J.K. Dobbins injury update: Latest on Chargers RB's status for Week 17 Fantasy Football 

The Chargers have missed their top running back, J.K. Dobbins, for the last four weeks in what has been a crucial stretch of the season. Los Angeles is trying to put behind previous disappointments and qualify for the playoffs in 2024.

They currently have a 9-6 record and one more win should effectively guarantee them a spot in the postseason. However, the job is not done as there are two weeks still left to play and the Colts, Dolphins, and Bengals are only a couple of wins behind. There are only two spots open on the AFC side of the bracket so the margins are fine.

The Chargers play the Patriots in Week 17 and there will not be many such opportunities to secure a victory. New England is far removed from its glory days and has a 3-12 record. It is so bad they are the worst team in the AFC East despite the 4-11 Jets also in the same division. This should be a game that Los Angeles should win.

However, there are no easy games in the NFL. Having J.K. Dobbins back would be a massive boost to their goal. Here is the running back's status for Week 17.

J.K. Dobbins' Week 17 injury update

J.K. Dobbins suffered a knee injury four weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens and has not featured since. He was placed on the injured reserve drawing concerns that he might be done for the season.

However, he has been activated off the list in time for Week 17. That means he is in line to feature against the Patriots.

The Chargers opened the running back's practice window on December 23 after four weeks out and head coach Jim Harbaugh subsequently confirmed that he has done well in practice this week. This portends well for Los Angeles given how vital he has been this season for them, as we detail below.

How has J.K. Dobbins performed this season?

J.K. Dobbins began his maiden season with the Chargers with two statement performances. He had more than 130 yards in each of his games against the Raiders and the Panthers. He also recorded 13.5 yards per carry in the first match and followed that up with 7.5 yards per attempt in his second.

Those two performances have skewed how well he has done over 2024. His average of 4.8 yards per attempt is largely owed to those two performances against teams who have both been eliminated from playoff contention and have losing records.

J.K. Dobbins has yet to touch 100 rushing yards in 2024 again, with the 96 yards against the Broncos being the closest he has come to the three-figure mark. His performances after the first two weeks have yielded close to 55 yards on average, and 4 yards per carry.

Encouragingly for fantasy football owners who are considering him, though, in his last two games, he did achieve more than the 4.8 yards average that he has. He also has eight touchdowns for the season showing his overall threat in the red zone and how the Chargers utilize him in those situations at the end of drives.

The Patriots are also among the bottom half of the teams when we consider average points and rushing yards conceded per game. J.K. Dobbins will also be returning after some downtime, meaning he might be physically fresher than some of his compatriots if his knee has completely healed. Given these circumstances, plus adding that New England has nothing to play for, he might be a good choice for fantasy football managers in Week 17 who are looking for running backs.