Rashad Jennings' Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 9

Absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder, but New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings has owners getting more nervous than anything as Week 9 approaches.

Jennings has missed two games so far this season due to a knee injury, but he is still owned in 87.6 percent of leagues—for good reason, too, as he continues to rank just outside of the top 20 overall scorers at his position despite the two-game absence and sitting out during a Week 8 bye.

On a week-to-week basis, Jennings was a solid RB2 before the injury:

WK	OPP	ATT	YDS	TD	PTS
1	@Det	16	46	1	15
2	Ari	18	64	0	8
3	Hou	34	176	1	23
4	@Wsh	13	55	0	5
5	Atl	10	55	0	6

The timetable for Jennings was supposed to be a Week 9 return on Monday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts, but that seems to be in serious jeopardy after he missed Monday's practice.

"He's not ready to go," coach Tom Coughlin said after Jennings after practice, per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. "He's day to day."

As Art Stapleton of The Record adds, to the naked eye, the outlook does not seem so hot:

Jennings does have an extra day to get ready thanks to the contest coming on a Monday, but it is a sour development for owners who desperately need production at the position.

Still, Jennings' owners knew what they were getting themselves into when acquiring him through various means this year. While one of the most underrated backs in the league after strong showings as a backup in Jacksonville and Oakland, he has yet to play in a full 16-game season.

When actually in the lineup, though, Jennings is a strong contributor, as the numbers show. His spot is not going anywhere, either, as the Giants lost both games he missed, one 27-0, the other 31-21. In those losses, rookie back Andre Williams acted as the starter to miserable results, never cracking the 60-yard mark or better than a 3.5-yard-per-carry average

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Jennings brings a semblance of versatility to the offense thanks to his ability as a productive runner and reliable receiver, which in turn opens things up for those around him. Even Williams plays much better in all facets when acting as the complement to Jennings, not the workhorse.

That said, even if Jennings is able to give it a go Monday against the Colts, it is a tough matchup against a unit that, outside of 38- and 27-point explosions, has held five teams to 19 or fewer points through its first seven games.

Really, the long-term scope for Jennings is not all that great, either:

WK	OPP	Rank vs. RBs (avg. points surrendered)
9	Ind	18 (17.9)
10	@Sea	11 (14.7)
11	SF	8-T (13.1)
12	Dal	8-T (13.1)
13	@Jac	21 (18.1)
14	@Ten	15 (17.0)
15	Wsh	3 (10.6)
16	@StL	5 (11.2)
17	Phi	17 (17.8)

While a small sample size, a decent barometer for how Jennings performs against strong defenses from a fantasy standpoint is his five-point showing against Washington in Week 4, a defense that allows the third-fewest points to backs on average.

This is not a suggestion to abandon ship, though. As Bleacher Report's Dave Siebert details, Jennings' medical outlook is positive:

Despite struggles against solid units, Jennings is worth hanging onto in all leagues or possibly buying low on, as owners can do much worse than a versatile, productive back who is sure to be a workhorse when healthy.

Things are a bit gloomier in the immediate future, though. If Jennings does not take a serious amount of reps and sound healthy by Thursday night, it is time to stash him on the bench and hope Week 10 has a better outlook from a health standpoint.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats, as of 9 p.m. ET on Oct. 27. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.