Ben Tate's Fantasy Owners Should Keep Browns RB as Value Fades After Injury

Fantasy football owners who drafted Ben Tate likely had to utilize a high draft pick in order to acquire him. He proceeded to get just six carries in the Cleveland Browns' season opener before going down with a knee injury.

It's not time to put him on the trade block, though.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported the ailment is going to keep him sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, though it's not a firm timetable:

Given the fact that Cleveland has a bye in Week 4, it's unlikely the team will rush him back. A return the following week would represent nearly a full month on the sidelines and, barring any setbacks, should find him back at full strength.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer passed along comments from the running back, who admitted the early bye week helps, which also points toward a Week 5 return:

The injury isn't the only concern, though. The Browns' backfield is crowded, with Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell both performing well in Tate's absence last week. They combined to gain 132 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

As a result, there are probably plenty of fantasy owners looking to dump the Cleveland starter because his value could plummet by the time he returns.

Therein lies the problem. It would be virtually impossible to move Tate right now and get anything close to an adequate return based on the investment. According to ESPN.com, his average draft position was 44.3, which equates to the third round in 12-team leagues.

Vernon Davis, Vincent Jackson and Percy Harvin are some of the players drafted in the same vicinity. None of the teams that drafted them will be rushing to offer them up for Tate.

It's far too soon to consider cutting Tate, too. Unless he were to suffer some type of issue that was going to force him to miss much more than a month, he has to remain on the roster.

That leaves fantasy owners with very few options. Unless another team makes an unexpectedly good offer featuring a return projected in the top 60 or so overall, the best route to take is simply stashing him on the bench until he's ready to return.

After his time with the Houston Texans, drafting Tate came with the understanding of injury risk. An issue popped up quicker than expected, but now it becomes a waiting game with the hope he can stay on the field once he does come back.

Matthew Berry of ESPN explained what to expect from the Cleveland backfield while he's out:

Ultimately, Tate still has the potential to serve as a rock-solid No. 2 running back upon his return. He was averaging nearly seven yards per carry in the opener before going down. With that said, the injury risk is going to remain throughout the campaign.

Perhaps if he comes back and puts up big numbers for a couple of games, an opportunity will arise to get better value for him.

For now, however, just keep him on the bench because the talent hit in order to move him would likely be too steep.