Maurice Jones-Drew Questionable for Week 15 vs. Bills
The Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) can largely credit their recent surge to healthy production from their ground game and star running back Maurice Jones-Drew, but Jones-Drew is not 100-percent healthy himself this week and his status is in serious question for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills (4-9).
According to ESPN.com, Jones-Drew is set to miss most of practice this week with a hamstring strain. The injury, which he sustained in the fourth quarter of last Thursday’s win over the Texans, will keep him out of action until at least Friday, which means there’s a fairly high likelihood he’ll miss the team’s upcoming week 15 bout.
“We’ll just keep monitoring his progress and see how he does,” coach Gus Bradley said Monday. “That might be towards the end of the week that we have a better idea where he’s at.”
Although Jones-Drew has experienced a down year in 2013 compared to past seasons, he had been picking up the pace in recent weeks, rushing for 264 total yards in the past three games – a season-high 103 of which came last week. With things headed in the right direction, Jones-Drew is the last person who wants him to take a week off and he’s holding out hope that he’ll still be in the starting lineup come Sunday.
“You never know,” said Jones-Drew, after his MRI exam on Friday. “We could have a miraculous turnaround tonight. You never know, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Of course, Jaguars fans hope to see Jones-Drew suit up as well, considering that the team still ranks at the bottom of the league in rushing yards this season (76.6 per game), even with solid numbers over the last three weeks. If he’s not able to go, the Jags will likely start Jordan Todman, who has rushed for just 138 yards on 43 carries this season for a 3.2 average.
Whether you are a fantasy player, bettor, or both, be sure to check the injury wire toward the end of the week to see what Jones-Drew’s updated status is. If he is ruled out for Sunday’s game, I’d lean more toward the Bills being able to cover -2 points this week.
