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Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs is officially active for Week 15 vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. Jacobs missed last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans due to a shoulder injury, though he’ll try to play through that today. NFL Network reported early Sunday morning that Jacobs was “good to go,” so this isn’t that surprising. I still think you need to be cautious with Jacobs, however.
Fantasy Football Analysis: Oakland Raiders RB Josh Jacobs
So this is a tough spot for Jacobs in such a crucial fantasy football week. On paper, it seems perfect, right? Jacobs is active and facing the Jaguars’ miserable rush defense, which has allowed 141.1 yards per game on the ground this season. The Jags have also given up 19 rushing TDs and 5.3 yards per carry to backs.
This is similar to the Derrick Henry situation, but I think Jacobs’ is in way more pain and a hard tackle or fall to the ground could send him to the sideline. I also think this is definitely a Bud Kilmer situation with Jacobs being Lance Harbor and Jon Gruden being Kilmer. Oakland still has an outside shot at the playoffs, and I think Gruden will sacrifice everything to get there.
With that said, I think you need to roll Jacobs out there. If he’s active, he’s going to play and his ceiling in this game is so high it’s in “could literally win you your playoff matchup” territory. Maybe if you’re confident enough in the rest of your lineup, roll out Jacobs and DeAndre Washington, yolo. Get the whole running game in there. That’s a bit crazy, but think about it. I say play Jacobs and pray for the best.