When you combine injuries to some of the biggest producers at the RB position with six teams on a bye in Week 7, you could be forced to make some very tough decisions regarding your fantasy football team this upcoming weekend.
Here are the latest injury updates we have on Saquon Barkley, Aaron Jones, and Rhamondre Stevenson and how these injuries could impact the fantasy landscape for Week 7.
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Injury Updates for Top Fantasy Football RBs
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Despite returning to the lineup with a backup quarterback under center, Barkley returned to a feature role in this offense against the Buffalo Bills.
Barkley touched the ball 28 times for 98 yards in his first game back after missing the three previous games with an ankle injury.
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According to the Giants injury report shared by Pat Leonard of NYDN, Barkley was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. This shouldn’t come as any surprise given Barkley’s heavy workload in Week 6, and the organization is likely trying to manage his injured ankle with limited practices early in the week.
If Daniel Jones misses a second consecutive game while dealing with a neck injury, expect the Giants to lean heavily on Barkley again for their divisional matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Barkley is currently inside my top 10 at the running back position for Week 7.
Editor’s Note: According to a report from Adam Caplan, Barkley was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.
Editor’s Note: According to a report from Dan Duggan, Barkley will not have an injury designation heading into the team’s game against the Commanders.
This analysis was last updated at 2:12 p.m. on Oct. 20.
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Speaking of running backs who currently find themselves inside the top 10 of my weekly running back rankings, Jones appears to be trending in the right direction for returning to the field this Sunday.
Per Rob Demovsky, “Aaron Jones good to go today,” after being spotted at Wednesday’s practice heading into their matchup against the Denver Broncos. However, Wes Hodkiewicz tweeted that Matt LaFleur told reporters Jones was limited in practice today.
After sustaining a hamstring injury in the season opener against the Chicago Bears, Jones missed the next two games before returning in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions, where he put up just 2.4 fantasy points on six total touches.
Following his disappointing performance against the Lions, the organization decided to play it safe and sit Jones in Week 5, which allowed him another two full weeks to get healthy heading into their Week 7 showdown against the Broncos.
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Denver is currently allowing an average of 35.9 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season, which makes Jones a strong starting option at the running back position for Week 7.
Editor’s Note: According to a report from Matt Schniedman, Jones is officially questionable for the team’s game against the Broncos.
This analysis was last updated at 2:58 p.m. on Oct. 20.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Steveson is coming off his best fantasy performance of the year against the Las Vegas Raiders.
His 70 total yards and a score on 15 total touches generated 18 fantasy points, which was good for his first top-10 finish at the running back position this season.
Well, just when Stevenson appeared to be trending in the right direction, he picked up an ankle injury that has led to him be a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice, according to the injury report listed on the team’s website.
Despite the encouraging fantasy outing last week, the Patriots offense has been struggling to score points all season long.
When looking ahead to their matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7, a banged-up Stevenson could mean a bigger role for Ezekiel Elliott, which would put both players outside of my top 25 at the position this week.
If Stevenson is inactive against the Bills, then Elliott’s expanded role would put him into consideration for your Flex spot on Sunday.
This analysis was last updated at 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 18.