CJ Anderson, Juwan Thompson's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Montee Ball Injury

Montee Ball's return to the lineup lasted less than a half. The Denver Broncos running back left Sunday's 22-8 loss to the St. Louis Rams after apparently re-aggravating his injured groin:

Ball missed the Broncos' last five games due to a strained groin. He returned this week as the backup to C.J. Anderson, who himself replaced Ball's replacement, Ronnie Hillman, in last week's win over the Oakland Raiders.   

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Hillman may miss up to six weeks with an injured foot. Anderson, in his second season out of Cal, will likely be the Broncos' primary back going forward purely based on health. Injuries to Ball and Hillman leave Denver with little else in the way of depth, though Juwan Thompson has been effective in short-yardage situations.

Player	Carries	Yards	YPC	TD	Receptions	Yards	YPC	Targets
C.J. Anderson	9	29	3.2	0	8	86	10.8	10
Juwan Thompson	0	0	0	0	1	5	5.0	1

Anderson flashed potential as a three-down back last week. He ran the ball 13 times for 90 yards, adding 73 yards and a touchdown receiving. Denver's ground game was largely held in check by St. Louis, with Anderson carrying the ball nine times for 29 yards. But Anderson has managed to avoid irrelevance by making a team-high eight receptions for 86 yards. 

With Thompson mostly off the field, it appears Anderson is the only Denver running back worth monitoring. He'll be a top-20 play in every format the rest of the way if he keeps his job. Be sure to monitor Thompson's snaps in short-yardage, though.

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