Ben Tate's Latest Injury Proves That Fantasy Owners Can't Trust Him This Year

When it comes to Ben Tate, the story remains the same. He's a pretty talented runner, sure, but he can't stay healthy. And because of that, he simply isn't a reliable option for fantasy owners.

He hasn't been able to avoid the injury bug in the past, even as Arian Foster's backup during his Houston Texans days. And already in the 2014 season—with a starting spot for the Cleveland Browns firmly in his possession—he's lived up to his injury-prone reputation.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has the report:

Earlier in the day, Cabot reported on the potential duration of the injury:

Yikes.

In his first four seasons in the league, Tate missed a whopping 24 games due to injury. He's had a buffet's variety of injuries in that time, and when you consider that he's never had more than 181 carries or 215 total touches in a season, it was always hard to imagine him sustaining a full workload as a team's starter without missing time to injury.

And already, he's proved that concern to be a viable one. Cian Fahey of Bleacher Report perhaps summed it up best:

"

Ben Tate is such a fool's gold RB. Fortunate for CLE they appear to have good young guys.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) September 10, 2014"

What's worse is that even when Tate comes back, it's hard to see fantasy owners being able to trust him. For starters, the Browns coaching staff isn't going to give him a huge workload given his constant injury concerns. And now, both Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell have the chance to prove they should be the top option.

Both have started that campaign strongly. West was excellent in relief of Tate on Sunday, rushing 16 times for 100 yards. Crowell made the most of his chances as well, rushing five times for 32 yards and two touchdowns. If they keep up that type of production, the Browns aren't going to need to rely solely on Tate going forward.

Instead, we'll almost certainly see the dreaded running back-by-committee approach.

USA TODAY Sports

It gets worse. If Josh Gordon happens to get reinstated—still a possibility as the NFL and NFLPA negotiate a new drug policy—Brian Hoyer (or Johnny Manziel) will have another weapon in the passing game alongside Jordan Cameron, and the Browns will surely have a more balanced attack. 

In essence, Tate went from being the man likely to be the center of the offense in Week 1 to a player who could find himself extremely devalued in the Cleveland scheme whenever he returns from injury. 

Don't get me wrong, Tate is talented enough to earn a niche with the Browns this season, and he's proved to be a reliable player when on the field, averaging a healthy 4.8 yards per carry in his career. But if you think Cleveland is going to risk consistently giving him 20-25 touches a game, well, think again.

Tate had his chance to be the clear-cut starter. He had his chance to prove his injury woes were behind him. Unfortunately—and I honestly feel bad for the guy—he couldn't stay on the field once again. Fantasy owners simply can't trust Tate this year despite his high expectations coming into the season.

Hit me up on Twitter—I'll answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. It's more fun than karate class with Antonio Brown.