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Toby Gerhart finally got his opportunity to get the bulk of the carries as a starting running back in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and lone behold, he exited the first game of the season with a sprained ankle. It could have been much worse for Gerhart as he told ESPN that he originally thought that he broke his leg. Fortunately for Gerhart and the Jaguars, that was not the case. Although he missed team practice on Wednesday, he was back at it on Thursday, and he expects to play this Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gerhart totaled 42 yards on 18 carries and 15 yards on two receptions. He is the workhorse down in Jacksonville, and even though he has this injury, I would expect the Jaguars to use him as such. The Jaguars have a decent matchup this week in Washington D.C. as the Redskins allowed Arian Foster to eclipse the 100-yard mark last week. The Jaguars should really be able to take advantage of the Redskins linebacking corps because it is the weakest part of their defense.
Everything looks to Gerhart starting on Sunday, but with any ankle injury, it is definitely worth watching all the way up to game time. If you should play, you should also be weary of how easily the ankle injury could be reaggravated. Jordan Todman is a worth a look should things change as we near Sunday.
But as things stand, if he’s one of your starting running backs, you should feel relatively confident about his ability to play this week. Healthy or not, he is a No. 2 running back option, and he may see the end zone this weekend.
