Justin Jackson Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Chargers RB Justin Jackson (knee) is expected to play against the Jaguars today, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Jackson is listed as questionable but practiced all 3 days this week, including a full workout on Friday. The knee adds some risk, but we still like him as a RB2 vs. Jacksonville's 28th-ranked RB defense. Jackson's knee issue adds some upside to RB Joshua Kelley's Week 7 outlook.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game against the Jaguars. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but put in a full practice on Friday. That suggests he’ll play, although HC Anthony Lynn only said “we’ll see” when asked about Jackson’s status on Friday. Chargers-Jaguars doesn’t kick off until 4:25 pm ET, but we’ll look for an update on Jackson on Sunday morning.

Chargers HC Anthony Lynn said Wednesday that RB Austin Ekeler will be back "later rather than sooner," according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Lynn added that Ekeler's hamstring injury is "very serious." The initial recovery timeline called for Ekeler missing 4-6 weeks. This week will make 3 since the injury, and it's sounding like we should expect at least the longer end of that.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Chargers RB Austin Ekeler is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a hamstring injury and a hyperextended knee. Ekeler is reportedly seeking a 2nd opinion on the injury and his return timeline. Whether to keep him on your fantasy roster will come down to differences in specific team needs, roster sizes and available alternatives. In addition to leaving more playing time and touches available for Joshua Kelley and Justin Jackson, we might see a few extra targets go to TE Hunter Henry and/or WR Keenan Allen. Neither Kelley nor Jackson looks equipped to take over the full receiving role of Ekeler, who can run more WR-type routes than most RBs.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler left late in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game against the Buccaneers with what could be a serious left ankle injury. Ekeler was holding his foot off the ground before the play even ended, as he was being tackled. He left the field with the help of 2 trainers, putting no weight on the affected leg. And then he left the sideline on a cart. We'll watch for updates, but this looks bad. Joshua Kelley entered the game when Ekeler left. Justin Jackson also figures to see more playing time if/when Ekeler is out.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson (quad) is inactive for today’s game against the Chiefs. Rookie Joshua Kelley is locked in as the #2 RB behind Austin Ekeler — although game flow might work against Kelley today.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson (quad) is doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. Rookie Joshua Kelley has cemented himself as Los Angeles’ #2 RB.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson (foot) practiced all week and will play in Sunday’s opener against the Bengals. We’ll see how touches are divvied between Jackson and Joshua Kelley behind Austin Ekeler — but Ekeler is the only viable Week 1 fantasy play.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson left Sunday's scrimmage with a foot injury, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. We don't know any other specifics on the issue yet but will keep an eye out for updates. Jackson is competing with Joshua Kelley for the #2 job in the L.A. backfield.

Chargers RB Joshua Kelley "might be having the best training camp of any player on the roster," The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes. HC Anthony Lynn likes what he's seen from the rookie, too. "I believe Joshua is having an outstanding camp," Lynn said. "I’ve thrown him in with the ones; he’s made plays. He’s in with the twos; he’s made plays. And he has shown a versatility. He can catch the ball out of the backfield well. He has shown that. So I’ve been pleased with his progress so far.” Popper notes that Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson still appear to be ahead of Kelley on the depth chart. But it sounds like he's pushing Jackson for snaps behind Ekeler. That'll be a situation to monitor early this season. For now, Kelley and Jackson are only worth rostering in deep fantasy leagues.

The Chargers added UCLA RB Joshua Kelley in the 4th round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Kelley was a workhorse for the Bruins over the past 2 seasons, tallying rushing lines of 225-1,243-12 and 229-1,060-12. He averaged a mediocre 5.1 yards per carry, though, and doesn’t look like anything special on tape. Kelley ranked 17th among 21 of this year’s top RBs prospects in Pro Football Focus’ 2019 rushing grades and dead last in Elusive Rating. The 5’11, 212-pounder did test reasonably well at the Combine, posting a 4.49-second 40 time and a 6.95-second 3-cone. He finished with a 47th percentile SPARQ score. We heard one scout compare Kelley to the Packers’ Jamaal Williams. He’ll compete with Justin Jackson for ‘big-back’ duties behind Austin Ekeler in Los Angeles.

The Chargers are "still very high" on RB Justin Jackson, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. The 2018 7th-rounder has struggled staying healthy even in a limited role over the past 2 seasons but has averaged a strong 5.1 yards per carry. Popper doesn't expect the Chargers to add an early-round back later this month to replace Melvin Gordon. If that's the case, Jackson could be in for a sneaky-big role behind undersized Austin Ekeler, who hasn't topped 132 carries in an NFL season.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson (calf) is out for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and spotted in a walking boot on Friday, so this might be a significant injury. Jackson, of course, was already set to drop off the fantasy radar with Melvin Gordon back. Jackson’s absence this weekend locks in Austin Ekeler as an every-down back — at least until the game gets out of hand. RB Troymaine Pope is next up on the depth chart. We’ll see if the Chargers call up RB Detrez Newsome from the practice squad.

Chargers RB Justin Jackson was added to Thursday's injury report as limited with a calf. We'll see if he's able to practice tomorrow and then how he's listed on the final injury report. Jackson's absence would make RB Austin Ekeler an even more elite fantasy play vs. Miami.

Chargers GM Tom Telesco told reporters during a Sunday conference call that the team has suspended contract-extension talks with RB Melvin Gordon until after the season. That doesn't seem to help the chances of Gordon reporting to the team anytime soon. Of course, moving on to another team via trade would change that situation. Drafters should continue pushing Gordon down the board this week until/unless something changes. Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, meanwhile, have only gained draft value this week.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Chargers have given permission to RB Melvin Gordon's representatives to seek a trade. That obviously doesn't bode well for Gordon and the team working something out to get him back for the season. We'll see whether it can get him onto someone else's field soon. If you're drafting this weekend, Gordon carries plenty of risk anywhere inside the 1st 5 rounds. This news certainly doesn't hurt the value of Austin Ekeler or Justin Jackson, though.

Chargers HC Anthony Lynn told NFL Network's Michael Silver that he's "looking for big things" from Justin Jackson. Jackson has become a much bigger fantasy story with RB Melvin Gordon's holdout threat. As a 7th-round rookie last year, Jackson averaged 4.1 yards per carry on 50 attempts and 9.0 yards per catch on 15 grabs. In the 3 games Gordon missed and Austin Ekeler played in, Ekeler out-touched Jackson 52 to 21. But that split could shrink this season if Jackson takes a step forward. It'll be a situation to monitor, especially if Gordon's holdout extends deep into August.

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon injured his left knee in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game against the Ravens and limped back to the locker room. This is the opposite knee from the one he injured back in Week 12. We'll update Gordon's status as we learn more. His absences leaves the Chargers with RBs Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson.

Update: Gordon has returned to the game.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler (groin) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens after a limited week of practice. This is a new injury for Ekeler. (He missed time late in the season with a neck injury and concussion.) If Ekeler is unable to play this weekend, the Chargers would turn back to rookie Justin Jackson as the change-of-pace back behind Melvin Gordon.

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon (knee) isn't listed on the final injury report after putting in 3 full practices this week. He'll return for Saturday night's game against the Ravens. Both Gordon and HC Anthony Lynn have admitted that the RB isn't quite at 100%. That, plus the tough matchup, makes Gordon more of a low-end RB1 for Week 16. RB Austin Ekeler (neck) is doubtful, so Justin Jackson will serve as the #2 RB.