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    ESPN: Mike Washington may have earned larger role

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    ESPN’s Ryan McFadden said “it looks like” Raiders RB Mike Washington “has changed the staff’s perspective of the running back room.”

    Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was asked about the backfield’s status with Washington coming off top-tier preseason play while RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) rehabs his recent injury. Kubiak said he is “not making any promises on percentages of play time,” but he thinks both backs “will prepare to play a lot of football and as these games unfold, you react to the game.” McFadden used the term “1-2 punch” to sum up Kubiak’s potential running back usage. McFadden also notes that “in May, Kubiak talked about using Jeanty as a bell cow running back,” and reports of that nature continued rolling in through early August. Washington has wowed as of late, though, and may be able to generate FLEX-worthy stat lines alongside Jeanty this season.
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  • LV Running Back
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    In a semi-surprising twist of fate, the Raiders running back on the practice report with injuries is Washington, who was limited with foot and back injuries on Wednesday. Ashton Jeanty was not listed on the practice report. A limited practice indicates Washington is still trending to play Week 7, but with him appearing on the injury report and Jeanty off, any hopes for Washington achieving standalone fantasy value will have to wait.
  • Washington’s nine carries were only one fewer than the 10 Ashton Jeanty saw on the night, but Washington was by far the more productive back. The rookie fourth-rounder averaged a solid 4.8 YPC in this one and ripped off an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter on a drive that ended with a Tre Tucker touchdown. Jeanty is dealing with a foot/ankle injury that is clearly limiting him on the field. Washington should continue to spell Jeanty in Week 7 against the Rams, but he doesn’t have much to offer fantasy managers as far as reliable production is concerned. He continues to be nothing more than a stash as long as Jeanty is active and on the field.
  • LV Running Back #2
    Jeanty, who is dealing with a foot/ankle injury, wasn’t effective on the ground, but that didn’t stop him from scoring his first rushing touchdown of the season. Jeanty punched in a one-yard score in the first quarter of Sunday’s game to give the Raiders an early 7-3 lead, but averaged a disappointing 2.2 YPC overall. He did manage a solid 4-36-0 receiving line on six targets, with two of his four receptions coming on the Raiders’ third drive of the game. Jeanty appeared on 15 more snaps than Mike Washington and out-touched him 14 to 10. While he continues to struggle from an efficiency standpoint, Jeanty’s volume will make him a low-end RB1 next week against the Rams.
  • LV Running Back #2
    The Raiders’ starting running back is good to go for what should be a fantasy-friendly game environment. The Raiders encouragingly stopped listing Jeanty with an ankle injury this week. Hopefully, his remaining plantar fasciitis issue subsides before long as well. Jeanty is a low-end RB1 in Week 6.
  • LV Running Back #2
    The quotes read a tad bit more enthusiastically than Jeanty did while speaking to media members at his locker, but this is still good to hear. Jeanty has been dealing with an ankle injury for a long time, but the team took that injury off the weekly practice report this week. He is now listed only with the foot injury after experiencing “a flare-up of plantar fasciitis” last Friday. Jeanty is a low-end RB1 against the Bills this week.
  • LV Running Back #2
    Jeanty’s previous ankle designation was removed from the injury report and he was a full practice participant on Wednesday. His practice participation lines up with Raiders coach Klint Kubiak saying the 22-year-old running back was starting to “feel a lot better.” Though there were rumors of the Raiders resting Jeanty for a week, he is trending to play in Week 6 against the Bills.
  • LV Running Back #2
    Kubiak also shot down the idea of the Raiders resting Jeanty for a week, despite it being reported earlier today that the Raiders were considering giving him a week off to recover at some point. Jeanty has been dreadfully inefficient this year, averaging a meager 3.3 yards per carry, though the team’s subpar offensive line also deserves some of the blame. For fantasy purposes, his workload has been the big draw. He is averaging 22 touches per game through five weeks. Even if the foot and ankle injuries continue to bother him, Jeanty has to be treated as a mid-range RB2.
  • It was odd usage for Washington, who had at least five carries in three of four games headed into Week 5. Even Ashton Jeanty being limited with his ankle and foot injuries did nothing to bolster Washington’s involvement in the Vegas offense. In fact, Dylan Laube was the team’s clear No. 2 back behind Jeanty on Sunday. Laube had four carries and three receptions and punched in a short touchdown in the second half of the blowout loss. It raises serious questions about what Washington’s workload might look like if Jeanty misses time this season.
  • LV Running Back #2
    Most of Jeanty’s production against New England came on a 31-yard catch and run in the third quarter. Battling through foot and ankle injuries, Jeanty looked hobbled from the start and struggled to break tackles or outrun Patriots defenders to the edge. Most Raiders starters rested in the fourth quarter of a lopsided loss. Jeanty still doesn’t have a rushing touchdown on the season and hasn’t had 100 rushing yards in a game since Week 1 against the Dolphins. Until Jeanty is fully healthy he probably won’t provide much in the way of upside, including next week against a decent Buffalo run defense.
  • LV Running Back #2
    Jeanty will play through his foot and ankle injuries against New England. It wouldn’t be surprising if he cedes some backfield work to a healthy and much more explosive Mike Washington, however. Jeanty should be considered a top-24 option this week while Washington is a desperation flex. Raiders declared WR Jalen Nailor, QB Aidan O’Connell, S Tristin McCollum, RB Roman Hemby, S Dalton Johnson, OL Trey Zuhn, and DT JJ Pegues inactive against the Patriots.

Rotoworld

  • MIA Running Back #5
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    Jaylen Wright (foot) remained limited in Thursday’s practice.

    Wright played through this listing ahead of Week 5, but it appears that he simply won’t shake it this year. It makes him hard to trust him as someone who could suddenly usurp the lead role from Ollie Gordon, but we’d be surprised if he didn’t play in Week 7.
  • MIA Wide Receiver #7
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    Caleb Douglas (ankle) remained limited in Thursday’s practice.

    That’s back-to-back limited sessions from Douglas as he attempts to come back from an injury suffered in Week 2. We’d bet on him getting to the questionable line at this point given the significant layoff, but he does have a real chance to play against the Jets in Week 7 and be a WR4/FLEX candidate.
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    Denzel Boston (foot) was limited on Thursday.

    The Browns’ rookie field-stretcher played through his foot injury last week against the Ravens, posting just a 1/15 receiving line. Ostensibly, the foot is bothering him, but he still has a chance to suit up in Week 7 against the Titans. Hopefully, Boston upgrades to full participation tomorrow.
  • GB Wide Receiver #0
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    Matthew Golden (shoulder) was limited in Thursday’s practice.

    Golden appears to just be being managed at this point as Packers coach Matt LaFleur said there were no concerns on him playing in Week 7 on Wednesday. Two limited sessions are often a starting point for a questionable listing, but we’d be surprised if it got that far with Golden. He’ll likely be cleared off the injury report on Friday.

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    Christian Watson (ankle) was limited in Thursday’s practice.

    Watson appears to just be being managed at this point as Matt LaFleur said there are no concerns on him playing in Week 7. Two limited sessions are often a starting point for a questionable listing, but we’d be surprised if it got that far with Watson.
  • CLE Wide Receiver #1
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    KC Concepcion (calf/quad) was limited on Thursday.

    The Browns’ short-area target earner is banged up, but he still has a chance to play in Week 7 against the Titans. Ideally, Concepcion will upgrade to full participation tomorrow. If he remains limited, he may end up being listed with a questionable tag. Stay tuned.
  • GB Quarterback #10
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    Jordan Love (back) practiced in full on Thursday.

    It’s an upgrade from Wednesday’s limited session. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Love was “pretty beat up” after Sunday night, but Love doesn’t appear to be in any danger of missing the game. He’ll likely be cleared off the injury report Friday.
  • NYG Tight End #84
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    Giants TE Theo Johnson (neck) remained limited in Thursday’s practice.

    Johnson looks to be on track to returning to the field after missing Week 6, though he’s not doing anything fantasy-interesting at this point as Isaiah Likely has taken over.
  • TEN Wide Receiver #0
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    Calvin Ridley (hip) did not practice on Thursday.

    Firmly off the fantasy radar when healthy, Ridley downgraded from a limited session on Wednesday and does not seem likely to play in Week 7.
  • DET Defensive Back #32
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    Brian Branch (Achilles) is practicing in full ahead of Week 7’s game against the Packers.

    He seems likely to be activated off injured reserve after getting the Week 6 bye to get acclimated. Lions DC Kelvin Sheppard has said that Branch will not be on a snap count.