Donald Brown's Full Fantasy Scouting Report Following Ryan Mathews' Injury

San Diego Chargers running back Donald Brown has been as far down as third in the backfield pecking order, but Ryan Mathews' recent injury is pushing Brown back to fantasy football relevance entering Week 3.

A brutal Sunday of injuries across the NFL was compounded by Mathews going down during the Chargers' upset victory over Seattle, with fans fearing the worst as he was carted off the field clutching his knee.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, San Diego shouldn't expect him back for at least a month:

The 26-year-old Mathews finished his first full 16-game regular season without injury in 2013, but has once again been hampered early in the season by an injury that could keep him out awhile. And once again, someone will step up and emerge in his place as a fantasy option.

Enter Brown. 

Ah, yes, most fantasy owners know Brown quite well, and many of them probably cringe at the prospect of buying high on the sixth-year pro after his up-and-down time in Indianapolis. He spent his first five seasons there, amassing at least 400 yards rushing in his last four while catching for over 200 yards in two of those years.

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Only, many of those seasons saw Brown as the feature back in the Colts offense—thus making his draft value considerably higher than his final stats would indicate.

But right now, the Chargers need him. And that should make him a very serviceable fantasy option starting Week 3, at least in the short term.

As UTSanDiego.com's Kevin Acee noted, Mathews' injury-prone past is exactly why Brown was brought in:

Danny Woodhead has been much more useful starting the season and is a fantasy dynamo on his own, but he's far from a running-between-the-tackles guy. While he gets his stats by making plays in space, Brown will be needed to pound the rock inside.

Plus, Woodhead already seemed to have his role carved out despite Mathews being healthy and playing throughout the first two games. His ability to step in for Mathews will be compromised by the role he already has.

Head coach Mike McCoy's ringing endorsement of Brown to ESPN's Eric D. Williams only further proves that he will be leaned upon in the coming weeks. 

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'Donald’s played a ton of football,' McCoy said. 'The number of snaps he got in Indy, in a very similar system when he was with Peyton [Manning], so coming here we knew exactly what he could do. So he played a lot of football, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him.'

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As CBS Sports' Jeff Borzello and Bleacher Report's Alessandro Miglio noted, now is the time to pick up Brown—not after he breaks out:

Looking at Brown's stats so far through two games don't really offer much to go on. His two carries in the season opener against the Chargers went for negative yards, and he only notched 31 total yards of offense against the Seahawks after Mathews' injury.

But with a week to prepare for Brown's extended role in the offense, and the reality of knowing their top guy will be out of order for a few weeks, the Chargers will make it a point to establish Brown in the run game.

The Chargers face a tough Bills defense that ranks fifth in the league through two games, but upcoming matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders should allow the Chargers to help Brown find the end zone a couple of times. 

Philip Rivers and the passing offense has been magnificent through two games, with a late Cardinals comeback the only thing standing between them and a 2-0 record. If he can keep up what he was able to do against the Seahawks, the run game will establish itself with front sevens backing off in pass coverage.

We saw what Brown was able to do throughout stretches as the top back in a Peyton Manning-led Colts offense. Rivers is no Manning, but few quarterbacks can dominate a secondary better. 

Plus, the Chargers' potent passing game will open up more touches for Brown—a back who has nearly 800 receiving yards for his career.

He's already owned in 89.9 of ESPN fantasy leagues, so in the off chance he's available on your league's waiver wire, he probably won't be there for long.

Brown's relevance in fantasy football will likely evaporate when Mathews returns to the field, but it's looking like that will be sooner rather than later. Until that happens, Brown is at least worth picking up to see how his role in the offense evolves. 

Note: All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.

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