Lamar Miller's Updated Fantasy Outlook After Knowshon Moreno's Injury

Lamar Miller couldn't earn his opportunity by beating out Knowshon Moreno in training camp, but it appears an injury to the veteran will give him a chance anyway.   

Moreno suffered an elbow injury in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills and has already been ruled out for a return, the Dolphins announced.

The sixth-year back was injured on his first carry of the game, a four-yard gain on a drive that ended in a blocked punt. There is no word on the severity of his injury, but it didn't look good on the field and his ailments are already piling up. Moreno was limited in practice all week due to a shoulder injury.

"He’s very competitive,” head coach Joe Philbin told reporters. “He’s very enthusiastic and loves the opportunity to compete and play. But he’s been very coachable on the sideline. I think he’s been fine."

Being ruled out early in the first quarter isn't a good sign—especially given the awkward way he landed. It's also disappointing for owners who had banked on Moreno being able to extend the line of good faith he engendered in Week 1. 

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

Moreno opened his 2014 campaign with a 134-yard, one-touchdown breakout against New England that seemingly established him as the Dolphins running back fantasy owners want. Miller also scored on a four-yard reception and was more involved in the passing game, though he still wound up with nine fewer touches.

With Moreno out, Miller received a lion's share of the touches. He had 46 yards on 11 carries while adding two receptions for seven yards. The Dolphins offense was a shell of its high-flying form from last week, scoring only one touchdown in a 29-10 loss. 

The only other running back on Miami's depth chart is rookie Damien Williams, who carried the ball five times for 19 yards. Williams was an undrafted free agent who signed with Miami out of the University of Oklahoma. 

All judgement here has to be held until the severity of Moreno's injury is known. This week's games have already started; we cannot go back and retroactively insert Miller into the starting lineup. If this is a long-term issue, obviously Miller becomes valuable as a low-end RB2 and flex play.

We have enough of a sample from Miller to know he's not suddenly going to burst onto the scene and become a superstar; at best, he's serviceable. In 239 NFL carries coming into this week Miller had scored three touchdowns. He's never had a run longer than 50 yards. Even his work in the passing game tends to come on short dump downs that rarely go anywhere of significance.

A running back who gets carries has value in today's running back market. The likes of Steven Jackson, Toby Gerhart, etc. are startable on a week-to-week basis because we know they'll at least get a lion's share of their team's work. Miller falls into that strata if Moreno is seriously injured. If not, well, [shrugs].

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