It is only Thursday and already it has been a busy week for running back injuries around the NFL. Fantasy football managers are dealing with tough situations involving Christian McCaffrey, De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, and Kenneth Walker III, all of who would normally be starters if active.
Let’s examine the latest injury updates for those fantasy options at RB.
Latest NFL Running Back Injury News and Fantasy Analysis
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
The best running back in football is still dealing with the same injury that sidelined him for most of training camp and the entire preseason.
McCaffrey strained his calf over the summer and is also apparently dealing with Achilles tendonitis. Nothing about this is ideal for the 49ers or fantasy managers.
After practicing in a limited capacity all three days last week, McCaffrey was widely expected to play Monday night. Instead, he was a surprise inactive mere hours before kickoff.
Shortly after being ruled out, Adam Schefter reported that McCaffrey was at risk of missing Week 2 as well. After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan rebuked those rumors, but that doesn’t make them any less true.
The 49ers opened their practice week on Wednesday, and, just like last week, McCaffrey was limited.
“My mentality is I’m playing this week” — 49ers Christian McCaffrey on Sunday game at Vikings. Calf/Achilles kept him out of opener pic.twitter.com/Hagdpzm5cg
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 11, 2024
While McCaffrey was limited once again on Thursday, the fact that he can practice at all suggests his injury isn’t overly serious. This is supported by the reports that had it been a playoff game, McCaffrey would have played. I believe these reports.
McCaffrey told the media that his mentality is that he is playing this week. “That is how I am every week. I am not lying. I think as soon as a player says ‘maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t,’ that is not a good mentality to go into a week with.”
The bad news for fantasy managers is that it’s Week 2. San Francisco has absolutely no incentive to push CMC at anything less than 100%, which would be an unnecessary risk so early in the season.
– Jason Katz, PFN’s Fantasy Football Analyst
De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
After dealing with an ankle injury all week, De’Von Achane will be active for Thursday Night Football.
Even though Achane will be active, how effective will he be?
This is a dangerous spot for fantasy managers because Achane is a must start, but on a short week, with an injury, there’s a good chance we don’t see much of the second-year back.
Normally, with Mostert out, Achane would be a must-start, but the injury situation has changed that considerably.
– Katz
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Mostert got hurt early in the Jacksonville Jaguars game and tried to work through it, McDaniel said. He added that “most people” don’t play through the injury he suffered and added that the short week was a factor he’s not playing this week.
“My sense is it’s not something that time won’t take care of,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “However, I’m definitely not going to make him worse” by putting him at risk.
Raheem Mostert has been ruled OUT for Thursday Night Football. @profootballdoc expects him to miss next week as well but avoid IR.
➡️https://t.co/tSyCatyFKU pic.twitter.com/16cViG1Aal
— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) September 11, 2024
Former Chargers team doctor David Chao (who now runs Sports Injury Central) said on X that he believes Mostert suffered a sternoclavicular joint sprain and is “likely to miss Week 3 at least as well, but hopefully, stay off of injured reserve.”
This is bad news for fantasy managers, who could be without Mostert for a two-game stretch.
– Adam Beasley, PFN’s Miami Dolphins Beat Reporter
Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
The Packers leaned on Josh Jacobs in their opening-week bout against the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Las Vegas Raiders RB ran for an impressive 84 yards on 16 carries while tacking on two receptions for 20 yards. Jacobs played 73% of the snaps.
There was nothing concerning that happened to Jacobs during the game, but he did pop up on Wednesday’s practice report with a back issue.
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media 🎙️ https://t.co/SZgwPoTJAC
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 11, 2024
Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Jacobs was limited in practice on Wednesday. Given that it’s Wednesday and Jacobs was still able to get in a limited session, this feels like a big old nothing burger.
This is likely nothing more than a bit of soreness stemming from a heavy workload in the first game of the season. Fantasy managers should have zero concerns about Jacobs’ availability for this Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
With Malik Willis set to start, Jacobs should see all the volume he can handle.
– Katz
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
It has been a wild ride for the Packers’ rookie running back. He was set to open the season as the team’s RB3 behind Jacobs and AJ Dillon. After Dillon went on IR, Lloyd had the inside track to the RB2 job. Then, a hamstring injury of his own sidelined Lloyd, elevating Emanuel Wilson to the backup role.
Lloyd was initially an IR candidate himself but recovered enough to avoid it. However, despite practicing all three days last week, Lloyd was inactive against the Eagles.
MORE: FREE Fantasy Football Start/Sit Optimizer
The story this week could end up being the same thing. Lloyd practiced Wednesday, albeit in a limited capacity.
It’s great news that Lloyd is continuing to participate, but we would like to see him get in a full session. My guess is that is a prerequisite to him being activated as the presumptive RB2 behind Jacobs.
Regardless of Lloyd’s status, he belongs nowhere near fantasy lineups this week. We need to see it first before considering whether his role is large enough to warrant starting.
– Katz
Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
It was a hot debut for Kenneth Walker III against the Denver Broncos. The Seattle Seahawks’ RB1 did what he wanted on the ground, amassing 103 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Late in the game, Walker left with what was described as an abdominal issue. After the game, Walker downplayed the injury, indicating he was perfectly fine. Shockingly, Walker is not, in fact, perfectly fine.
Now, this doesn’t mean Walker won’t play on Sunday when the Seahawks take on the New England Patriots. However, it is not a great sign that Walker hasn’t practiced this week with what is officially being called an oblique injury.
This is a new coaching staff for the Seahawks. As a result, using past procedures to predict the future might not be the best move.
Under Pete Carroll, the team was always pretty cautious about players who were banged up at practice. It would not have been a surprise to see someone go DNP-LP-DNP and be fine for Sunday. We have no idea if that will be the case under Mike Macdonald.
As of now, it’s too early to predict whether Walker will play. What we do know is that if Walker can’t go, Zach Charbonnet will serve as the lead back and be on the RB2 radar.
– Katz