Daniel Shirey USA TODAY Sports
Once again this week we see that the Atlanta Falcons have declared running back Steven Jackson out for their Week 5 game against the New York Jets. Speculation is that he will remain out until after the Falcons Week 6 Bye. The most likely situation has him possibly returning in their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This is the sort of situation that is sure to have every Jackson owner rolling their eyes and wringing their hands with self-loathing over the fact that they probably had to reach on draft day to grab him.
If you don’t own Jackson, now might be the time to trade for him. If you’ve been savvy and picked up a short term back up like Rashad Jennings, I would pitch him to the Jackson owner to see if desperation makes him bite. I have a lot of confidence that when Jackson comes back in the second half of the season, he will put up the kind of stat line that will help you build for a late season playoff push.
If you do own Jackson and you’re trying to figure out which one of his backups you should plug in this week, my recommendation is Jason Snelling. He is the more complete back compared to Jacquizz Rodgers, who lacks the size needed to punch it in down at the goal line.
After their bye week, the Falcons face off against a slate of teams that struggle to stop the run. If you buy Jackson on the cheap now, you could really reap the rewards later.
Eric Beuning is a Fantasy Football writer for www.RantSports.com.
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