Fantasy Football Implications of the Injuries to Austin Ekeler and Jayden Reed

Thursday's game between the Packers and Commanders mostly was dominated by Green Bay, and we covered things in our takeaway story.

There were some notable fantasy injuries, and we're going to break those down here.

Keep tabs on all injured NFL players during the season on the FantasySP Injury News page.

Commanders' Ekeler Likely Done for Season

Austin Ekeler is believed to have torn his Achilles. If that belief is confirmed, Ekeler will miss the remainder of the season.

It's a blow to the Commanders' offense, who traded away Brian Robinson Jr. a couple weeks ago.

Ekeler is more of the team's pass-catching back, as his days of being a workhorse back are a thing of the past. Still, he was a big part of the team's offense last season, and he was pretty involved through two games this year.

He played 47.1% of the team's snaps in week 1. Ekeler had six rushing attempts, gaining 26 yards. He added three catches on as many targets for 31 yards.

Ekeler played 52.2% of the team's snaps before leaving in the fourth quarter. Before leaving, he rushed eight times for 17 yards and caught half of his four targets for seven more yards.

While those aren't two big fantasy outings, he was involved enough to be a flex-level option in standard leagues. He was a decent deep-league starting option every week.

If he is indeed out for the season, I'd expect the Commanders to make a move for another back. He can be dropped once he's ruled out for the year.

Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt is already the top rushing threat for the offense, and now he will handle even more if Ekeler is done for the season. Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are other backs on the active roster, while Donovan Edwards is on the practice squad.

Croskey-Merritt played 32.9% of the team's offensive snaps in week 1, racking up 82 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries. He didn't catch his only target.

JCM had four carries for 17 yards and again failed to catch his lone target across 21.7% of the team's offensive snaps this week.

McNichols has played 29 offensive snaps through two weeks, which is just 20.9% of the overall snaps. Rodriguez hasn't seen the field yet.

While Croskey-Merritt hasn't been super involved, or played a bunch yet, I'd keep rostering him in all leagues. His outlook looks better if Ekeler isn't around. 

If Washington brings in another talented back, then maybe you could justify moving on from the rookie in standard leagues. I'd give him another week or two though. The team felt good enough to move on from Robinson, so they believe in the rookie.

McNichols could take on a bigger role if no big-name back is brought in as an Ekeler replacement. McNichols had points in 2024 where he was a starting fantasy option, and that could be about ready to happen again now.

Rodriguez is another name to keep an eye on, and possibly add in deeper leagues in case he gets a crack at the No. 2 back role.

This whole situation is one to watch though, as the backfield hasn't had a clear leader through two weeks, and now might have lost one of the guys leading the charge.

Packers' Reed Out Several Weeks

Jayden Reed caught a touchdown early in the game, which was negated by penalty. Another negative on the play was that Reed landed on his right side.

He's expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone now.

It's a blow to a Packers' offense that's looked great through two weeks.

Jones, who had been playing through a Jones fracture already, only played 37.5% of the team's offensive snaps in week 1. He had 45 yards and a score on three catches and five targets.

He only got in five snaps in week 2 before leaving with the injury. Reed wasn't credited with any other stats after his TD was called back.

Reed was a bit part of the team's offense over the past few years, but it's not like the Pack doesn't have options.

Romeo Doubs has played the most snaps (84) through two weeks of play. That comes out to 72.4% of the team's total snaps. Doubs has five catches for 96 yards and a score across nine targets so far.

Rookie Matthew Golden has logged 62 offensive snaps in two weeks. He's made two catches for 16 yards across four targets and he's rushed for 15 yards on two carries.

Golden could have had a monster fantasy showing if Jordan Love hadn't missed him on deep throws on Thursday. So while Golden has struggled so far, I'm not ready to bail on him yet, especially with Reed now out. Hold Golden for another week, just bench him in standard leagues.

Dontayvion Wicks has played 59 snaps so far. He's made six catches for 74 yards across eight targets. He was the top wideout in week 2.

Rookie Savion Williams is at 14 offensive snaps through two games. He has a one-yard catch and two carries for 24 yards so far.

With Reed out, you can expect Doubs to lead the way still. He becomes a better fantasy option now, but isn't a locked-in starter.

Golden will play more snaps, and maybe that will give him more opportunities to contribute. He's just a deep-league asset until he delivers though.

Wicks and Williams will play more in the coming weeks too. Wicks will have some sneaky deep-league potential, while Williams would need to prove it before getting any deep-league attention.

The guy who might benefit most from Reed being out is tight end Tucker Kraft. He had a monster game on Thursday, and might be the best pass-catching fantasy option in Green Bay until Reed is back.

Expect Green Bay to keep relying on Josh Jacobs in the running game, and then to see Jordan Love spread the ball around plenty still.

As for Reed, he can either be stashed on an IR spot, or let go in standard leagues. I'd try to keep rostering him in deeper leagues.