latest injury updates we have on Roschon Johnson, Kareem Hunt, and Jeff Wilson Jr. and how these injuries could impact the fantasy landscape for Week 7.
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Injury Updates for Top Fantasy Football RBs
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Fantasy managers who were optimistic Johnson could clear concussion protocol with a couple of extra days to recover from his injury on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 were forced to go in a different direction after he was ruled out against the Minnesota Vikings last week.
Those same fantasy managers may want to start preparing a backup plan for Johnson again, with him still remaining in concussion protocol to start Week 7.
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Johnson has been effective when on the football field this season and still has a chance to clear concussion protocol before Sunday, but fantasy managers absolutely need to monitor his status in the league’s concussion protocol as the week progresses.
If Johnson is unavailable for a second straight week, fantasy managers should expect D’Onta Foreman and Darrynton Evans to see plenty of work out of this backfield. Travis Homer could also get involved with his potential return to the lineup from a hamstring injury.
Editor’s Note: According to a report from Kevin Fishbain, Johnson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
This analysis was last updated at 2:30 p.m. on October 18.
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
After his best fantasy performance of the 2023 season against the San Francisco 49ers, Hunt did not participate in the team’s practice on Wednesday while dealing with a thigh injury.
Hunt found the end zone for the first time in 2023 on one of his 12 carries for 47 yards against the 49ers. While 3.9 yards per carry wasn’t earth-shattering, it was by far his most efficient day in a Browns uniform this season.
Hunt’s 15 total touches and 71 total yards were both a season-high against one of the more talented defensive units in the league. Granted, Jerome Ford still led the team in carries (17) and rushing yards (84), but Hunt was still heavily involved and looked far more like his usage from 2020 when he was the RB10 in PPR formats.
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If Hunt is available against the Colts, he should be in the RB2 conversation and is a fringe top-25 play this week.
If Hunt is inactive in Week 7, Ford gets a bump inside the top 12 in my weekly rankings.
Editor’s Note: According to a report from Mary Kay Cabot, Hunt is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts.
This analysis was last updated at 12:51 p.m. on October 20.
Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
We got some clarification on why Wilson was inactive against the Carolina Panthers, and I’m not exactly sure how it is supposed to make me feel about his fantasy outlook moving forward.
Per David Furones, McDaniel told reporters that Wilson was “doing great” and was “ready to go.” However, the reason he was not activated was that the Dolphins felt the open roster spot was better spent on OL Robert Jones.
It is a bit eyebrow-raising that Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel stated Wilson was essentially healthy enough to play in Week 6 but was deemed inactive due to a roster decision.
If Wilson is supposed to be the definitive answer to which Dolphins RB is going to work in tandem with Raheem Mostert, then why not make Salvon Ahmed or Chris Brooks a healthy scratch and activate Wilson immediately?
I’m not suggesting Wilson isn’t worth rostering in your fantasy league, but I do have some hesitations about simply assuming he is the team’s clear-cut second option for their Week 7 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Regardless, it does look like Wilson will be for Monday Night Football, but what exactly is his fantasy outlook against one of the stingiest defenses in the league against opposing RBs?
Most would agree Mostert is the top option and should see north of 10 carries this week. However, when it comes to Wilson or Ahmed, their fantasy outlook with a projection of somewhere between seven to 10 total touches doesn’t exactly scream a high ceiling against a Philadelphia defense that has only allowed three rushing touchdowns all season.
If Wilson is active, I have him outside of my top 35 at the running back position this week.
Editor’s Note: Wilson was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.
This analysis was last updated at 4:53 p.m. on October 18.