Nick Chubb Injury Status: Latest on Browns RB for Week 12 Fantasy Football
The last time Nick Chubb lined up for the Cleveland Browns against the Pittsburgh Steelers, back in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season, he faced a gruesome knee injury that kept him out for more than a year. He finally returned in October for the Week 7 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals and promptly scored a touchdown.
As he prepares to face Pittsburgh once again in this divisional matchup, here's a closer look at whether his fitness is still up to scratch after a long injury layoff and how he might perform for fantasy football owners given his outings this season.
Nick Chubb's Week 12 injury update
The Browns face the Steelers in the first game on Week 12 as the old rivals face off against each other on Thursday Night Football. While the Browns have a few injury concerns going into the game, Nick Chubb is not part of that. He is therefore expected to be available for Cleveland.
With their offense struggling even before franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson was lost for the season with an injury, they need a veteran spark on the ground. The running back can provide that and has a career worth of highlights to prove that. However, we need to check if that means anything in 2024, especially after coming back after such a long rehabilitation and facing a defense that prides itself in playing hard.
How has Nick Chubb performed this season?
Nick Chubb returned on Oct. 20 for a matchup against the Bengals after more than a year out recuperating from his injury. He did not have a stellar game as he picked up just 22 yards on 11 attempts against a defense that is not doing well against other opponents this year. However, he showed his knack for coming up trumps at important times by scoring a touchdown.
In the next game, he looked back to full fitness as he had 16 touches and picked up 52 yards. Against the Chargers he again got 15 touches and picked up 39 rushing yards. None of them averaged above four yards per carry, though, but that changed last week against the Saints.
Nick Chubb recorded 50 yards in 11 attempts, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. It showed that he is slowly getting back to a position where he is rediscovering his form. Even though fans were disappointed by his total output, head coach Kevin Stefanski said that he gave him fewer carries with this Thursday matchup in mind.
However, it will be tough to replicate that against the Steelers. Fantasy football managers should note that Pittsburgh is allowing just 90.8 rushing yards per game going into this matchup whereas the Saints currently have an average of 134.2 yards on the ground per match.
Whether that can be overcome by Nick Chubb's sheer determination to announce his return in a game that he could not complete last season remains to be seen.