The Denver Broncos’ backfield hasn’t exactly been fertile ground for fantasy football owners with C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman splitting time. Those owners who have Hillman on their roster might be in luck, however, with Anderson exiting Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.
Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com announced Anderson suffered an ankle injury, which allowed Hillman to be the featured back in the offense.
Hillman‘s value has trended slightly upward in recent weeks as he ran for 203 combined yards in Denver’s last three games. ESPN.com’s Matt Bowen believes the quarterback change from Peyton Manning to Brock Osweiler has benefited both of the Broncos’ top two running backs:
Why the increase? Think of the athleticism, or movement skills, that Osweiler brings to the field compared to Manning. That gives the Broncos the ability to use more boot schemes with Osweiler, thus “holding” backside defenders and second-level linebackers when he carries out the fake, or action, off the handoff. The result? More running lanes, more options and more daylight for both Anderson and Hillman to produce numbers on the ground in a scheme that now caters to their skill sets and abilities.
Especially if Anderson is forced to miss any time, Hillman is worth starting as an RB2/flex in most standard leagues, and he could be a good value play in daily fantasy leagues.
Juwan Thompson is the only thing that scares you. NFL.com’s James Koh noted how Denver wasn’t shy about using Thompson against San Diego:
Should Hillman continue sharing the load in the running game, his value would take a hit. Based on Thompson’s numbers going into Week 13, that hit wouldn’t be too significant.
The second-year running back carried the ball just five times, gaining 13 yards. He also gained 272 yards and three touchdowns on 54 carries in 2014. Unless head coach Gary Kubiak plans on springing a surprise, Thompson is unlikely to be much of a factor on the ground with Anderson at least temporarily out of the picture.
As a result, he shouldn’t register as a fantasy option until his numbers prove otherwise. Adding him as a handcuff for Hillman wouldn’t be advisable.
Thompson is a better pass-blocker than Hillman, which could keep him on the field for passing downs, thus limiting Hillman‘s potential for points in the receiving game.
Still, Hillman is by far the bigger fantasy beneficiary following Anderson’s injury.
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