LeSean McCoy Injury: Updates on Eagles RB's Week 17 Status and Fantasy Value

It looks like playoff dreams weren't the only things dashed for the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.

According to the Delaware County Daily Times, LeSean McCoy's pursuit of the NFL rushing title will be brought to an unceremonious halt as well. McCoy, the league leader in rushing touchdowns and current runner-up in rushing yards, suffered a rather serious ankle sprain during the Eagles' 20-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys after managing just 35 yards on 13 carries.

Update: Friday, Dec. 30 at 1:40 p.m. EDT by David Daniels

Tim McManus of the Philly Sports Daily tweeted good news for Eagles fans, but questionable news for LeSean McCoy's fantasy owners.

With Andy Reid's word that McCoy will most likely play, that increases Philadelphia's chance to beat down on their divisional rival.  Of course, if you're not an Eagles fan, but a fantasy owner of the Pro Bowl back, a status of questionable may not be what you want to hear.  

If you have solid depth at the position, it would be wise to keep Shady on your bench.  He won't be able to make the lightning-quick cuts he usually does with a bum ankle.

Update: Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 12:10 p.m. EDT by Alex Kay

McCoy will not be participating in practice today according to Philly Sports Reports' Ryan Messick.

The Pro Bowl running back is sitting out today because of the ankle sprain he suffered on Sunday and it is currently unknown when he will return to practice or if he will suit up for the game this week against Washington. 

Do not count on him being active for fantasy purposes and look for either Ronnie Brown or Dion Lewis to pick up the slack. 

As a result, McCoy is expected to miss Philly's season finale against the Washington Redskins, whose defense McCoy torched for 139 total yards and a touchdown in mid-October. McCoy remains 128 yards shy of Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who leads the league with 1,437 rushing yards, and 85 yards ahead of Arian Foster of the Houston Texans, who's carried for 1,224 yards this season.

McCoy's 1,309 yards will also leave him 123 shy of the Eagles' single-season franchise record of 1,512 yards set by Wilbert Montgomery in 1979.

McCoy has been a fantasy football owner's dream this season, racking up 1,624 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns, but he will now leave his loyal patrons shorthanded heading into the final weekend.

Veteran back Ronnie Brown and rookie Dion Lewis will likely split McCoy's carries against the 'Skins' 19th-ranked run defense. However, don't expect Eagles head coach Andy Reid, long known for his stubborn devotion to the passing game, to devote much time to the ground game without McCoy in the mix.

UPDATE: Monday, December 26th at 4:10 p.m. EST

Apparently, reports of Shady's demise were premature.

According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, McCoy is dealing with only a slight hamstring strain and should be ready to play on Sunday against the Redskins:

Montgomery's franchise rushing record, then, may not be as safe as previously reported. 

From a fantasy perspective, this would be reason enough not to drop McCoy from your lineup just yet. Again, Shady did quite well against the Redskins last time out and should be able to duplicate, if not improve upon, his previous numbers (139 yards with a touchdown) assuming he's ready to go by game time.

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