Getty Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs.
The Oakland Raiders have proven to have more than a few tough players and Josh Jacobs has just shown that he should be mentioned among them. It’s not a surprise that the rookie has been dealing with a shoulder injury as he’s been on the team’s injury report for several weeks now. What is surprising is what Jacobs revealed on his Snapchat.
Wow. @iAM_JoshJacobs on his Snapchat. Tough dude. #Raiders
According to the man himself, Jacobs has been playing with a fractured shoulder since Week 7. He plays a position that requires contact to his shoulder quite a bit, so it’s a marvel he hasn’t missed a single game. It clearly hasn’t affected his play as he’s still one of the most productive running backs in the NFL and just surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, the first Raiders rookie to do so. If Oakland has any hopes of sneaking into the playoffs, they need to hope Jacobs’ shoulder holds up.
Jon Gruden Talks Jacobs
The Raiders offense had a disastrous day against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but it wasn’t Jacobs’ fault. He ran for 104 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. If the game hadn’t gotten away from Oakland so early on, Jacobs could’ve run for 200 yards. Head coach Jon Gruden had some high praise for the rookie.
“He’s fighting through a shoulder himself,” Gruden said Monday. “You know, a lot of the things that these guys are doing behind the scenes go unrecognized. He hurt his shoulder in the Green Bay game. So, we’ve tried to be smart with him. But what a great competitor he is. He’s going to be one of the best complete backs in all of football, I believe.”
The argument could be made that Jacobs already is one of the best complete backs in football. Once he gets healthy, it’ll be exciting to see what he can do. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since the injury, but it’s still a situation worth monitoring.
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Josh Jacobs Fantasy: Is Injury Worth Concern?
The only way Josh Jacobs’ shoulder injury becomes concerning is if the Raiders keep losing. If the team is out of the playoff race, there’s no reason to risk any long term damage to his shoulder. It’s not out of the question that Oakland shuts him down for the last few games. That would be unfortunate for people who own him in fantasy football as that could mean he’s out for the playoffs. He’s been a consistent scorer, so losing that production could be bad news.
The Raiders’ matchup with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday is worth watching. If they win, then they are right back in the thick of the playoff race. If they lose, it’s going to be very hard for them to overcome it. It would be reasonable for Gruden to sit Jacobs out for the last three games with a loss to the Titans. If that happens, pick up DeAndre Washington as he’ll probably get the bulk of the carries. Jalen Richard is also interesting, but he’ll likely still have a limited role as a pass-catcher out of the backfield and doesn’t have much upside as a runner.
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