Saquon Barkley injury update: Latest on Giants RB for Week 7 fantasy football

Saquon Barkley's 2022 season ranks as one of the most memorable of his career., but this campaign has been tough for the running back. Injuries have proved to be a constant battle for Barkley, but he has returned to the gridiron since missing games.

So what's going on? Here's a look at the latest with Saquon Barkley.

Saquon Barkley Injury Update

Saquon Barkley at New York Giants v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Barkley is still managing what appears to be the same ankle injury suffered in the team's September 17 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Per the team's injury report, Barkley is on a limited practice regimen as he continues to work back to 100%. He had limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Last week against the Buffalo Bills, Barkley rushed 24 times for 93 yards and no touchdowns. Before the injury, he was averaging about 3.9 yards per carry. In his lone performance since, he has also averaged 3.9 yards per carry. Essentially, he appears to be back to the same level of production he started the year with.

Of course, the average is alarming to stat hawks and fantasy managers, but the reason for the dip is a result of defenses keying on stopping the run. In other words, it's a matchup and game script issue.

What happened to Saquon Barkley?

The New York Giants running back suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. The injury occurred near the end of the contest. He went on to miss about a month before making his first appearance on October 15 against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football.

The injury is being called a Pedal Ankle Sprain Grade 2, per Draft Sharks. The University of Vermont Health Network claims that it takes about four to six weeks to fully heal from such an injury. Barkley was put back in the lineup on the shorter end of that range.

When will Saquon Barkley return?

The Giants running back has returned to the lineup and played in a game since his injury more than a month ago. At this point, he should be on pace to be in the final stages of healing from the injury. He has practiced in a limited fashion so far this week, in a similar pattern to last week.

He had three limited practices before getting the green light against the Bills and it appears that the pattern will hold. Barkley likely will continue to take the majority of backup Matt Breida's workload, making Brieda a touchdown-or-bust candidate.