Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette has been officially ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Texans, which marks the third missed game for Fournette this year out of a possible seven. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Fournette will also miss the team’s game in London against the Eagles next week. Jacksonville will then have its Week 9 bye on November 4, and the team hopes to have Fournette back the following week. The Jags currently have no plans to put Fournette on IR.
[RELATED: Jaguars Acquire RB Carlos Hyde From Browns]
Fournette’s nagging hamstring injury has kept him off of the field for much of the year and limited his production when on the turf. Fournette carried the ball just nine times in the season opener against the Giants, though he made the most of those totes with 41 yards (4.56 yards per carry) before exiting the game early. In Week 4 against the Jets, he garnered 11 carries, though he averaged just 2.73 yards per try.
It’s a frustrating situation for both Fournette and the Jaguars. Ever since his days at LSU, Fournette has struggled with leg injuries, both to his ankle and hamstring.
Moments after Fournette was ruled out for this week, the Jaguars shipped a fifth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Carlos Hyde. Hyde is inactive for the team’s Week 7 contest this afternoon, but he will ultimately pair with T.J. Yeldon (and, hopefully, Fournette) to give Jacksonville a nice trio of backs.
Yeldon doesn’t offer the same kind of bruising power as Fournette, but he has been productive nonetheless. Heading into this week, Yeldon boasts an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt, plus 25 catches for 223 yards. All told, the 25-year-old has four touchdowns, which already marks a new single-season career best. The Jaguars would prefer to have a healthy Fournette, but Yeldon and Hyde could form a solid 1-2 punch in the interim.
After starting the year 2-0, the Jags have dropped three of their last four. After losing consecutive games to the Chiefs and Cowboys by a combined 49 points, they’re eager for a W against Houston.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Well if he want to have the Madden rating he thinks he deserves he needs to find a way to play football one of these years