Fantasy Football Breaking News: Pick Up Donald Brown as RB Insurance
With Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star reporting thatย Vick Ballard is now out for the season with a knee injury, I made a quick move for Donald Brown in a league where I was desperate for running back depth. Brown is a must-add in deeper leagues right away.
I lamented earlier this week in The Fantasy Football Week 2 Notebookย that an injury hadn't given us a good waiver option to consider at the running back position. We have one now.
It was just a year ago Brown looked headed for a career breakthrough. Vick Ballard stole his thunder by midseason and Ahmad Bradshaw put Brown on the roster bubble this preseason.
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Now Brown, who I listed at SI.com among the backs to watch in a contract year, figures to factor into the Colts' plans. Bradshaw has had chronic injury woes and isn't 100 percent yet. He might never be. Brown could be getting a significant amount of work for an offense that promises to be pretty potent in Indianapolis.
And, with all this said, don't start Brown in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins run defense that slowed Trent Richardson. Brown is a Bradshaw handcuff and a speculative add right now. He ranks No. 35 among the Week 2 fantasy options (see below).
In case you want a break down of all my fantasy moves to date, here they are, broken down by league type:
12-Team, PPR
Drop: Ryan Williams
Add: Robert Turbin
Drop: Josh Freeman
Add:ย Andy Dalton
12-Team, Standard Scoring
Drop: Martellus Bennett
Add: Le'Veon Bell
Drop: Ronnie Hillman
Add: Ben Tate
14-Team Keeper League, Standard Scoring
Add: Donald Brown
Drop: Eddie Royal
Add: Eddie Royal
Drop: Brandon Pettigrew
Drop: Coby Fleener
Add: Brandon Pettigrew
Drop: Lions D/ST
Add: Panthers D/ST
12-Team Keeper League, PPR
Add: Donald Brown
Drop: Eddie Royal
Add: Eddie Royal
Drop: Ryan Williams
Add: Julian Edelman
Drop: Mohamed Sanu
Drop: Steven Hauschka
Add: Dan Bailey
12-Team, Standard Scoring
Add: Julius Thomas
Drop: Zach Sudfeld
Traded: Chris Ivory
For: Shane Vereen
14-Team, Standard Scoring
Add: Brent Celek
Drop: Brandon Pettigrew
Add: Julian Edelman
Drop: Alex Smith
Add: Matt Prater
Drop: Graham Gano
| Rank | Running Backs | Team | Opponent | ECR | vs. ECR |
| 1 | Doug Martin | TB | vs. NO | 3 | +2 |
| 2 | Adrian Peterson | Min | at Chi | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | LeSean McCoy | Phi | vs. SD | 2 | -1 |
| 4 | Jamaal Charles | KC | vs. Dal | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | C.J. Spiller | Buf | vs. Car | 6 | +1 |
| 6 | Arian Foster | Hou | vs. Ten | 8 | +2 |
| 7 | Ray Rice | Bal | vs. Cle | 5 | -2 |
| 8 | Steven Jackson | Atl | vs. StL | 10 | +2 |
| 9 | Reggie Bush | Det | at Ari | 11 | +2 |
| 10 | Alfred Morris | Was | at GB | 12 | +2 |
| 11 | DeMarco Murray | Dal | at KC | 15 | +4 |
| 12 | Matt Forte | Chi | vs. Min | 7 | -5 |
| 13 | Marshawn Lynch | Sea | vs. SF | 13 | 0 |
| 14 | Ryan Mathews | SD | at Phi | 25 | +11 |
| 15 | Eddie Lacy | GB | vs. Was | 18 | +3 |
| 16 | Darren McFadden | Oak | vs. Jac | 17 | +1 |
| 17 | Trent Richardson | Cle | at Bal | 9 | -8 |
| 18 | Maurice Jones-Drew | Jac | at Oak | 14 | -4 |
| 19 | Stevan Ridley | NE | vs. NYJ | 16 | -3 |
| 20 | Frank Gore | SF | at Sea | 20 | 0 |
| 21 | Darren Sproles | NO | at TB | 21 | 0 |
| 22 | Chris Johnson | Ten | at Hou | 19 | -3 |
| 23 | DeAngelo Williams | Car | at Buf | 23 | 0 |
| 24 | Ben Tate | Hou | vs. Ten | 29 | +5 |
| 25 | Lamar Miller | Mia | at Ind | 26 | +1 |
| 26 | Rashard Mendenhall | Ari | vs. Det | 27 | +1 |
| 27 | Joique Bell | Det | at Ari | 30 | +3 |
| 28 | David Wilson | NYG | vs. Den | 22 | -6 |
| 29 | Daryl Richardson | StL | at Atl | 24 | -5 |
| 30 | Daniel Thomas | Mia | at Ind | 44 | +14 |
| 31 | Ahmad Bradshaw | Ind | vs. Mia | 28 | -3 |
| 32 | Knowshon Moreno | Den | at NYG | 33 | +1 |
| 33 | Da'Rel Scott | NYG | vs. Den | 48 | +15 |
| 34 | Fred Jackson | Buf | vs. Car | 35 | +1 |
| 35 | Donald Brown | Ind | vs. Mia | 59 | +24 |
| 36 | Montee Ball | Den | at NYG | 39 | +3 |
| 37 | Jacquizz Rodgers | Atl | vs. StL | 57 | +20 |
| 38 | Bernard Pierce | Bal | vs. Cle | 43 | +5 |
| 39 | Bryce Brown | Phi | vs. SD | 42 | +3 |
| 40 | Benjarvus Green-Ellis | Cin | vs. Pit | 31 | -9 |
| 41 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | at NE | 36 | -5 |
| 42 | Kendall Hunter | SF | at Sea | 64 | +22 |
| 43 | Pierre Thomas | NO | at TB | 40 | -3 |
| 44 | Jonathan Dwyer | Pit | at Cin | 53 | +9 |
| 45 | Giovani Bernard | Cin | vs. Pit | 32 | -13 |
| 46 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | at NE | 37 | -9 |
| 47 | Mark Ingram | NO | at TB | 41 | -6 |
| 48 | Isaac Redman | Pit | at Cin | 38 | -10 |
| 49 | Danny Woodhead | SD | at Phi | 46 | -3 |
| 50 | LaGarrette Blount | NE | vs. NYJ | 50 | 0 |
Eric Mack,ย one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report this season. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game. You can also listen to him on hisย podcastย that he deprecatingly dubbed theย Fantasyย FatCast.
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