The Washington Redskins placed Roy Helu on injured reserve—a move with big fantasy football implications for Alfred Morris and Evan Royster going forward.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reports:

 

Royster is also suffering from an injury of his own, according to Rich Campbell of the Washington Times:

 

Ryan Grant won't be starting, of that I'm sure. He's strictly there to spell Morris. 

 

Fantasy Outlook for Royster

Will Royster ever be more than a role player for the Redskins?

Submit Vote vote to see results

Royster shouldn't even be a fantasy option right now. Even if he is able to play on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he won't play much. 

In his two-year career, Royster has only rushed for 363 yards, caught 13 passes for 88 yards and hasn't scored a single touchdown.

Even when he returns healthy, the addition of Grant on the roster means his role will stay limited.

 

Fantasy Outlook for Morris

Hi-res-hi-res-6587376_crop_exact Morris is a downhill runner who always seems to fall forward.
Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Morris—the team's starting running back since Week 1—will likely be asked to shoulder even more of the load than he has thus far in the young 2012 NFL season now that Helu isn't available. 

Grant is going to take a little while to assimilate into the Redskins offense, and I don't expect him to play much for the first week or longer. 

Morris has already proven this season to be more than capable of being the team's bell cow at running back, carrying the ball 61 times in three games for 263 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. 

The one thing he hasn't yet done is catch a single pass, which is likely why Grant was signed in the first place, coming from Green Bay, where he caught 92 passes in four seasons. 

He's going to keep toting the rock, though, and he's a must-start on your fantasy team almost every week. 

The Redskins' next opponent, the Bucs, lead the NFL in defense against the run so far, and it's going to be interesting to see how Mike and Kyle Shanahan game-plan against them. One thing to note on this is that the teams the Bucs have faced—the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys—all have offensive lines that are struggling.

Hi-res-6605552_crop_exact Morris is RG3's best friend on the gridiron.
Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

After Week 4, the Redskins take on the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings at home, followed by a road trip to face the New York Giants.

All three teams have big-time pass-rush capabilities, and the best way to combat a strong pass rush is by running the ball. 

 

Analysis

Start Morris. Sit Royster. Wait on Grant. 

Morris is going to be the main man for the Redskins going forward, and that's a good thing for the Redskins and for fantasy owners who picked Morris up when he was still an unknown. 

If he is somehow still available in your fantasy league, make sure you grab Morris as fast as you can. He's the balance in the Redskins offense that is and will continue to be Robert Griffin III's best friend all season long. 

Morris may not be a dynamo in the passing game, but I expect him to average more than 20 carries per game the rest of the year. He'll likely end up with at least 10 rushing touchdowns by the end of the season as long as he stays healthy. 

 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78