The story of the night has been Jalen Carter’s ejection for spitting on Dak Prescott. The Eagles and Cowboys are in a tightly contested battle, and Philadelphia lost it’s backup RB, Will Shipley, to an injury. The Eagles’ offense has been humming, and Shipley was effective in his action.
What Happened to Will Shipley?
Shipley suffered an injury to his ribs and is questionable to return. The injury wasn’t mentioned on the broadcast and was announced by the Eagles. He wasn’t doing his normal roles on the kickoff and special teams, which alerted fans to the injury.
Shipley has three carries for 26 yards and has no catches. He’s going to play a role for the offense and is a tough loss because of his ability to rush, give Saquon Barkley a breather, and be a dynamic returner.
Injury Updates: CB Adoree’ Jackson was evaluated for a concussion and cleared to return. RB Will Shipley (ribs) is questionable to return.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 5, 2025
The Eagles have rushed for 145 yards before the game entered a weather delay. The delay can offer Shipley time to return, but they might not need to rush him back. With Hurts and Barkley leading the two-headed rushing attack, Shipley offered an important third dimension to the Eagles’ attack. Luckily for the Eagles, they have a veteran RB in A.J. Dillon to give them extra depth out of the backfield.
The Eagles’ passing attack hasn’t shown up much today, as Hurts threw for only 111 yards on 15 attempts. DeVonta Smith only has two catches for nine yards, and A.J. Brown has zero catches. The Cowboys are hanging around, though, so they need their offensive stars to chip in and lean on their rushing attack to take them to victory.
Fantasy Impact of Shipley’s Injury
Shipley didn’t play much as a rookie with Kenneth Gainwell in town. However, with Gainwell’s departure in the offseason, Shipley was the presumptive favorite to be the RB2 behind Saquon Barkley.
Following a strong training camp and preseason, that was pretty clearly the case. This made Shipley one of the higher upside handcuffs that fantasy managers were targeting in the double-digit rounds of drafts.
Given that it’s a rib injury, Shipley probably won’t be out for an extended period of time. AJ Dillon will serve as the RB2 while Shipley is out. However, even if Barkley was lost for a while, it’s hard to imagine Dillon being someone managers want to start in fantasy. The Eagles would likely lean more on Jalen Hurts and the passing game.
