Montee Ball's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Knowshon Moreno Injury

It was a tough night for the Denver Broncos, losing 34-31 in overtime to the New England Patriots.  To make things worse, Knowshon Moreno was hurt in the game, and that means that Montee Ball could potentially have to step up.

According to Joan Niesen from the Denver Post, Moreno left the stadium with a boot on his foot, and that certainly isn't what you want to see from your starting running back:

Moreno was clearly in pain by the end of the game.  He had a monster performance, carrying the ball 37 times for 224 yards and a touchdown.  However, if he's forced to miss any time, Ball will need to step up in order to keep things moving for the Broncos.

In the loss, Ball finished with 40 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving, but he also had a crucial fumble, giving him five points in ESPN's standard scoring leagues.  He now has just 262 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 75 carries this year, but there's now a chance he could be getting an extended role in the offense.

Still, the fumble could put Ball in the doghouse, and that's never where you want to be as a backup running back, because his role in the offense could be lessened even with the Moreno injury.  This was his third fumble lost this season, and that's a very concerning numbers.

Overall, Ball should probably still sit on the bench this week unless the coaching staff specifically says they plan on giving him more carries.  Ball-handling is an issue for him, and that could keep him from getting the touches that fantasy owners would like to see.