Is Saquon Barkley playing tonight vs. 49ers? Giants RB's availability status explored

Saquon Barkley suffered an injury to his ankle in the New York Giants' comeback win in Week 2. The star was initially diagnosed with an ankle sprain and was expected to be out for three weeks, but then head coach Brian Daboll said it wasn't as bad as he initially thought and that he wouldn't rule Barkley out for Thursday night.

Thursday is here, so is the star runner playing?

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Is Saquon Barkley playing?

Saquon Barkley is not playing against the San Francisco 49ers. The Thursday night matchup will be missing one of its premier stars with Barkley on the sideline. It's unclear if that initial three-week timeframe is still true, but Daboll was unable to trot his star back out for the early matchup.

Saquon Barkley is OUT

This is the third time the Giants star has suffered an ankle injury, with the latest coming in a massive comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals. In 2019, he missed three games. In 2021, he missed the same amount of time.

What's even worse for fantasy managers of the star back is that he struggled upon return both times. It took him a while to get back into form even when he was activated. There's a chance the same path is set in front of him once again.

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Saquon Barkley fantasy football replacements

It's very unlikely that Jerome Ford is still on waivers after Nick Chubb was ruled out for the season. However, despite a 62.6% increase in ownership in ESPN leagues, he could be available as he is in 28.1% of leagues.

If not, you will have to turn to other options. Matt Breida is the starter in Barkley's wake, though New York has suggested a backfield by committee for Thursday. Breida is still available in 82.4% of ESPN leagues.

Jaylen Warren continues to see action in the passing game for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's projected 12.3 PPR points in ESPN and is still available in over half of the leagues.

Kenneth Gainwell, who is available in about half of the leagues, is worth monitoring, too. He has an injury for the Philadelphia Eagles and while D'Andre Swift was excellent in his absence, Gainwell is worth looking into if he does indeed play.