It’s always a challenge to navigate through injuries in fantasy football. The RB position has several players dealing with issues. The time to set Week 13 lineups is near. What are the latest fantasy injury updates on Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Kareem Hunt?

Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy

Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

Two weeks ago, Aaron Jones went down with an ugly-looking knee injury. Given the way it looked, combined with Jones’ reaction to the injury, it sure felt like he was going to be done for the season. Fortunately, Jones escaped with an MCL sprain.

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Last week, Jones was able to stretch with the team but did not officially practice at all. He did not play on Thanksgiving.

To begin this week, it was more of the same. Jones did not practice, remaining inside with the rehab group, according to Rob Demovsky.

Wednesday practices do not mean much this late in the season. However, when players have previously missed a game, they usually practice on the Wednesday before they return. Jones logging a DNP does not bode well for his chances.

Furthermore, we’ve already seen Jones attempt to return too soon from a hamstring strain, which sidelined him even longer than expected. As a result, look for the Packers to be extra cautious with their top running back.

Even if Jones is able to return to a limited practice on Thursday or Friday, which is not something I expect anyway, fantasy managers should prepare to be without him once again.

With Jones out, AJ Dillon will operate as the lead back. But he’s got an injury of his own …

AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

Last week, Dillon got the start with Jones inactive. However, he played just 52% of the snaps. Dillon was his usual inefficient self, carrying the ball 14 times for 43 yards. He salvaged his fantasy outing with three catches for 38 yards.

Whenever Jones misses time, Dillon operates as the lead back, but it’s never exciting for fantasy purposes. He’s just a volume-based RB3. That is what fantasy managers can expect from Dillon this week against a strong Kansas City Chiefs defense. Of course, that is if Dillon is able to go, himself.

Dillon was on the injury report last week with a groin issue. He was able to get in a couple of limited practices before ultimately suiting up. Notably, he did not miss a practice.

Although it is only Wednesday, it’s been six days since the Packers played. In theory, Dillon should be able to practice. The fact that he didn’t is a little bit concerning.

If there’s any good news, it’s not a new injury for Dillon. He’s still managing a groin injury he’s played through for two weeks now.

It sounds as if the decision to hold Dillon out of practice was more precautionary than anything else, according to Matt LaFleur, per Tom Silverstein.

I’m optimistic the Packers are choosing to use the extended time between games to allow Dillon to heal. He’s been playing through the injury and hasn’t looked to be significantly hampered by it. As long as Dillon returns to a limited session on Thursday, he should be good to go for Sunday.

In the event Jones and Dillon are both out, Patrick Taylor would be the lead back. The Packers would have to sign at least one, if not two backs to put behind Taylor. Neither would be even remotely fantasy-relevant.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns

Last week, Kareem Hunt played just 26% of the offensive snaps. While he hasn’t played more than 44% all season, the 26% number was surprisingly low. Perhaps now we know why. Hunt is currently dealing with a groin injury. He did not practice on Wednesday.

Currently, we don’t know any specifics about Hunt’s injury. If he gets in a limited practice on Thursday or Friday, that probably puts him on track to play.

MORE: Fantasy Week 13 RB Start/Sit

However, Hunt’s status doesn’t really have my of a fantasy impact. He is nowhere near fantasy-relevant as long as Jerome Ford remains healthy.

Hunt operated as the lead back while Ford was nursing an ankle sprain. But once Ford fully recovered, Ford was right back in the lead role, which is clearly what the Cleveland Browns want.

Hunt is averaging just 3.21 ypc on the season. He’s only had useful fantasy games when he’s scored, which is something he did for five consecutive games from Weeks 6-10.

Outside of the touchdowns, Hunt just doesn’t offer much. The once-great receiving back offers nothing in the passing game. He has a total of nine catches on the season and hasn’t caught a single one in three of his last four games.

If Hunt can’t go, Pierre Strong Jr. will run as the RB2 behind Hunt. He would not be on the fantasy radar, either.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

It is late in the fantasy football season, and players are banged up and dealing with bumps, bruises, and more as teams look toward the postseason. What are the latest fantasy injury updates with Keenan Allen, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks, and how could it affect your fantasy starting lineup?

WR Injury Updates

Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers’ star WR Allen still looks solid at almost 32 years old. He is currently the WR2 on the season and has three weeks where he was the WR1. After playing 65 out of the 66 snaps on Sunday night in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Allen popped up on the injury report today.

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He missed practice on Wednesday due to a quad issue. It is unclear what the specific injury is or if Allen was just enjoying an extra day off of rest. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on the Los Angeles practice reports as the week progresses to make sure Allen is able to play against New England this week.

It is a decent matchup for WRs against the Patriots — they give up the ninth most fantasy points to opposing WRs, so no doubt Los Angeles wants Allen on the field. Not to mention, the options behind Allen are sparse, with rookie Quentin Johnston and the speedy Jalen Guyton batting cleanup.

Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers

Rookie WR Reed has been a pleasant surprise on a young Green Bay Packers team trying to find its new identity. Reed is WR30 currently and has almost 500 yards receiving and five TDs. He was WR25 in the Packers’ Thanksgiving upset of the Detroit Lions.

Over the last couple of weeks, Reed has been dealing with a chest injury. Leading up to their Week 12 matchup, Reed was limited on the Tuesday of that week, and it seems like he is still battling the issue. He didn’t practice on Wednesday this week.

The Packers play the Chiefs on Sunday night and would love to have their full arsenal of weapons out and available. If Reed is unavailable, Christian Watson, who has been coming on strong lately, could see more snaps. Watson was the WR10 in Week 12 and had seven targets from Jordan Love.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers

Fellow rookie WR Wicks had his best fantasy game of the season in Week 11 when he finished as WR25. That week, he caught three of his five targets for 91 yards. Wicks is deeper down the depth chart behind Reed, Watson, and Romeo Doubs, but he is showing flashes of talent.

Near the end of the Week 11 game against the Chargers, Wicks sustained a concussion. He also seemed to be dealing with a knee issue. Wicks did not pass the protocol and did not play in the Thanksgiving game.

On Monday, head coach Mike LaFleur stated that Wicks had cleared concussion protocol. However, he was still limited at Wednesday’s practice due to the knee.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

Many fantasy leagues are entering the final week or two of the regular season, and now it is more important than ever to make sure you have the right lineup.

Injuries are playing a huge role in fantasy football, with guys like Jerry Jeudy, Rashid Shaheed, and Dalton Schultz all dealing with injuries.

Let’s take a look at each of these three players.

Latest News and Injury Updates Impacting Fantasy

Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos, WR

It has been a tough year for Jeudy in 2023 for multiple reasons. He’s dealt with trade rumors, inconsistent play, and injuries. He is currently dealing with injury issues right now, as he missed Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury.

While seeing a receiver not practice during the week can be a bad thing, it sounds like the Denver Broncos did so out of caution.

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Head coach Sean Payton talked to the media on Wednesday and said that he expects Jeudy to be fine for the game Sunday against the Houston Texans. Payton said Jeudy will practice in some capacity on Thursday, but it is unknown if that will be in a full or a limited role.

The game against the Texans is a big one, as these two teams are in the middle of a thick AFC wildcard race. A win in this game could go a long way in determining which team makes the playoffs, so if Jeudy is able to go, expect him to play in this game.

Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints, WR

Shaheed is one of the few players on the New Orleans Saints roster who has the ability to make a big play. He has elite speed and provides the team with big plays in the special teams game as well. While the news for Jeudy sounds optimistic, the news for Shaheed isn’t as good.

Early in the week, head coach Dennis Allen said the good news for Shaheed was that he avoided a serious injury. However, the likelihood of him being able to play on Sunday is low, and the Saints could be in big trouble at the wide receiver position.

Besides Shaheed, Michael Thomas was placed on injured reserve last week, while receiver Chris Olave is also unlikely to play because of a concussion. There may be a temptation by the Saints to have as many players play as they can, as they are right in the battle for the NFC South division title.

Keep an eye on Shaheed in the next couple of days to see if anything changes, but right now, it doesn’t sound great for his availability for Week 13.

Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans, TE

The Texans have been a surprise team in the NFL this year, with the passing game of C.J. Stroud being better than expected. One of the biggest things a rookie quarterback can rely on is a valuable tight end, and Schultz has done that for Stroud often.

Injuries are piling up for the Texans, as Schultz and Tank Dell both missed Wednesday’s practice.

Schultz is battling a hamstring injury, and that played a role in why he logged only 29 snaps on Sunday. He is a guy you should definitely keep an eye on the next day or two to see if he is practicing. If he isn’t able to go, Brevin Jordan will be the next man up for the Texans.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!