Saquon Barkley listed as limited on estimated injury report

The New York Giants and New England Patriots have begun preparations for their Week 6 Thursday Night Football matchup, and with it comes the first injury report of the week. The Giants did not practice on Monday, and so they provided a projected practice participation report, according to Giants reporter Dan Duggan. They listed out where players would land had the team actually practiced.

There are three big pieces of news on the report. The first is that wide receiver Sterling Shepard is sidelined with another concussion. The second is that Evan Engram is dealing with a knee injury. The third is that running back Saquon Barkley could be back at practice on Tuesday. He was listed on the report as limited due to his high ankle sprain, which suggests he will be limited when the team practices on Tuesday. They’ll have that practice and a Wednesday practice before Thursday’s game.

Fantasy football analysis, New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley

Barkley has said he wants to return faster than the estimated the six-to-eight weeks it often can take. If he returns for TNF, that’d be less than three weeks since the Week 3 injury. The Giants face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, so it is possible the team plays it safe and gives Barkley a whole additional week even if he could possibly get by playing on Thursday.

If Barkley does not play, Jon Hilliman and Elijhaa Penny would likely split snaps since Wayne Gallman is in the concussion protocol. If Barkley does play, it will be interesting to see if he gets a full workload, or if Hilliman and/or Penny give him some rest. Regardless, Barkley is a must start if he is active on Thursday.