Saquon Barkley has missed two straight games with a right hamstring injury, and the Eagles host the Cowboys on Monday night in Week 7. He hasn’t been reported practicing since he got hurt, but this week’s roster moves lean toward a return. Will he play?

The injury

Right hamstring strain: questionable for Monday night, with the signals leaning toward playing.

Barkley tweaked the hamstring on his second carry of the Eagles’ 24-20 loss to the Rams on Oct. 4 and was ruled out by halftime. Ian Rapoport reported at the time that the injury wasn’t considered major but that he’d miss time, per that Yahoo Sports report. He sat out the Week 5 game in London, and Adam Schefter reported he was ruled out for Week 6 against the Panthers. The Eagles lost that one, 25-14.

The hamstring isn’t his only issue this season. Inside the Iggles also notes an earlier neck stinger, and RotoWire lists him at 36 carries for 182 yards and no touchdowns through four games. Neither the stinger nor the stat line is part of the current diagnosis, but both are context for a back who ranks 16th and hasn’t scored.

As of Oct. 17, Bleacher Report noted he hadn’t practiced in any capacity since the injury, and passed along ESPN’s report that the Eagles believed a Monday night return was a “realistic” possibility. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Field Yates reported Barkley could be set to return in Week 7, per RotoWire. Inside the Iggles says the hope is he’s back this week or next.

The roster moves are the best tell. On Tuesday the Eagles waived running back Jaydon Blue and added Elijah Mitchell to the practice squad. The Athletic’s Zach Berman called that a good sign for Barkley, unless Philadelphia adds another back before Monday, per The Big Lead. The active roster now has two running backs: Barkley and Dameon Pierce. Nothing is confirmed until he practices.

Typical timeline

FFD’s return-timeline table puts a typical hamstring injury at 0 to 3 missed games for non-quarterbacks, citing Jenkins et al., published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine in 2024. That study reviewed 2,101 hamstring injuries in 1,354 NFL players, using the league’s public injury reports from 2008 to 2020. The average injury lasted 2.4 weeks on the report. Monday night will be three weeks since Barkley got hurt, which is already past that average, though weeks on the report and weeks since the injury are different measures.

That number measures time on the report, not games missed, and it’s a group average, not a forecast for one player. Barkley has missed two games. A third missed game and a return Monday both fit the table’s range, and the study can’t tell you which is likelier. The practice reports can.

Re-injury risk

FFD’s table rates hamstrings as high re-injury risk. In the same Jenkins study, 442 of those 1,354 players, about 33%, had a later hamstring injury. That figure covers a 13-season stretch, not the odds of a setback this week.

What to do

Barkley: hold. He ranks 16th in Doc’s Top 200, and a two-week absence with a “not major” label isn’t a reason to sell at a discount. Start him if he’s active. Because he plays Monday night, you won’t see the inactives list until about 90 minutes before kickoff, so make sure a Sunday back sits in your flex as insurance.

Dameon Pierce: add. Pierce started Week 6 and finished as the No. 12 fantasy running back, according to DK Network. He played 95% of the snaps, carried 12 times for 35 yards and a touchdown, and caught four of five targets for 15 yards. He’s the only Eagles back with a proven role, which also makes him the Barkley handcuff. DK lists him as available in 37% of Yahoo leagues and notes Dallas has given up 4.7 yards per carry. If Barkley sits, Pierce is a flex play. If Barkley plays, he drops to a bench handcuff.

The role is better than the yardage suggests. Per DK, Pierce ran a route on 60% of dropbacks, drew a target on 17% of those routes, and had two carries inside the red zone. The matchup helps too: DK says Dallas ranks second in pace and has allowed at least 10 fantasy points to an opposing running back in every game this season. If Barkley is out, DK projects Pierce for 15 or more touches.

If you’re on the other side of the trade market, Barkley’s owner may be tired of two zeros. A buy-low offer is reasonable until he logs a practice, but don’t expect a steep discount for a back ranked 16th. If you own him and have no other running back depth, Pierce is the cheapest insurance on the wire.

Skip Mitchell. DK doesn’t expect much from him in his debut. Carson Steele, who left Week 6 with a shoulder injury, has since been waived, per DK. Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve, which leaves Pierce and Barkley as the main skill players the Eagles can count on.

What to watch

Wednesday’s report is the first real data point. A DNP isn’t a surprise given the layoff, but a limited session would be his first reported practice since the injury. Limited again Thursday and Friday points to a questionable tag and a game-time call. A full Friday means start him. DNPs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mean plan around Pierce.

Also watch the transaction wire. If the Eagles sign another running back before Monday, Berman’s good-sign read gets weaker.

Track his practice reports all week on the FFD Injury Report.

Fantasy analysis, not medical advice.