Fantasy Football News

The Vikings are placing RB Aaron Jones on IR for the hamstring injury that knocked him out of Sunday night's loss to the Falcons. That means Jones will miss at least the next four games. That's particularly notable because the four games span across the Week 5 bye. The team was also already missing RB Ty Chandler (on IR with a knee injury).

Vikings RB Cam Akers (illness) is active for tonight's game vs. the Rams. He popped up on the injury report on Saturday but should be ready for his usual change-of-pace role behind RB Aaron Jones tonight.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones suffered a quad contusion in today’s win over the Packers, HC Kevin O’Connell said afterward. That doesn’t sound like an injury that’ll keep Jones out of next week’s game vs. the Lions, which is for the NFC North crown. We’ll keep you posted on Jones’ status throughout the coming week. His absence would leave Cam Akers as Minnesota’s lead back.

Vikings RB Aaron Jones suffered an apparent rib injury in the third quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars. We'll update his status when we know more. Jones' absence leaves Minnesota's backfield to RBs Cam Akers and Ty Chandler.

Update: Jones is officially questionable to return with a chest injury.

Update: Jones returned late in the fourth quarter.

Joe Mixon will not play against the Jaguars today. He feels good, but the Texans are giving him another week off to ensure he is fully recovered from his ankle injury. RB Cam Akers will be the starter with RB Dameon Pierce also out for another week.

Texans RB Joe Mixon is still "week to week" with his ankle injury, according to insider Aaron Wilson. It doesn't sound like Mixon is likely to play vs. the Jaguars on Sunday. Houston is expected to get RB Dameon Pierce back from his hamstring injury for that one, per Wilson.

Texans RBs Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday. Mixon's injury reportedly isn't serious, but he shouldn't be considered a lock to play vs. the Vikings this weekend. "We’ll take it day-by-day with Joe and his injury and see where he ends up at the week," HC Demeco Ryan said. "Still holding out hope that he can make it.” If Mixon and Pierce both miss Sunday's game, RB Cam Akers would slide in as Houston's early-down back, with RB Dare Ogunbowale playing some passing downs.

Texans insider Aaron Wilson reports that RB Joe Mixon's ankle injury is "not considered long term or serious." Mixon briefly returned to Sunday night's game vs. the Bears after spraining the ankle but eventually gave way again to RB Cam Akers. It sounds like Mixon won't miss a ton of time, but his status for Week 3's meeting with the Vikings is uncertain. Wilson also reports that RB Dameon Pierce is "making fast progress" from his hamstring injury. If neither guy is available this weekend, Akers would be in for a significant workload. Houston also has RB Dare Ogunbowale on the active roster, but he's a passing-down specialist.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) is listed as questionable for this Sunday night’s game vs. the Bears. He was added to the injury report on Thursday and then did not practice on Friday, so he’s seemingly on the wrong side of questionable. Pierce’s absence would give Cam Akers a crack at No. 2 RB duties. He’s obviously not a fantasy option behind a healthy Joe Mixon. But we’ll see if Akers can do enough on Sunday night to potentially move past Pierce on the depth chart.

The Vikings fear a torn Achilles for RB Cam Akers, HC Kevin O'Connell said after Sunday's win over the Falcons. This would be Akers' left Achilles. He tore his right Achilles in July 2021, eventually making it back in January 2022. This latest injury would end Akers' 2023 campaign, leaving Minnesota's backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We should get confirmation on the injury on Monday.

Update: The Monday MRi confirmed the injury. Unfortunately, this makes Akers droppable across fantasy formats, including dynasty.

Vikings RB Cam Akers suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Sunday's game vs. the Falcons and will not return. That leaves the backfield to Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler. We'll update Akers' status when we know more.

Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is feared to have torn his Achilles in Sunday's win over the Packers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It's typically easy for doctors to diagnose a torn Achilles without any imaging. We should get confirmation tomorrow, but Cousins' 2023 season is very likely over. His absence would leave Minnesota with QBs Jaren Hall and Sean Mannion. QB Nick Mullens is currently on IR with a back injury but is eligible to return. Regardless, Cousins' injury is horrible news for Minnesota's skill-position players.

RB Cam Akers carried five times for 40 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers, his first action with the Vikings. He added 2 receptions for 11 yards on 2 targets, one of just three Minnesota players who caught more than one pass in the game. Akers looks like the handcuff to RB Alexander Mattison but probably won't turn into a standalone fantasy play without a Mattison injury. Mattison rushed 17 times for 95 yards against Carolina and caught his only target for 3 yards.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler confirms that the Rams view Kyren Williams as their No. 2 RB. Fowler adds that the Rams "like Williams a little bit more as a pass protector than they do [Cam] Akers." That suggests that Williams will steal passing-down work from Akers, which we've been projecting all along. Williams is unlikely to have fantasy value behind a healthy Akers, but an Akers injury would turn him into a volume-based fantasy play.

Rams RB Sony Michel informed HC Sean McVay that he intends to retire, The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrique reports. Michel turned just 28 in February but has endured a litany of injuries. With Michel out of the picture, the Rams are back to Cam Akers, Kyren Williams, and Zach Evans as their top three RBs.

The Rams traded up to grab Ole Miss RB Zach Evans late in Round 6 of the NFL Draft. Our guy C.H. Herms is a big fan of Evans' film and has liked Evans' dynasty value all along. And he's far from the only Evans film fan. Evans bounced from TCU to Ole Miss and dealt with multiple injuries. He finished with just 290 carries and 30 catches through three seasons. But he also averaged 6.9 yards per rush and 10.8 per catch for his career. That included 6.5 yards per carry and 9.9 per reception in his lone SEC campaign. Going to the Rams likely puts him in competition with 2022 rookie Kyren Williams for the No. 2 spot behind Cam Akers. The situation presents opportunity, with neither Akers nor Williams having proved much as a pro to date. We'll be watching this backfield competition through training camp. He's worth a look late in your dynasty rookie draft. See where he lands in our dynasty RB rankings.

Rams RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson are "good to go," HC Sean McVay said Friday. Both backs missed time in August with soft-tissue injuries but got back on the practice field earlier this week. They're both on track to play in Thursday night's season opener vs. the Bills. Then we'll start to get an idea of what the backfield split will look like.

Rams HC Sean McVay labeled RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson "full participants" in Monday's practice. “They look good," McVay added. Akers and Henderson had been sidelined since mid-August with "soft-tissue" injuries but now appear on track to be ready for the season opener vs. the Bills.