Getty Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs.
Though the Oakland Raiders fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 2, not everything about the loss was bad. Josh Jacobs did have to leave the game for a bit with a groin injury, but he still made an impact. He only had 12 carries and still accumulated 99 rushing yards. Granted, most of those yards came from one 51 yard run, but he’s still very promising.
Through two weeks, Jacobs is fourth in the NFL in rushing yards. He should be a very reliable fantasy football running back for the foreseeable future. However, his groin injury is concerning. Jon Gruden doesn’t seem too concerned about it. Jacobs is incredibly tough and even played through a broken ankle while in college. That being said, nobody is indestructible and the Raiders should try to play it safe with Jacobs. There’s no reason to believe that he won’t be playing on Sunday versus Minnesota Vikings, but you may want to put Jalen Richard on your radar in case he’s limited.
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Latest Josh Jacobs Injury Timeline From Sports Doctor
This isn’t the first time Josh Jacobs has suffered a groin injury. A similar injury kept him out of the combine but wasn’t considered too serious at the time. According to Dr. Jesse Morse of The Fantasy Doctors, the groin injury shouldn’t keep him out, but it could definitely affect his play.
The @Raiders Raiders Josh Jacobs is dealing with a groin injury. These reinjury easily, & depending on severity he could play in #Week3. Won’t be 100% for 3-4 weeks. Struggle to handle 25+ touches/game on it. #raiders @TheFantasyDRS
If Dr. Morse is accurate in his assessment, it could take a while for Jacobs to get to 100%. As previously mentioned, he’s incredibly tough so it’s hard to imagine he’ll sit out because of this injury. However, it could really hamper the number of touches the team gives him. Jon Gruden won’t be too inclined to overwork his rookie running back. Jalen Richard is the backup, but he’s more of a receiving option. Any running play is likely to still go to Jacobs even if he’s injured. He just won’t see as many touches. Adding Richard or DeAndre Washington to your roster may be a good idea just in case he does end up seeing his role decrease until he’s 100%.
Josh Jacobs Fantasy Outlook: Matchup vs. Vikings
In 2017, the Vikings had the second-best rush defense in the NFL. They fell to 13 in 2018 and sit at 15 so far in 2019. They certainly aren’t terrible against the run, but Jacobs could still be able to have a big game against them. The Packers’ Aaron Jones put up 25 PPR points against them in week 2. However, they completely shut down the Falcons’ running backs in week 1.
This fact coupled with the groin injury makes Jacobs a somewhat risky play against the Vikings. It’s really hard to leave Jacobs on your bench though. He’s the seventh-highest scoring running back in PPR leagues. He also might be the best weapon the Raiders have on offense, so they’re going to want to get him involved if his injury isn’t too bad. Unless you have another running back who has a much better matchup, Jacobs should probably be a start until we see how much his injury is slowing him down.
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