Trent Richardson's Updated Week 4 Fantasy Outlook After Ahmad Bradshaw's Injury

Trent Richardson’s fantasy value just skyrocketed after Ahmad Bradshaw was declared out for the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After missing practice this week with a neck injury, NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano confirmed what many expected:

Chances are you probably already own Richardson. Most people do and likely spent high draft choices on the former star Alabama running back. With Bradshaw out, you just might get RB1 production out your investment this weekend.

Indianapolis is traveling to play Jacksonville in Week 4, a team that’s currently in shambles. At 0-3 and with seemingly no hope on the horizon, this is the perfect week for T-Rich to get back on track.

After being traded from Cleveland to Indianapolis midway through Week 3, Richardson received a healthy workload while splitting time with Bradshaw. With Bradshaw out and Richardson practicing all week in preparation for a big game, he’ll undoubtedly be ready to pour it on the Jags this weekend.

And Jacksonville doesn’t exactly have a tough rush defense. It’s currently giving up 167.7 yards per game on the ground. But the Jags have only given up two rushing touchdowns through three games.

That will change this week for Richardson, who will get multiple chances to score in a game where the Colts will find the end zone plenty of times.

Moving forward, Richardson is going to continue to get opportunities regardless of Bradshaw’s status. I don’t like him as a must-start RB1 every week, so I won’t always recommend starting him once Bradshaw is healthy.

Bradshaw clearly outplayed him against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, but let’s wait and see how he does with more than a couple of days of practice under his belt before leaping to any conclusions. Still, his low 3.5 yards-per-carry career average is something to monitor.

If he blows up against Jacksonville, you may want to consider unloading him in a trade. He does have value as a fantasy back, but I’m still not sold on his production moving forward. With a runner who struggles to break big plays—just two runs of 20 yards or longer in 18 NFL games—it’ll be hard for him to have a big fantasy impact while sharing carries with Bradshaw.

Richardson exploding in Week 4 is the best thing that could happen for you. You could win your matchup because of it and get top dollar if, wisely, you decide to listen and unload him.