Tim Hightower's Injury Guarantees Big Day for RB Ryan Torain

Tim Hightower is healthy enough to play, but he isn't likely to have a big workload today. Ryan Torain is going to lead this team in carries against the Eagles.

This is result is going to be a combination of his injury and the emergence of Torain.

Torain's Emergence

Torain came out of nowhere on the Redskins' depth chart last week to lead the team in carries and yards. Torain had the hot hand and Shanahan rode him.

He ended with 19 carries and over 130 yards. He was by far the best Redskin running back on this day.

Shanahan has always been a coach that rides the hot hand in the backfield. Even if Hightower were healthy, it was likely that Torain would have been given the chance to prove that he could keep producing.

Expected Stat Line

The Eagles' have been absolutely horrible on rush defense. They are allowing the most points to opposing running backs of any NFL team. That is going to make for a big day for the Redskins RBs.

Torain: 20 carries, 115 yards, 1 touchdown

Hightower: 7 carries, 29 yards, 0 touchdowns

What This Means Going Forward

I wouldn't put too much stock into any one game for the Redskins' running backs. While another good performance for Torain may push him closer to the starting lineup, the starter in Washington means very little.

This is a fluid situation, and it is going to remain that way.