Fantasy Injury Updates: Latest news on Nick Chubb, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, more RBs affecting Week 11 start ’em, sit ’em calls

Nick Chubb, Elijah Mitchell, Saquon Barkley, and Latavius Murray are just a few of the laundry list of RBs banged up heading into Week 11, and fantasy start ’em, sit ’em calls at the thin position will be greatly affected if a few cannot play this week. We have the latest injury updates ahead of the weekend so you know which sleepers might emerge and which studs will be locked into lineups. 

For news on more RBs, including Alvin Kamara, Miles Sanders, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and James Robinson, click here; for updates on ailing QBs Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, and Ben Roethlisberger, go here; for more on banged-up pass-catchers Antonio Brown, Dallas Goedert, Rob Gronkowski, and DeAndre Hopkins, click here. For all the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

WEEK 11 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

Nick Chubb COVID update

UPDATE: Browns OC Alex Van Pelt said Nick Chubb is “trending in the right direction” to clear COVID protocols and return to action.

UPDATE 2: Chubb has cleared COVID protocals and is not on Cleveland’s final injury report.

Chubb (reserve/COVID) is at the mercy of clearing league protocols by turning in two negative tests 24 hours apart, so we can’t know if he’s going to do that until we’re officially told. Many expected him to be cleared by this point, but that has not been the case. Given the timeline from when he was put on the reserve/COVID list to now, you’d think he’ll be able to play against Detroit, but it’s still up in the air.

Detroit gives up the third-most fantasy points per game to RBs, so we think this is a “Chubb smash” game. We like him as the RB2 in standard and RB6 in PPR leagues. A 150-plus rushing yards, two-touchdown day wouldn’t be surprising in this spot. If he can’t go, D’Ernest Johnson would be ranked on the RB1 bubble.

WEEK 11 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Elijah Mitchell injury update

UPDATE: Mitchell practiced Thursday on a side field in a non-contact jersey.

UPDATE 2: Mitchell is officially “doubtful” for Week 11.

Mitchell (finger) did not practice Wednesday after breaking his finger Monday night, but Kyle Shanahan said he expects him to be ready to go against Jacksonville. The Jags are in the bottom half of the league against fantasy RBs, and we know the 49ers love being in run-heavy game scripts. Depending which finger is hurt, his rushing ability shouldn’t be greatly affected, but you can expect it to limit his receiving work.

We like Mitchell in the RB18 spot in standard and RB21 spot in PPR leagues. If he’s inactive, Jeff Wilson Jr. would rank as a low-end RB2 in this matchup, but San Francisco might opt to be more pass-heavy.

WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Saquon Barkley injury update

UPDATE: Barkley practiced in a limited fashion Thursday.

Barkley (ankle) possibly could’ve played in Week 9 before New York went on a bye, but the thought was they’d continue to rest him through their Week 10 bye. Now, New York Daily News’s Pat Leonard reports Barkley is ‘trending well toward’ returning in Week 11, so we expect him to be out there Monday night.

However, this could be more of a split backfield than Barkley owners hope. Devontae Booker has played relatively well, and you’d have to think the Giants would like to ease Barkley back into action. That said, this week sees Barkley ranked as the RB18 in PPR and RB20 in standard leagues. Tampa Bay still has one of the best run-stuffing front sevens, and with the uncertainty around Barkley’s workload, it’s tough to rank him much higher, even though his ceiling is undoubtedly higher.

WEEK 11 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo

Latavius Murray injury update

UPDATE: Murray is officially “questionable” for Week 11.

Since Le’Veon Bell has been released by the Ravens and Murray (ankle) returned to practice Wednesday, it seems like he’ll take the field against Chicago. That said, we can’t expect him to get the same workload he got before his injury, at least right away. Devonta Freeman has played well in his absence, so it’s tough to know how this backfield will shake out.

WEEK 11 DFS: Best stacks | Best values | Lineup Builder

We rank Murray as the RB50 in standard and PPR leagues based on the uncertainty of his usage and a strong Chicago defensive front.