Leonard Fournette and Khalil Herbert, both running backs in split backfields, left their respective Week 10 games with hip injuries. Because both are expected to play in many fantasy football leagues, waiver wire pickups and Week 11 RB rankings will be impacted if either back is absent.
Week 11 Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups: Khalil Herbert and Leonard Fournette
You can read also: Week 11 Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups: Injury updates for Jerry Jeudy, Cooper Kupp and Juju Smith-Schuster
UPDATE: Herbert was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday and will be out at least until Week 16. While Herbert is out, Trestan Ebnber will be Chicago’s primary backup.
Herbert (hip) left Chicago’s Week 10 loss to Detroit in the second half after outrunning teammate David Montgomery 57-37 on one fewer carry.
Herbert has continued to be more efficient with the ball in his hands than Montgomery, as his explosiveness (6.2 yards per touch) adds to the Bears’ dynamic running game.
We’ll know more about Herbert’s Week 11 status later today, but if he’s able to play, he profiles as a low-end RB2/flex against a Falcons defense that allowed 232 rushing yards to the Panthers in Week 10.
If Herbert misses this Sunday’s game, Montgomery becomes a must-start RB2 based on his projected usage.
Montgomery hasn’t been very efficient (-14.4 EPA), but if Herbert is out, he’ll dominate the backfield.
- Leonard Fournette
UPDATE 2: Fournette (hip) is expected to be available Week 12 versus Cleveland, the Buccaneers’ next game after the bye.
UPDATE: Fournette is not expected to miss any games.
Fournette (hip) left Tampa Bay’s 21-16 victory over Seattle in the second half and will be evaluated further.
While the injury had an impact on how the Buccaneers divided their RB workload, rookie Rachaad White played on 65 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, rushing for 105 yards on 22 carries.
Even if Fournette returns to game action after the team’s Week 11 bye, White’s breakout performance will have an impact on his usage moving forward.
With an extra week to recover, Fournette may not end up missing any time. Unfortunately for Fournette, he’s been one of the least efficient running backs this season, averaging only 3.3 true yards per carry (63rd among RBs) and a -20.6 EPA (137th).
We may have just witnessed a change of guard in Tampa Bay. If Fournette is out, White has been elevated to a weekly high-end RB2 with upside.
