The New York Giants offense looked completely inept without running back Saquon Barkley in the lineup for the team’s 30-12 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3. Will an ankle injury cost Barkley to miss a second straight game?
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Latest Injury News Surrounding Saquon Barkley
While many fantasy football managers expect to be without Saquon in their lineups for their showdown against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, Barkley appears to still have an outside shot at getting back on the field on Monday Night Football.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley (ankle) remains day to day ahead of Monday night's home game vs. Seahawks, per HC Brian Dabollhttps://t.co/eAMVmjj9gm pic.twitter.com/vUlC9aOHeF
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 26, 2023
Giants head coach Brian Daboll described Barkley’s status as day-to-day as he tries to recover from the ankle injury he sustained late in the fourth quarter of the team’s 31-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2.
Will Barkley Play This Week?
The original timetable seemed to suggest that Barkley would miss two or three games, but as he’s proven before, Saquon is capable of fighting through the pain to get back on the football field ahead of schedule.
The Giants’ long week with a game on MNF doesn’t exactly put fantasy managers who are holding out hope for a Barkley return in Week 4 in the best position.
You will want to keep a very close eye on Barkley’s practice participation throughout the week. If he doesn’t practice in even a limited capacity by Friday, then I would say chances are the team will take a cautious approach with their feature offensive player and sit him for another week to get him close to 100% when he returns to the field.
What Does This Mean for Barkley’s Fantasy Ranking?
When Barkley is healthy, he’s usually a must-start top-10 fantasy option at the running back position on a weekly basis.
While I may be hesitant to rank him in my top five at the position, if he’s available this week because of a higher chance of reaggravating the injury or simply being far less efficient on the field because of the injury, he is definitely still in the RB1 conversation against the Seahawks.
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Seattle’s defense has allowed a rushing touchdown to an opposing running back in all three games of the 2023 season.
If Barkley is unable to go this Monday, look for Matt Breida to see an expanded role in the Giants backfield.