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Below you will find our fantasy football injuries roundup for running backs as of October 5th, coming out of the fourth week of NFL action. There have been new developments surrounding the injury statuses of various NFL running backs, including Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Brian Robinson, and Gus Edwards.
The fantasy football season may be young, but every decision, transaction, and lineup change matters. These are some key running back injuries that managers will want to check on throughout the days leading up to Week 5.
Let's look at the updates for some running backs and see whether they may play in Week 5.
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Jonathan Taylor Injury Update
Taylor suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was unable to finish the game. His status for Thursday's game against the Colts is up in the air considering the Colts are embarking on a short week. Taylor did not practice on Monday or Tuesday, but head coach Frank Reich has yet to rule out the star running back.
Reich hopes that Taylor can play, and the team believes that he won't aggravate his injury any further if he does suit up. If Taylor is active, he should be viewed as an RB1 in fantasy football. Otherwise, Nyheim Hines would step up in his place while ranking as a high-end RB3.
Cordarrelle Patterson Injury Update
Patterson (knee) has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four games. The veteran was off to another strong start this season, totaling 368 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns en route to ranking as the overall RB11. The Falcons are expected to deploy Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley out of the backfield this coming week. While Allgeier has drawn plenty of hype, Huntley totaled 56 yards and a score this past week. Both backs are solid waiver wire additions as we wait to see how the snap share unfolds.
Javonte Williams Injury Update
Williams suffered an ACL tear against the Raiders and will miss the remainder of the season. It's a crushing blow to a Denver offense that seemed to be trending in the right direction after a slow start. With Williams sidelined, Melvin Gordon will serve as the Broncos' featured back while Mike Boone handles the backup role. The team also signed Latavius Murray to see some snaps after his solid outing with the Saints in London. Gordon ranks as an RB2 in fantasy football this week while Boone is an intriguing speculative option on the waiver wire.
Melvin Gordon Injury Update
Speak of the devil. Gordon (neck) is dealing with an injury of his own, logging limited practices on Monday and Tuesday. The fact that he practiced in some capacity is a good sign that he'll play in Week 5, but the Broncos won't officially announce his status until Wednesday afternoon. Assuming he's active, the veteran back should be viewed as a mid-to-low RB2 option in fantasy football. While Gordon has struggled with ball security this season, fumbling four times, he should fare well in his newly-expanded role.
Brian Robinson Injury Update
In a miraculous development, the Commanders have medically cleared Robinson (leg), opening the 21-day window in which he can practice without being activated from the non-football injury list. If Robinson isn't activated during that time period, he'll remain on NFI for the whole season, but such an outcome seems quite unlikely.
In fact, Robinson could be activated as soon as this week. The rookie looked solid in training camp before being shot twice in a robbery attempt. With Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic offering pedestrian results out of the backfield, Robinson could add some life to the offense. It's too early to fall head over heels for the hype, but he's worth stashing in case he emerges as Washington's top back in the coming weeks.
Gus Edwards Injury Update
Edwards (knee) spent the first four weeks of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list but is expected to resume practicing this week, according to head coach John Harbaugh. Upon his return, Edwards will back up J.K. Dobbins, who recently returned from his own knee injury.
With Dobbins being slowly eased back into action, Baltimore would benefit from having someone like Edwards also take snaps out of the backfield. The last time Edwards played in 2020, he totaled 723 rushing yards, 129 receiving yards, and six touchdowns en route to finishing as the RB37.
Justice Hill Injury Update
Hill (hamstring) reportedly dodged a bullet and is not expected to require a long-term absence, according to Harbaugh. Still, the 24-year-old back is expected to miss some time, starting with Baltimore's Week 5 contest against the Bengals. Despite posting 105 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards over the last two games, Hill's absence isn't the end of the world for a team easing Dobbins (knee) and Edwards (knee) back into action.
Jerome Ford Injury Update
The Browns have officially placed Ford (ankle) on injured reserve. The rookie had yet to log an offensive snap but did get utilized on special teams, returning six kickoffs for 145 yards. His absence doesn't mean much fantasy-wise, but it does open the door for someone like Demetric Felton to get involved as a returner.
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