Fantasy Alert: Washington's Antonio Gibson Ruled Out vs. 49ers with Toe Injury

The Washington Football Team announced Friday that rookie running back Antonio Gibson will not play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers because of a toe injury, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Gibson left Monday's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers with the injury, and his workload was replaced by the combination of J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber.

Washington selected Gibson with a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and he gradually established himself as the team's go-to running back. While he had single-digit carries in four of his first eight games, he exploded for more than 100 rushing yards and four touchdowns in two games against the Dallas Cowboys in which he saw 20 carries.

The Memphis product also scored a combined three touchdowns against the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals when he received double-digit carries in each game and became the team's leading rusher.

In all, Gibson has 659 rushing yards, 233 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns this season.

With Gibson on the shelf for at least Sunday's game, Washington will once again turn to the tandem of McKissic and Barber to replace him.

McKissic is likely the better option for those in points-per-reception leagues, as he is second on the team in receptions with 56 and third in receiving yardage with 408. He has also rushed for 231 yards and one touchdown.

Barber has just 196 yards and three touchdowns on 73 carries, but he is clearly Washington's preferred option when Gibson is out when it comes to running between the tackles and in both short-yardage and goal-to-go situations.

While Barber scored a touchdown last week, he gained just 23 yards on 14 carries.

Neither McKissic nor Barber are ideal options for fantasy managers who may be in the first week of their playoffs, but McKissic is worthy of heavy flex consideration due to the high floor his pass-catching prowess gives him.