Player Outlook
Kenjon Barner left the Eagles to sign with the Chargers this offseason, and he's expected to compete for touches as the No. 2 running back behind Melvin Gordon. His competition will be guys like Branden Oliver, Kenneth Farrow and Andre Williams, so Barner has a chance to see action this year. He was limited to 69 touches over two years with the Eagles, and has just two career touchdowns, so he'll really need to prove himself for Fantasy owners to trust him. Barner's best-case scenario coming into the season should be as the handcuff for Gordon. Keep an eye on what happens with the backup running backs for the Chargers, and if Barner wins the No. 2 job then he's worth drafting with a late-round flier. Otherwise, ignore him in all leagues.
Player News
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Barner (concussion) returned to action during Sunday's preseason loss to the Saints, Eric Williams of ESPN.com reports. Despite practicing in a limited fashion Thursday, Barner wasn't a candidate to play in preseason Week 2 in the mind of head coach Anthony Lynn on Friday. That said, Barner clearly passed through the final steps of the concussion protocol in the meantime. His performance Sunday was lacking, as evidenced by three carries for minus-one yard and no receptions on one target. His return coincided with RB Kenneth Farrow suffering an ankle injury, though, so the door could be ajar for one of the final spots on the 53-man roster.
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Barner (concussion) returned to practice Thursday, Eric Williams of ESPN.com reports. Barner missed practice time earlier this week while in the NFL's concussion protocol. With the 28-year-old now back to work, he could even be in line to play in the team's preseason contest Sunday against the Saints if fully cleared for action by that time. Though clearly behind Melvin Gordon and Brandon Oliver in the Chargers' backfield pecking order, Barner is looking to cement a role with the squad as a change-of-pace back/special-teamer.
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Barner is currently going through the NFL's concussion protocol, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. It's unclear exactly when Barner suffered his concussion. Given the nature of the beast, he'll likely miss close to a week, meaning his status for Sunday's preseason contest against the Saints is questionable at best.
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Barner or Branden Oliver (Achilles) could be in line for more touches as a complementary running back to starter Melvin Gordon (knee), Jack Wang of the Orange County Register reports. After losing Danny Woodhead (knee) in free agency over the offseason, the Chargers opted not to draft a running back in the 2017 NFL Draft, opening up an opportunity for Barner to jump in as the team's change-of-pace back. While Gordon filled in admirably as a third-down back in 2016, the team has been vocal about reducing his workload in an effort to keep him healthy for an entire season, meaning Barner, Oliver, or even Kenneth Farrow (shoulder) could see more snaps in 2017. While neither of the trio is expected to see a significant enough boost to earn fantasy relevance out of the gate, the competition for the backup job will be an interesting one to note, given Gordon has missed five games in the last two years due to injury.
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Barner may primarily be used on special teams, Jack Wang of The Orange County Register reports. Melvin Gordon proved more than capable of filling a three-down role last season, and the Chargers also return Kenneth Farrow and Branden Oliver (Achilles) to their backfield. If everyone is healthy, Barner will probably be No. 4 in the pecking order, which could put him on the roster bubble. He's signed to a modest one-year contract and may need to contribute as a kick returner if he's going to stay around in San Diego.
Recent Tweets
Completed Games
| WK | OPP | RUATT | RUYD | RUTD | RECPT | REYD | RETD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CLE | 4 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | @CHI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | PIT | 8 | 42 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | BYE | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | @DET | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | @WAS | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | @DAL | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | @NYG | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 10 | ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | @SEA | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | GB | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | @CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| *14 | WAS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | @BAL | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 2 |
| *16 | NYG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| *17 | DAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PROJECTION | 46 | 159 | 1 | 14 | 109 | 0.7 | 21.2 | |
| * indicates player did not play that week | ||||||||
Scheduled Games
| WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK | OPP FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09/12 | @Denver Broncos | 20 | 18.13 |
| 2 | 09/17 | Miami Dolphins | 21 | 18.24 |
| 3 | 09/24 | Kansas City Chiefs | 17 | 17.59 |
| 4 | 10/01 | Philadelphia Eagles | 8 | 15.13 |
| 5 | 10/08 | @New York Giants | 7 | 14.88 |
| 6 | 10/15 | @Oakland Raiders | 25 | 19.71 |
| 7 | 10/22 | Denver Broncos | 20 | 18.13 |
| 8 | 10/29 | @New England Patriots | 9 | 15.26 |
| 9 | BYE | - | - | - |
| 10 | 11/12 | @Jacksonville Jaguars | 12 | 16.00 |
| 11 | 11/19 | Buffalo Bills | 29 | 21.13 |
| 12 | 11/23 | @Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 14.24 |
| 13 | 12/03 | Cleveland Browns | 31 | 23.00 |
| 14 | 12/10 | Washington Redskins | 28 | 20.50 |
| 15 | 12/17 | @Kansas City Chiefs | 17 | 17.59 |
| 16 | 12/24 | @New York Jets | 15 | 17.00 |
| 17 | 12/31 | Oakland Raiders | 25 | 19.71 |
Career Stats
| Season | RuAtt | RuYd | RuTD | Recpt | ReYd | ReTD | FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 27 | 129 | 2 | 5 | 42 | 0 | 28 |
| 2015 | 28 | 124 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 14 |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 Year Avg | 28 | 126 | 1 | 7 | 32 | 0 | 21 |
| Career | 61 | 260 | 2 | 16 | 71 | 0 |