Peyton Hillis Injury: 3 Fantasy Football Replacements for Cleveland RB

The Cleveland Browns declared Peyton Hillis inactive for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins, fantasy football owners need to find a replacement in a hurry.

After a slow start in Week 1, Peyton Hillis reminded people last week why he was such a hot commodity during the 2010 season.

Hillis rushed for 94 yards with two touchdowns totaling 21 fantasy points. Just as importantly, his 27 carries showed his value for to the Browns and that he would be a consistent force all season long.

Unfortunately, he is out this week from strep throat. If you are stuck in a tight spot looking for a replacement, here are three players that you can pick up today and will help you out.

Montario Hardesty

The first place to look when a player goes down is to the man who is replacing him. In this case, that man is Montario Hardesty.

Hardesty was a second-round pick in the 2010 draft, but missed the entire season due to a torn ACL. Peyton Hillis jumped on the opportunity to become the starting running back and never looked back.

Finally, Hardesty has an opportunity to shine.

He only has eight carries this year, but with Hillis out, expect him to receive at least 20 touches. While this might be a bit of a risky play, he has plenty of potential to have a breakout game that can carry him to more playing time this season.

Roy Helu

Last week against the Arizona Cardinals, Roy Helu rushed for 74 yards and had 38 receiving yards. Still, he is only 31 percent of leagues own him.

Tim Hightower is still the starting running back for the Washington Redskins, but in the second half of last Sunday's game, Helu looked good.

The rookie from Nebraska has an imposing stature, is fast and runs downhill. He does not like to dance around with the defenders, and Mike Shanahan loves that.

Helu looks to have an increased role as the season progresses, and you should not be surprised if he started taking some goal line carries away from Hightower starting this week.

Dexter McCluster

This would be a high-risk play, but if you are in a desperate situation it might be a good idea to grab Dexter McCluster and start him this week.

With Jamaal Charles out for the season, the Kansas City Chiefs look to McCluster to do his best to replace the Pro Bowl running back.

Thomas Jones will get the bulk of the carries, but he does not possess the game-changing ability that McCluster has. The second-year player from Mississippi can score from anywhere in the field. In fantasy, it is nice to have a player capable of scoring 10 to 15 points in a single play.

Only 38 percent of leagues own McCluster, but he should be someone who is grabbed immediately. In most leagues he can be used as a running back or wide receiver, which is something that will possess a lot of value as the season progresses.

He had 12 touches last week, and those numbers are only going to increase without Charles in his way. With the speed that this player has, 15 to 20 touches might be enough to have a very productive fantasy week.