Tim Hightower Injury: Will Redskins RB Lose Carries to Ryan Torain, Roy Helu?

Washington Redskins running back Tim Hightower didn't play any snaps in Week 6 while nursing a shoulder injury, and head coach Mike Shanahan has said that he won't start Hightower until the back is 100 percent healthy.

Though he practiced on Friday and is officially listed as probable, that likely does not mean that he's healthy enough for Shanhan to start him. He will be losing his carries to fellow backs Ryan Torain and Roy Helu today against the Carolina Panthers, with Torain getting the majority of the action.

Torain got the start last week in the Redskins' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that saw the Washington running attack held to just 42 total yards.

Whether this is a failure of the offensive line, the individual backs or a revitalized Eagles' run defense won't be known until we see how Torain and Helu manage against the Panthers this afternoon, but it is curious that Shanhan won't play Hightower if he's not at full health.

Shanhan is notorious for replacing one starting back with another, with little to no warning, so it's not surprising that Torain and Helu are now in their coach's favor. However, it's hard to determine when Hightower will resume his starting role, or if he ever will this season.

Helu will be the primary back in the passing game, while Torain will be the lead rusher this Sunday. However, if the Panthers mimic the manner in which the Eagles defense—previously one of the worst squads against the run in the NFL—shut down the Redskins' running game, Shanahan may have to consider another rearrangement of his running back rotation before next week's game against the Buffalo Bills.