Fantasy Football Week 8: Michael Bush and Backup RBs Ready To Produce

As with every cloud of injuries in fantasy football, the spate of NFL running backs who went down in Week 7 gave way to a silver lining of backups who are poised to shine in their place. These three guys, in particular, sport the right combination of talent and opportunity to help your fantasy team succeed off the waiver wire.

Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders

Michael Bush has always been oozing with ability and will finally have the opportunity to showcase it now that Darren McFadden is hobbled by a sprained foot. Bush racked up 111 total yards for the Raiders against the Chiefs on Sunday while absorbing most of McFadden's touches.

With a bye in Week 8, McFadden should be back in time for Oakland's next game against Denver, though that should hardly disqualify Bush from getting some serious fantasy looks. McFadden has struggled to stay healthy ever since he came into the league. As such, he figures to pull up lame at least once or twice more this season, at which point Bush would become the focal point of the Raiders' run-first offense.

Ryan Torain, Washington Redskins

Word out of Washington is that Tim Hightower may have torn his ACL in the Redskins' 33-20 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. A devastating injury of that sort would finally put Ryan Torain at the top of Mike Shanahan's depth chart, where he belongs.

Not to take anything away from Hightower, who had a solid performance before going down (17 carries for 88 yards), but the guy runs like he's got his eyes closed with the way in which he hits and misses with such maddening inconsistency.

Torain, on the other hand, is a big 'back with some shake-and-bake ability, which he demonstrated in a 135-yard performance against the Rams earlier this season.

The 'Skins don't have the most ground-friendly slate upcoming, but Torain will get plenty of carries nonetheless, especially with John Beck still finding his way at quarterback.

Alfonso Smith, Arizona Cardinals

The injury bug bit Hightower's old team this weekend as well, leaving Beanie Wells with a knee injury.

His replacement, Alfonso Smith, only garnered five carries in his stead but came up with 17 yards and a touchdown. The Cards have an interesting mix of good and bad run defenses coming up on the schedule, though two games against the Rams and one against the Eagles should be enough to make Smith a solid flex play over the next month or so.