Maurice Jones-Drew: Sell Low on Jaguars RB Despite Injury Status

Jacksonville Jaguars franchise running back Maurice Jones-Drew went down with an ankle injury on Sunday afternoon against the Oakland Raiders. Whether or not he returns this season, it's time to start making alternative plans in your fantasy football league.

MJD was carted off the field in the first half, and although the extent of his injury is unknown, it's high-time to make him someone else's problem before his fantasy value plummets lower than his team's playoff chances.

Here's a tweet from when MJD went down against the Raiders, per Sports Illustrated's official account:

"

MJD in street clothes and on crutches along the Jaguars sideline. Left foot injury, severity TBD.

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 21, 2012"

To make matters worse for the team, Blaine Gabbert also went down with a left shoulder injury later in the game. Chad Henne would take his place as the replacement QB, and actually produce a valiant effort against the Raider defense before falling 26-23.

As if the injury to the starting backfield wasn't enough, Jones-Drew has had some horrible matchups this season.

He's seen Minnesota, Chicago, Houston and Cincinnati this season, all teams that have been decent against the run so far. Take away his 24-point day against the porous Indianapolis run defense, and MJD might be bordering fantasy irrelevancy.

In addition, this offense has vastly underachieved in Gabbert's second season. Receivers Justin Blackmon and Laurent Robinson haven't done much to take pressure off the running game, as Cecil Shorts has been the best option so far.

All those factors attributed to his slow start in the fantasy football realm, and with this injury threatening to derail the rest of his season, it's time to make it official with the "bust" designation.

Take what you can get for MJD, unless someone is really trying to throw you under the bus in a potential deal. While you're unlikely to get equal value, his inconsistency has been crippling to fantasy lineups—especially those who have him as an RB1.

I'd take a flex-type player or even a package that including a quality backup QB for Jones-Drew. We'll know more about his injury this week, but when it comes to ankles and this Jacksonville offense, it's too risky to rely on much from a former fantasy star.