11/9 UPDATE: According to Tom Pelissero, despite being listed as questionable, it does NOT sound like Khalil Herbert will be activated off IR in time for tonight’s game vs. the Panthers.
Although the Bears designated starting running back Khalil Herbert to return from injured reserve on Monday, it appears the team will give him another week to recover from his high ankle injury.
This news provides D’Onta Foreman another week of workhorse treatment against the league’s second-worst run defense — that just so happens to be a revenge game for the veteran running back.
Since Herbert’s Week 5 injury, Foreman rose from being a healthy scratch to a workhorse back, while rookie Roschon Johnson has unfortunately not looked like the same player since his concussion.
The Herbert talk can wait another week since we learned he will likely be sidelined for another week. So, should fantasy owners start D’Onta Foreman in Week 10?
THE MATCHUP VS CAROLINA
Foreman gets the juiciest of juicy matchups against the Panthers’ 31st-ranked run defense.
In eight games, the Panthers have let up over 100 rushing yards five times, over 70 yards all but once, and 11 touchdowns on the ground. They’ve also allowed 34 receptions on 43 targets for 218 yards and three receiving touchdowns to running backs.
In total, the Panthers’ defense has given up an average of 24.5 fantasy points per game to the position and is a weekly smash spot for opposing running backs — outside of the Texans’ two plodders.
D’ONTA FOREMAN WEEK 10 FANTASY OUTLOOK
After being a healthy scratch for four of the first five weeks, Foreman was called into duty when Herbert and Johnson went down. Since then, he’s been a sturdy workhorse.
We know Foreman can carry the load when called upon. He proved it when he filled in for Derrick Henry in 2021 and Christian McCaffrey last year.
In his four games as the Bears’ starter, Foreman has seen 15-plus carries in three of those four games and even led all running backs in scoring in Week 7 against the Raiders. In that game, he racked up 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and even caught three balls for 31 yards and a score. Over those games, he averaged nearly 68 rushing yards per game.
Although he did not find the stripe last week, he still had 20 carries and 60% of the snaps, proof the staff trusts their bruising runner.
We don’t know what Foreman’s rest-of-season outlook will be once Herbert returns, but in Week 10, Foreman should find the end zone and rack up good yardage against Carolina. Plus, the #RevengeGame narrative is in place, and he’s carrying serious momentum into this matchup.
I mean, who wouldn’t be pissed about not getting a contract after putting the team’s running game on his back after trading away its franchise player?
Expect the bulk of the carries for Foreman, with Johnson filling in RB2 duties. This game will likely be a slop-fest with Tyson Bagent under center against the worst team in the league, which should result in a healthy dose of the run game.
KHALIL HERBERT SET TO RETURN… SOON
With two full practices under his belt to begin the week, Herbert could return in Week 10 or Week 11. After four weeks off, Herbert’s high ankle sprain should be 100%, meaning he’ll likely return to his pre-injury form.
What was that form, you ask?
Well, he was playing his best football of the season and was set to lock up the Bears’ RB1 spot. The week before his injury, he put up 103 rushing yards on 18 carries and added four receptions for 19 yards and a touchdown — totaling 21.25 half-PPR points.
Then, Herbert was a significant part of the Bears’ offense in that infamous TNF game against the Commanders. Although Justin Fields and DJ Moore dominated the headlines, Herbert was on his way to a big night with 76 rushing yards on only 10 carries before suffering a freak non-contact high ankle sprain.
During the first three weeks of the season, Herbert and Roschon Johnson were sort of in a committee while the Bears’ offense struggled to move the football. Herbert saw only nine, seven, and seven carries before his Week 4 blowup. During this time, Herbert and Johnson led the backfield, while Foreman was relegated to street clothes as a healthy scratch.
However, Foreman has taken over workhorse duties since that injury, while Johnson’s concussion kept him out of the lineup until Week 8. Over the last two games, Johnson has only seen eight total carries and four total receptions compared to Foreman’s 29 carries during that period.
Herbert is still available in 33% of leagues after impatient owners dropped him. If he’s available, pick him up now before TNF kicks off and put him in your IR slot.
VERDICT
Due to the opponent, fantasy managers can feel good about Foreman this week– especially with the Chiefs, Eagles, Dolphins, and Rams on the bye. In a revenge spot and with Herbert likely out, Foreman enters RB2 territory.
Foreman checks in at RB20 on The Wolf’s Week 10 Rankings.
Have TNF and/or Week 10 sit/start questions? Check out the Roto Street Journal YouTube channel on Thursday at 6:45 PM EST and Sunday before kickoff, where The Wolf and I will answer all your toughest questions.
