The RB injury report coming out Friday of Week 13 has mixed news for fantasy football managers. While we’ve seen a number of players cleared in recent NFL injury updates, there are still a few key players whose status is up in the air. Let’s take a look at the latest news on the health of Josh Jacobs, Joe Mixon, Antonio Gibson, Travis Etienne Jr., and more.
RB injury report heading into week 13
Josh Jacobs, LV | Calf (active)
Update: Josh Jacobs is active for Week 13.
On Tuesday, we learned that Josh Jacobs would likely be limited in practice before Week 13 as he deals with a calf injury. That proved to be the case, as Jacobs was limited all week in practice before being listed as questionable.
Speaking to the media earlier this week, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels didn’t seem overly concerned about Jacobs’ situation. We saw Jacobs listed as questionable coming out of last week, and he topped 300 scrimmage yards and found the end zone twice against the Seattle Seahawks.
We found that out from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport Jacobs is a true game time decision in Week 13. Rapoport added that “there is optimism he can play, but no one will know for sure until practice.” This is the same situation as last week, where Jacobs was superb after passing the pre-game check. Later on Sunday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Jacobs playing in week 13.
MORE: Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings for the rest of the season
This week’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers is extremely friendly for RBs, and Jacobs is a must-start if he’s active. If Jacobs ends up missing the game, Zamir White could be an intriguing option and one that fantasy managers should consider handcuffing Jacobs if they have bench space to spare.
If you have Jacobs on your roster, the combination of the match and his performance last week means you’ll want to give him every opportunity to be available to you. Therefore, if you don’t have any players on your bench who play in late afternoon or prime-time windows, it makes sense to flip your last bench spot to add such an option from the waiver wire.
With question marks over the Raiders’ backfield in this good matchup, there could be some solid value this week in Underdog Fantasy Best Ball tournaments. Using a late-round pick on White could pay off big if Jacobs ends up missing the game or is limited.
Joe Mixon, CIN | Concussion (inactive)
Update: Joe Mixon is inactive for Week 13.
When Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor spoke to the media on Friday, he told reporters Mixon remains in the concussion protocol. The hope going into the week was that Mixon clearing the protocol before Week 13 would be a bit of a formality. However, concussions are hard to judge, so there’s still a chance Mixon could be out this week.
As of Saturday evening, Mixon still hadn’t cleared the concussion protocol. Therefore, we will likely find out fairly early on Sunday regarding Mixon’s status. This is a situation to watch early on Sunday, but if you have him on your roster, you’d be wise to make sure you have a backup option playing late afternoon or prime time.
If Mixon ends up playing, there shouldn’t be any real performance impact. Concussion injuries do not tend to impair performance in subsequent games. So if Mixon is active, he should start in fantasy lineups.
If Mixon ends up missing the game, Samaje Perine will be the biggest benefit. Last week, Perine had 58 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts while adding 35 receiving yards on four receptions.
Update: Antonio Gibson is active for Week 13.
It’s been a busy week for Antonio Gibson as he deals with a foot injury. The Washington Commanders’ RB was limited in practice Wednesday, downgraded to a non-participant Thursday, and was limited again Friday. As a result, Gibson is questionable entering the weekend for Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants.
Into Sunday, the reports are Gibson should play this week. The fact that the commanders did not lift a RB from the practice squad on Saturday also suggests that is the case. If Gibson were out, the Chiefs would only have Brian Robinson and Jonathan Williams as active RBs this week.
It’s hard to predict how much Gibson might play this week if he’s active. Robinson had 20 touches for 125 yards last week and has at least 15 touches in each of his last four games. Meanwhile, Gibson has had at least 12 touches in all of his last six games and 3+ targets in every game dating back to Week 5.
If Gibson struggles with the foot injury, we may see him a little more limited. If active, Gibson should still have a solid floor in PPR formats, but is a risky starting option in non-PPR scoring.
Update: Travis Etienne Jr. is active for week 13.
The reports coming out of Jacksonville this week regarding Travis Etienne Jr.’s foot injury have been generally positive. On Friday, head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that Etienne is “good to go” for week 13. However, after Etienne was limited in practice all week, he was listed as questionable heading into the weekend.
MORE: Fantasy RB Start ’em Sit ’em Week 13
Hopefully this is nothing more than the Jaguars being cautious, but it raises concerns about whether Etienne could be limited in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions. There are the reports on Saturday night and Sunday morning Etienne is expected to play in Week 13.
Jaylen Warren, PIT | Hoarding (active)
Update: Jaylen Warren is active in Week 13.
This is not the Pittsburgh Steelers RB we expected to see listed as questionable this week. With Jaylen Warren practicing in full all week, it’s somewhat of a surprise that he’s questionable heading into Week 13. Hamstring injuries can be a little tricky, though, so this could just be the Steelers being cautious with their rookie RB.
In a strange twist, fellow RB Najee Harris was cleared from the injury report and is expected to face the Atlanta Falcons this week. The presence of Harris lowers Warren’s ceiling significantly and makes him a tough player to start in fantasy lineups this week.
Michael Carter, NYJ | Ankle (inactive)
Update: Michael Carter is inactive for Week 13.
After being unable to practice all week, Michael Carter is listed as questionable for Week 13. Rarely do players listed as questionable end up suiting up on game day, so barring a surprise, we should plan as if Carter is out this week.
That would leave an intriguing situation in the Jets’ backfield. James Robinson was a surprisingly healthy scratch last week, with rookie Zonovan Knight backing up Carter. Robinson will be active this week, but it is not clear what role he will play.
Knight took over as manager when Carter left the game last week. However, we could see a committee situation this week, and that could mean there is limited fantasy value to be found. Knight appears to be the best option, but both Robinson and Ty Johnson could eat into his upside.
Travis Homer, SEA | Illness/knee (doubtful)
We’ve seen Travis Homer deal with a mix of illness and a knee problem this week. Homer’s fantasy value is limited, as he saw just five opportunities and four touches last week. As he deals with this combination of ailments, he’s unlikely to see an increase in fantasy value this week.
MORE: Fantasy Injury IR Updates Week 13
RBs removed from damage report
- Aaron Jones, GB | Shin/Glute
- AJ Dillon, GB | Quad
- Jerick McKinnon, KC | Hoarding
- Raheem Mostert, MIA | Knee
- Najee Harris, PIT | Foot
- Christian McCaffrey, SF | Knee
