Fantasy Football: How C.J. Spiller's Injury Affects Buffalo Bills' RB Rotation

It appears that the starting tailback position in Buffalo is snake-bitten to start the 2012 NFL season.

In Week 1, incumbent starter Fred Jackson left a road matchup against the New York Jets with a sprained right-knee ligament.

He finished that game with six carries for 15 yards.

In Jackson’s stead, C.J. Spiller came on strong in the backup role. Getting 14 carries against the Jets, Spiller shocked New York with 169 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Bills proceeded to get blown out in their divisional game.

Spiller was the starter in Week 2 for the Buffalo Bills with Fred Jackson out. This time, the Bills were the team to deliver the knockout blow to the Kansas City Chiefs. They did so behind Spiller’s 15 carries for 123 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Spiller also caught three passes for 47 yards.

Taking the fantasy world by storm, Spiller was a consensus top-10 fantasy running back entering Week 3 as the highest scorer at the RB position through the first two weeks.

He began his assault on the Cleveland Browns early.

With four carries for 16 yards in the first quarter, Spiller added a couple of catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.

Then, as reported by NFL.com’s Marc Sessler, C.J. Spiller was forced out of the game, as a shoulder injury ended his afternoon early.

Fred Jackson is expected to be under consideration to fill the role of Bills starting running back as early as Week 4 (h/t Yahoo! Sports).

If he can’t go, Tashard Choice may be the next featured back for the Bills in 2012 for at least one game.

The Bills play against the New England Patriots in Week 4. They have not been particularly kind to running backs in recent weeks, giving up just four yards to Chris Johnson in Week 1 and 57 yards to the duo of Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams in Week 2.

Choice, therefore, is not expected to have a huge game in Week 4 even if he gets the start. However, he is now worth a roster spot in fantasy football.

If Spiller misses extended time and Fred Jackson’s knee is right, Jackson becomes a top-10 fantasy running back.