Fantasy Football News

Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell took over the starting RB duties with Jaylen Warren out this week with a calf injury. Gainwell proved effective with a 19-99-2 rushing stat line while also catching all six of his targets for 35 yards. He was surprisingly efficient averaging 5.2 yards per carry, carving up the Vikings defense.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren (knee) is inactive for this morning’s game vs. the Vikings in Dublin. It’s a surprise after he got in three limited practices this week and was expected to play. Warren’s absence leaves Kenneth Gainwell, Kaleb Johnson, and Trey Sermon in Pittsburgh’s backfield. Pittsburgh has not trusted Johnson with many snaps so far, while Sermon was just elevated from the practice squad. That leaves Gainwell as the favorite to operate as lead back. He’s a viable RB3 or Flex play in Week 4 fantasy lineups. We'll see if Johnson can build any momentum in this one. He remains worth stashing in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Warren "did not feel right after Saturday’s practice and the Steelers decided to hold him out today." NFL Network's Ian Rapoport adds that Warren suffered this knee injury in practice this week. He gets a well-timed Week 5 bye. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 6.

Colts HC Shane Steichen said Monday that the team isn't planning to place RB Jonathan Taylor (ankle) on short-term IR "as of now," according to insider Mike Chappell. Taylor is dealing with what NFL Network's Ian Rapoport called a "mild" high-ankle sprain. It's notably the same ankle that required surgery in January 2023. Consider it good news if Taylor misses fewer than four games with this injury. We're not expecting him to play vs. the Jaguars on Sunday but will track his progress throughout the week. Taylor's absence would leave Trey Sermon as Indianapolis' lead back.

Colts RB Jonathan Taylor suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Steelers. He's officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update. RB Trey Sermon took over for Taylor.

"Signs are pointing to a running back by committee in Philadelphia," ESPN's Tim McManus writes. Five Eagles RBs -- D'Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Trey Sermon -- have received first-team reps in camp. McManus expects Swift, Penny, and Gainwell to all be in the mix for regular-season touches, "with matchups and in-game performance likely to sway how much each player is utilized in a given week." That sounds like a fantasy nightmare. On the plus side, we know this will be a productive offense and running game. And an injury to any one of those top three would make the other two much better fantasy plays. This is still a backfield to invest in at the right price. Penny remains our favorite value on the bunch, with an ADP in late Round 9.

49ers RB Trey Sermon is dealing with an ankle injury, per HC Kyle Shanahan. The issue popped up in practice on Thursday. It must be minor, though, as Sermon rushed 5 times (for 8 yards) in a preseason game on Saturday.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell has a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out of the entire preseason, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. "Mitchell is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season," Schefter adds. It's still disconcerting news, though, on a player that dealt with a bunch of different injuries as a rookie last year (although he had no hamstring trouble). We'll see when Mitchell is able to get back on the field. RB Trey Sermon drew the start in Friday night's preseason opener.

NBC Bay Area's Matt Maiocco says 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan "appears determined to deploy more of a backs-by-committee approach" this season. That would obviously hurt the touch count for RB Elijah Mitchell, who averaged 18.8 carries per game as a rookie. He also missed 6 games with multiple injuries, though, and needed a knee "clean-up" after the season. San Francisco added RB Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the NFL Draft and get Jeff Wilson Jr. back to full health after he basically lost 2020 to a meniscus tear. Trey Sermon and JaMycal Hasty also remain but will likely need to fight their way into contention for touches. Mitchell is going RB24 in FFPC drafting and RB23 on Underdog right now. That's not a terrible range, but we're not excited about his 2022 outlook -- especially in full-PPR formats.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan confirmed on Wednesday that RB Trey Sermon remains behind Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson on the depth chart. “Trey had an opportunity (earlier this season) when guys got hurt and I thought he got better in each game with that. But he didn’t do enough for us to put him ahead of Elijah or Jeff," Shanahan said. Sermon could get some touches this weekend if Mitchell's finger injury keeps him out, but Wilson would be the 49ers RB to use in fantasy lineups.

ESPN's Nick Wagoner reports that 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is "dealing with a rib issue" and will be limited in Wednesday's practice. We'll see about his progress through the week. JaMycal Hasty operated as San Francisco's #2 RB for the 2nd straight game against the Bears. Trey Sermon has been active each of the past 2 weeks but played no offensive snaps.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell (shoulder) is not listed on the final injury report. He practiced all week, including a full workout on Friday. Mitchell was operating as San Francisco's lead back before the Week 2 shoulder injury. RB Trey Sermon has been decent in his place the last 2 weeks, so it's unclear exactly how work will be divvied in Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. Our guess is that Mitchell takes back over the lead role, but both he and Sermon look like risk/reward RB3 plays unless we hear more before kickoff.

49ers RB Trey Sermon (concussion) has been medically cleared and isn't listed on the final injury report. With RB JaMycal Hasty (ankle) out and RB Elijah Mitchell (shoulder) doubtful, it's currently Sermon, Trenton Cannon and Jacques Patrick at RB on San Francisco's active roster. RBs Kerryon Johnson and Chris Thompson are eligible to be activated from the practice squad. HC Kyle Shanahan wouldn't say Friday afternoon who will get the start vs. Green Bay, but multiple 49ers beat writers expect it to be Sermon. We'll continue to look for clues on how the touches will be divvied.

49ers GM John Lynch called RB Elijah Mitchell (shoulder) "very questionable" for Sunday night's game against the Packers. We'll see if Mitchell does anything in practice later today -- and then how he's listed on the final injury report. RB Trey Sermon's Week 3 status is also up in the air with his concussion. Trenton Cannon and Jacques Patrick are the only healthy RBs on San Francisco's active roster. RB Kerryon Johnson is a potential practice-squad callup.

Niners HC Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that he hoped RB Elijah Mitchell's shoulder injury was merely a stinger but that it's actually a "little worse," according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. "He's got a chance" to play in Week 3, Shanahan added. We'll have to track Mitchell's progress through the week. The other injuries around the San Francisco backfield make it tough to know right now what the succession plan would be if Mitchell's out.

49ers RB JaMycal Hasty injured an ankle in the 2nd half of Sunday's game against the Eagles and is officially questionable to return. RB Trey Sermon, meanwhile, is being evaluated for a concussion after losing a fumble on his 1st carry of the season. RB Elijah Mitchell at least returned for San Francisco after hurting his shoulder.

The 49ers are holding RB Trey Sermon out of Sunday night's preseason game against the Chargers. The rookie reportedly sustained a mild ankle injury during the practice week. According to Niners Nation, he returned to the field for the practice in which he came up "gimpy." That indicates it's not an issue we need to worry about. Raheem Mostert and Elijah Mitchell also won't play in the game, leaving more reps for Wayne Gallman and JaMycal Hasty.