Should fantasy managers officially be worried about Antonio Gibson?
Washington's starting running back hadn't necessarily missed a step as he played through a shin injury the last few games. However, his usage finally dipped in Week 6 against the Chiefs, when he mustered just 10 carries on a season-low 23 snaps.
Ahead of Sunday's tilt in Green Bay, our own Sean Koerner weighed in on the potential fantasy impacts should Gibson be ruled out:
"J.D. McKissic would become an RB2+ play with added value in PPR formats if Gibson is ruled out. That said, Jaret Patterson is more likely to inherit more of a workhorse back role than McKissic. The rookie has RB3/Flex potential as a result, but only in a positive game script, which the Football Team is unlikely to be in as underdogs of more than a touchdown against the Packers."
Samantha Previte also offered insight as to how the WFT backfield should be handled:
"If [Gibson] cannot start, McKissic would stand to see the biggest uptick in workload and would be a high-end RB2. Patterson could also be an interesting deep-league dart throw if Gibson sits. Even if Gibson starts, he could be on a snap count which makes me very nervous for fantasy purposes."
Gibson, the team's third-round pick from 2020, scampered for a season-high 90 yards in the opener to the Chargers. However, he hasn't registered more than 70 in a game since.
McKissic, meanwhile, is a formidable utility back with upside in the passing game. He's averaging more than five targets per game since Week 2 against the Giants. The fifth-year back toted the rock eight times last week against Kansas City, ripping off 5.6 yards a pop.
Patterson, a rookie out of Buffalo, has multiple carries in three games.
Washington is a 8.5-point road favorite with a total of 47 (check real-time NFL odds here). The club's covered just once in its last six games.
