With another day of wall-to-wall football on the horizon, fantasy football owners are doing their last checks of injury reports and making their final start ’em, sit ’em decisions. Heading into Sunday’s Week 3 slate, a couple key running backs are dealing with nagging injuries (Leonard Fournette, D’Andre Swift) that likely won’t affect their game status. However, there are a few other key RBs (James Conner, Alvin Kamara, JK Dobbins, Josh Jacobs) who might not play in Week 3, which could open the door for some emerging sleepers and waiver-wire fill-ins.
Below, we’ll give you the latest news on these RBs and break down how their injuries could potentially affect the Week 3 fantasy landscape.
WEEK 3 FINAL INJURY UPDATES:
WRs | TEs | Herbert | Jeudy | Schultz
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WEEK 3 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
Alvin Kamara injury update, Week 3 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported late Saturday night that Kamara is expected to play against the Buccaneers.
Kamara (ribs) was among the multiple Saints players listed officially as questionable on Friday. The veteran running back was a limited participant in practice over the past three days.
The Saints would love to have Kamara rejoin the backfield after he did not play last week against Tampa Bay. Without Kamara, New Orleans leaned on veteran Mark Ingram II, who had 58 yards on 10 carries. However, he doesn’t bring the same playmaking ability that Kamara possesses. If Kamara is good to play Sunday, which looks to be, start him as an RB1 against a Panthers’ defense that gave up 88 total yards on 24 touches to Saquon Barkley last week and had trouble with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Week 1. If Kamara is a surprise scratch, Ingram will once again handle the bulk of the RB touches and be worth a start as a flex.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
D’Andre Swift injury update, Week 3 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday morning that Swift is expected to play against Minnesota.
Swift (ankle) was officially listed as “questionable” on Friday afternoon ahead of the Lions’ Week 3 matchup against the Vikings.
Swift did not practice on Wednesday but was a limited participant over the past two days. Head coach Dan Campbell said earlier this week that Swift was “feeling much better” than he did last week, according to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard. The young running back was dealing with the injury in Week 2 but still recorded 87 yards and a touchdown on seven touches. Swift should be treated as an RB1 against the Vikings, but Jamaal Williams, who would start if Swift is a surprise scratch, is also worth a flex spot.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
JK Dobbins injury update, Week 3 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday afternoon that Dobbins is expected to play against New England.
Dobbins (knee) is officially “questionable” for Sunday’s early-afternoon game against the Patriots. The 23-year-old running back has yet to play this season after tearing his ACL last summer.
Dobbins has been on the cusp of potentially playing over the past two weeks, but the Ravens opted to hold him out. However, he should be on track to play Sunday after being a full participant in practice again this week. If Dobbins can play, we should not expect him to get a ton of carries, as the Ravens will be cautious with his workload. Dobbins will be splitting time with Kenyan Drake, Mike Davis, and Justice Hill. Dobbins is likely nothing more than a TD-dependent flex in standard leagues if he starts, but he should gain appeal over the next few weeks. If he’s out again, none of the Drake/Davis/Hill trio can be trusted in such a tough matchup.
WEEK 3 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
Josh Jacobs injury update, Week 3 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: Jacobs did travel to Tennessee on his own on Saturday, which certainly puts him in position to suit up against the Titans.
Jacobs was listed as “questionable” on Friday after missing Thursday’s practice with an illness. ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez reported that Jacobs did not travel with the team to Tennessee, but he still has a chance to catch a flight on Saturday and join the team. At this point, though, it’s not looking good for his prospects.
The veteran running back has looked decent through the first two weeks of this season with 126 rushing yards and 4.3 yards per carry average. With Jacobs potentially unavailable for Sunday, it could open the door for rookie Zamir White or veteran Brandon Bolden as RB2/flex options, but Ameer Abdullah will also be involved. White only has one carry on the season, while Bolden has a receiving touchdown. Neither guy will produce a ton of fantasy points, but if you are in a pinch, they could both pay off as flexes, with Bolden having more value in PPR leagues.
WEEK 3 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
James Conner injury update, Week 3 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported late Saturday night that Conner will test his ankle in pre-game warmups, but he’s currently expected to play.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Friday that Conner (ankle) will be a “game-time decision,” according to Arizona Sports 98.7 FM’s Paul Calvisi. Conner was officially listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game against the Rams.
The veteran running back did not practice on Wednesday, but he was a limited participant at practice over the past two days. Conner picked up the ankle injury in last week’s game against the Raiders. If Conner does not play, Darrel Williams and Eno Benjamin are in play as low-end flexes in fantasy football. Williams led all Cardinals’ running backs with 59 yards on eight carries in Week 2, and while he didn’t get a ton of targets in the receiving game, we know that he can be a viable option out of the backfield. Meanwhile, Benjamin did a little bit of everything for Arizona with 11 touches for 51 yards. Both running backs are widely available in Yahoo leagues and can potentially provide you with 10 fantasy points. Conner would be a high-end flex if he’s able to go.
Leonard Fournette injury update, Week 3 fantasy outlook
UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday morning that Fournette is expected to play against Green Bay.
Fournette (hamstring) was listed as “questionable” on Friday ahead of the Buccaneers’ Week 3 matchup against the Packers. The veteran running back was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but it appears that he will play on Sunday.
Fantasy football owners should not be concerned about Fournette on the injury report. He had a similar practice pattern last week before getting 24 carries against the Saints. The veteran running back should get a similar workload this week, especially with Mike Evans serving a one-game suspension. The Packers’ defense is giving up 153 rushing yards per game and has allowed one rushing touchdown. Fournette should be in as an RB1 this week. If he’s a surprise scratch, Rachaad White will handle the bulk of the RB touches and be worth an RB2/flex spot.
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