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With fantasy football playoffs starting in most leagues last week, many teams missed Josh Jacobs’ production. The Oakland Raiders running back has been one of the best offensive players in the NFL and the centerpiece of his team’s offense. Jacobs is suffering from what is reportedly a broken shoulder. He’s been hurt since Week 7 but was able to tough it out until this previous Sunday. Fantasy players were apparently not very happy that he didn’t suit up and he took to Twitter to tell them how he feels.
He doubled down in the comments section.
Why anybody would think that Jacobs would put his long-term health at risk to help their fantasy football team defies logic. The Raiders should exercise extreme caution with Jacobs as he is one of their most exciting offensive pieces.
Will Josh Jacobs Play vs. Jaguars?
The Raiders are entering their last ever game to be played in the Oakland Collesium. It’s certainly going to be a bittersweet day for the team and a win would make things feel a lot more sweet than bitter. The Jacksonville Jaguars just got blown out by the Los Angeles Chargers, so there’s no reason to think the Raiders shouldn’t be able to do the same.
If Josh Jacobs plays, that will definitely help their chances quite a bit. The team missed him badly on Sunday. Jon Gruden had this to say after the Titans game:
“I give him a lot of credit,” he said about Jacobs on Sunday. “He was really in tears today wanting to play. He took a shot to play, like he’s been doing, but the injury we just wouldn’t let him go out there and play under these circumstances. We don’t know what his status for the upcoming ball game will be, but we will keep you posted.”
If it was up to Jacobs, he would probably play. However, the Raiders need to think about his long-term health. A win with the playoffs out of reach isn’t worth mortgaging the future. Even without Jacobs, the team has enough talent to beat the Jaguars. It seems very unlikely he plays on Sunday. If he does, he’s going to be very limited.
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Add DeAndre Washington Immediately
If you have Jacobs on your roster, you need to stop what you’re doing and add DeAndre Washington right now. In PPR leagues, Washington put up 21.6 points against the 10th ranked run defense. Jacksonville is 30th in the NFL in run defense. The Raiders want to run the ball regardless of who is in the backfield and the fact that the Jaguars’ run defense is so poor, Derek Carr will likely be handing the ball off quite a bit.
Washington has been on the team for quite a while and has proven in flashes that he can make big plays. He made a few of them on Sunday against the Titans. Jalen Richard will also get some looks, but it’s become clear that Washington is the true number two. Don’t let the Raiders adding Rod Smith scare you off Washington. Smith will only be coming in for short-yardage situations and shouldn’t take away too much production.
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