Jerome Ford, Tony Jones Jr. Fantasy Value After Nick Chubb, Jamaal Williams Injuries

It's been a tough week for NFL running backs on the injury front.

With Saquon Barkley and Austin Ekeler both already expected to miss an extended period of time, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Jamaal Williams of the New Orleans Saints both went down with their own injuries in their respective Monday night matchups.

Chubb in particular had a bright start to the season with 106 yards in the Browns' season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He had to be carted with what looked like a nasty knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.

As for Williams, he was expected to be at the center of the Saints' rushing attack as the team awaits Alvin Kamara's return from his three-game suspension to start the year. He suffered a hamstring injury during the second quarter of the Saints' win over the Carolina Panthers.

And while both players will be greatly missed by their respective squads, particularly Chubb who is one of the elite rushing talents in the game, this opens the door for other guys to take a big step up.

Second-year back Jerome Ford is expected to take over the starting role in Cleveland with Chubb out of commission. And given how much coach Kevin Stefanski loves to pound the rock, he could immediately be in line for RB1-type of numbers.

Ford quickly showed flashes of what he could be in the Browns' offense.

The former University of Cincinnati standout really showed out on a 69-yard run in the third quarter. He also added a receiving touchdown to his tally, which increases his fantasy appeal.

On the Saints' side of things, Tony Jones Jr. looks like he may take over the ball-carrying duties next week. And while he definitely handled a lot of the goal line work from Williams, ending the night with two touchdowns, there are some concerns regarding his fantasy value.

First off, unlike Ford, Jones' fantasy value may be very short term as Kamara is expected to return in Week 4 and will quickly work his way into RB1 territory. Also, it's not great that Jones was out rushed by Taysom Hill, who finished with 75 yards to Jones' 34.

So, while Jones may be a good waiver pick-up for next week, Ford has much more longevity and appeal moving forward.