Josh Jacobs is one of the leading candidates for fantasy MVP this year, but nagging quad and calf injuries have threatened his availability in recent weeks. That figures to once again be the case heading into Week 14's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Rams, as Jacobs is only getting in limited practice sessions. Knowing the latest updates on Jacobs' status -- as well as potential waiver-wire pickups if he's out -- will be key before locking in your first start 'em, sit 'em decisions of the week.
We'll continue to update this article with news on Jacobs until the official active/inactive report comes out on Thursday around 6:50 p.m. ET.
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Is Josh Jacobs playing Thursday night Week 14?
UPDATE: Jacobs was limited in practice all week and is officially "questionable" for Thursday night's game against the Rams. All signs point to him suiting up and receiving his usual complement of touches.
UPDATE 2: NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that Jacobs is expected to play on Thursday night.
UPDATE 3: Jacobs is officially ACTIVE.
Jacobs (quad, calf) has been "questionable" heading into the past two games, but you wouldn't have been able to tell by the box scores. He handled 67 total touches in contests, finishing with 453 total yards and three TDs and looking stronger as the games wore on. It's easy to brush off another potential "questionable" tag, but the short turnaround in Week 14 complicates matters.
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
The good news is Jacobs was an estimated "limited" on Monday, not a "DNP." He'll likely remain limited throughout the week and be deemed "questionable" again. It seems likely that he'll suit up -- and if he does, he's a must-start in any matchup -- but his owners should have Ameer Abdullah and Zamir White on standby just to be safe.
WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Abdullah currently plays more than White (eight more snaps in Week 13), but White figures to get the bulk of the carries if Jacobs misses time. Abdullah would play more on passing downs and get more targets. Basically, it would take both backs to do what Jacobs does by himself. Neither would be a particularly strong play against the Rams' fourth-ranked run defense, but in a week with six teams on bye and several injuries to key RBs, you might be forced to try one in your flex spot.
Ultimately, we don't anticipate this being an issue, as there haven't been any reports of Jacobs suffering a setback or aggravation of his injuries. As long as he's starting, he should be in your lineups.
