Antonio Gibson struggled playing through a shin injury this past Sunday before also sustaining a calf injury late in the game, prompting his second and final exit from Washington's loss to Kansas City.
Backup running back J.D. McKissic stepped up amid Gibson's struggles, rushing for 45 yards on eight carries, adding another 65 yards on eight catches — his most productive game of the season.
With Gibson's status in question for Week 7 and McKissic still available in 57% of Yahoo! leagues, we asked our fantasy football analysts to weigh in on what to expect from McKissic should Gibson miss this Sunday's game in Green Bay.
How To Target J.D. McKissic & Jaret Patterson On Fantasy Waiver Wire
Sean Koerner: Gibson's shin injury was likely going to be too painful to play through, but now he has a calf injury. Therefore, it’s likely Washington takes a cautious route with him. The Football Team has their bye in Week 9, so there's a chance they shut Gibson down until Week 10 — though that's all conjecture.
Obviously, McKissic would become an RB2+ play with added value in PPR formats if Gibson is ruled out. However, he’s likely already taken in many leagues, so the back we need to target here is Jaret Patterson (2% rostered).
Patterson is more likely to inherit more of a workhorse back role than McKissic. The rookie has RB3/Flex potential as a result, but I’m afraid the WFT's schedule over the next few weeks — at the Packers, at the Broncos, then vs. the Bucs — doesn’t set up well for him as the Football Team will likely be in trailing game scripts that force them into pass-heavy situations.
That would favor McKissic.
McKissic would have mid-range RB2 potential if Gibson misses Week 7 while Patterson would have RB3/Flex upside — but only in positive game scripts.
Samantha Previte: McKissic has quietly had a nice season, especially in PPR formats. He is the RB28 in half PPR scoring through five games.
He and Patterson — who hasn't seen much work all season — could stand to see a significant uptick in work on the ground if Gibson misses any time. I would consider McKissic a medium-to-high priority and Patterson a low priority if Gibson's Week 7 status is questionable.
