Fantasy Football Week 3 Projections: Why Peyton Hillis Is a Bad Play

After a subpar outing in Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis got things going in the team's Week 2 win over the Indianapolis Colts. While that is encouraging news for fantasy owners, the fact that Browns coach Pat Shurmur wants to cut back on Hillis' workload is not.

In Week 1, the Madden 12 cover boy carried the ball 17 times for 57 yards, and caught six passes for 30 more in a 27-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. This past Sunday in Indianapolis, Hillis had 27 rushes for 94 yards and two touchdowns, while adding four receptions for 23 yards.

That gives Hillis 54 touches through two weeks, which is a lot, considering he's a bruising back who dishes out and takes a lot of punishment on almost every carry. Hillis' current yards per carry average of 3.4 is down from 3.9 over the final eight games of last season.

Shurmur plans to use Montario Hardesty more as a change of pace from Hillis' style. Hardesty played just one snap in the Browns' win this Sunday, but expect him to get more use as soon as this weekend.

The Browns face Miami on Sunday, and the Dolphins currently have the worst defense in the NFL, allowing 483.5 yards per game. While that sounds like the kind of game Hillis could go nuts in, don't expect big numbers from the big back this week.

The Dolphins will do whatever it takes to make this one a shootout, and they will dare Browns quarterback Colt McCoy to beat them with his arm. Yes, Hillis will get some carries, but Miami will stack the line and make it difficult for him to break loose. He might get some red zone chances, but if you've got a better option, this is the week to use it.

Hillis is a great back, but with his slow, bruising style he's not the kind of guy you want out there in a shootout. He may get you some points, but if you've got a more favorable matchup this week, take it.