Steven Jackson’s Status Improves As Rams Running Back Returns To Practice

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson returned to practice today. Jackson has been dealing with a quad injury suffered in the Rams’ season opening loss to the Eagles. Though still listed as limited, it could signal that Jackson’s load will increase this week against Washington.

Jackson played last week. He carried the ball four times in a 37-7 loss to the Ravens. His backup, Cadillac Williams, did the bulk of the rushing work. Jackson was limited to short yardage work as his thigh would not allow him to hit full speed in the open field.

Steven Jackson is still day to day as he recovers from a strained quad. Jackson missed Monday’s game, the St. Louis Rams’ first Monday Night Football appearance since 2006. Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo said yesterday that he was “hopeful” Jackson could play this week when the Rams return home to face the Baltimore Ravens.

Jackson did not practice at all last week, but refused to be ruled out for the Rams’ week 2 game against the Giants. He went through a pregame workout to make a final determination about his status for the week, but hit a stumbling block while trying to run a 40-yard dash.

This is a tough call for fantasy football owners because he is a late start on Sunday. Playing in the 4:05pm ET game is better than his Monday Night Football game last week, but it still creates a tough decision. The team does not have to declare its inactive list until an hour before the game, which does you no good if you can’t afford to wait that long for an announcement.

If you are stuck in that predicament, the best bet is to wait and see if anything happens before the 1:05pm starts. Beyond that, the Ravens do represent a tough matchup for Jackson. If Jackson were healthy he’d be a must-start no matter the matchup. But if he’s slowed down at all by the quad injury, the safest play might just be sitting him on Sunday. Wait until Sunday morning in case news breaks early, but if you can afford to wait, do it.

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson will likely not play against the New York Giants when the two teams meet in a Week 2 Monday Night Football game. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo revealed the news in his Monday afternoon press conference.

Jackson strained his right quad on a 47-yard touchdown run in the Rams’ 31-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Read more about Steven Jackson and the St. Louis Rams at Turf Show Times, SB Nation’s Rams blog, and SB Nation St. Louis.

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson has a strained quad and his return is questionable. Jackson injured his quad on a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Rams season opener versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

That was the Rams’ first offensive play of the game, and put them in front of the Eagles by a score of 7-0. The Eagles have since gone on to add two unanswered touchdowns to make it a 14-7 game heading into the second quarter.