Jaylen Warren injury: What status means for Week 4 vs. Vikings

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings clash in Dublin this Sunday. The game will kickoff early Sunday morning for us in the states, so set your alarms! The Steelers have a few injuries coming into this game, but for fantasy, Jaylen Warren’s knee is the biggest concern.

Warren took over the backfield last week in a big way, as he set a career high with 79.6% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps. He took over the lead role completely, while Kenneth Gainwell saw 14 snaps to Warren’s 43. Gainwell did grab one goal line snap and found the end zone. That’s unlucky for Warren, but it was a career high day in usage for the fifth-year back and a great sign for things to come.

Sunday update: Warren is a surprise inactive. Kenny Gainwell should take the majority of the lead back work if you need him for fantasy.

Saturday update — ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Warren will play in Dublin.

Unfortunately, Warren’s career high usage appears to have led to a knee injury. Warren was listed as limited due to veteran rest on Wednesday and Thursday. Then, on Friday he was limited again, but this time they added a knee injury and gave him a questionable designation.

This is a tough spot for Warren and his fantasy backers. It’s an early game, so if you are considering starting him you’ll need to hope for a late night report from an NFL insider or get up early for the inactives. Warren’s 24 carries/targets last week make him a start in most leagues, even in a tough matchup, but only if he’s healthy enough to play a full game. If he can’t go, Kenny Gainwell would get the start and have fantasy appeal with a likely big workload.