The NFL season is in full swing. As happens every year, injuries are rearing their ugly heads. As fantasy football managers prepare to set Week 12 lineups, it’s important to stay informed on the latest injury news. Josh Jacobs missed some practice time this week due to injury. What is his current status and outlook for this week?
Is Josh Jacobs Playing Week 12?
Jacobs was ruled out in the first half of Sunday’s game after suffering a left knee injury on the MetLife Stadium turf. He initially went to the sideline and was checked out in the medical tent before briefly returning to action. However, the seventh-year running back was unable to continue and exited for good after jamming his knee into the notorious MetLife playing surface.​
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday that Jacobs will undergo more tests Monday on his left knee, but the initial belief is he avoided a significant injury. Pelissero added that “Jacobs returned briefly after jamming his knee into the MetLife turf before leaving for good” and noted “there’s optimism he’ll be back soon”. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rob Demovsky also reported the injury is not believed to be season-ending.​
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio provided additional encouraging details, noting that all field tests and X-rays showed Jacobs’ knee is generally stable and intact. The tests conducted immediately after the injury revealed no structural damage, which represents positive news given the initial concern when he was unable to return. Further testing conducted on Monday confirmed the positive initial assessment.​
On Monday, Bill Huber reported that Jacobs won’t need surgery and “possibly” will be out Week 12. The Packers will probably exercise caution, but it sounds as if this will be a short absence for Jacobs.​
Jacobs did not practice on Wednesday. However, LaFleur declined to rule Jacobs out for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, calling his injury a “day-by-day thing”.​
The fact that Jacobs tried to play through the injury is encouraging. Players rarely attempt to return to action with significant knee damage, and his willingness to give it a go suggests the injury may be less severe than initially feared when he was ruled out. It does not sound like a lengthy absence based on the initial reports, but it does sound as if he will miss some time.​
LaFleur noted after Sunday’s game, “I think anytime a player, especially of his magnitude, doesn’t finish a game, you’re always concerned about the welfare of them,” but offered no further details on the severity or expected timeline. However, running back Emanuel Wilson indicated that Jacobs told him he would be OK.​
Jacobs is set to participate in individual drills on Thursday. Whether that earns him a limited designation at practice remains to be seen. It sounds as if he is headed towards a questionable designation.
Jacobs’ Fantasy Football Outlook
Jacobs was effective on his first seven carries over the weekend against the Giants (40 yards), but a knee injury removed him from the game and he was never able to return.
Green Bay’s RB1 has yet to miss a game since being acquired and has missed a total of 10 games in his six-plus professional seasons. Given the nature of the playoff race in the NFC, the Packers don’t exactly have much room for error and with the bye well behind them, they are very motivated to be aggressive here.
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Emanuel Wilson (11-yard touchdown on Sunday after Jacobs departed) is the speculative add to make. The Packers play on Thanksgiving after this week, giving them a mini bye ahead of a favorable spot in Week 14 against the Bears at Lambeau.
The hope is that this isn’t a serious injury and that you’ll have your top-10 RB back before long. Wilson would serve as the lead back, but this offense would likely lean into Jordan Love more than ask the backup to assume the role Jacobs has filled.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst
Emanuel Wilson’s Fantasy Outlook
All signs are pointing to Wilson getting extended run in this matchup and the early returns on him producing with volume has been strong.
In his three games with 10+ touches this season, he’s picked up 217 yards, good for 5.9 yards per touch. That’s good, but this is more of a theoretical question: how does this offense choose to function without their centerpiece?
Either they try to fit a square peg into a round hole and ask Wilson to be Jacobs, or they put this important game in the hands of their franchise QB.
I lean the latter and given that Wilson has seen just 13.3% of his career touches in the passing game, I’m not overly optimistic that he clears 15 touches against this aggressive Vikings defense that hasn’t allowed a running back to clear 11 PPR points in three straight games.
Wilson is very much worthy of a roster spot and I’d rather flex him than Jordan Addison or Romeo Doubs if we are picking players in this range in this game, but I’d be careful in assuming too much from a career backup with under 200 career touches on his resume.
— Kyle Soppe, PFSN Fantasy Analyst