Trent Richardson's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Ahmad Bradshaw's Surgery

Trent Richardson is an intriguing fantasy football running back in his own right, but he has become even more noteworthy after the latest injury news concerning teammate Ahmad Bradshaw. 

The Indianapolis Colts have reportedly lost Bradshaw for the remainder of the 2013 season. As relayed by Pro Football Talk, he's going in for season-ending neck surgery, meaning Trent Richardson will be heavily leaned upon for the rest of the year:

Fantasy owners expecting Richardson to turn into an Arian Foster-type scorer should temper their short-term expectations, but there's no doubt Richardson has a chance to really shine in the second half of the season.

Since the Colts acquired Richardson in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the former Alabama star has yet to break out with a huge game, but he's proven effective in goal-line situations. 

Following up a rookie campaign in which he rushed for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns, Richardson's sophomore season has been underwhelming to this point. In five games, he's rushed for 256 yards and two touchdowns on 82 carries for an average of just 3.1 yards per attempt.    

Though Richardson received the bulk of the carries in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, it was backup Donald Brown who made the biggest impact. Brown scored the only rushing touchdown of the game and averaged 6.2 yards per carry against a stingy Seahawks defense. 

Since he's arrived in Indianapolis, Richardson has carried the ball 51 times in three games as he continues to get acclimated to the offense. 

Going forward, expect the Colts to continue utilizing Richardson as the power back, and he'll continue to receive a heavy dose of carries. 

To this point, he hasn't yet been involved in the passing game, catching just one ball for six yards. But as Richardson becomes more comfortable with Indy's playbook and earns the trust of offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton as a pass-blocker, he'll emerge as a receiving threat for the Colts. 

Next up for Indianapolis and Richardson are the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football. The Chargers have struggled to defend the run this year, allowing 117.2 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. 

Richardson should have a big game playing in front of a national audience in Week 6, and he's going to continue getting better the longer he plays with his new teammates. 

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