Daniel Thomas Injury: Is This Bad News for Reggie Bush Fantasy Owners?

The Miami Dolphins rookie running back Daniel Thomas has had a very inconsistent first season. At times, he has showed why he was a second round selection, but injuries have really limited his effectiveness. Miami planned to use Thomas as their power-back to complement Reggie Bush.

Thomas as only seen action in four of the Dolphins' first seven games, and is expected to miss this week's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Thomas' injury problems are not only hurting his own fantasy stock, but also hurting the fantasy future of Reggie Bush.

With Thomas out of the lineup, Bush is going to get an increased workload. This is good short term news for Bush owners, but it has negative long term implications. Throughout his career, Bush has always been a part of a time share, even dating back to his days at USC.

The thought is that with his size, Bush cannot hold up for an entire season as the featured back. This thought process has been proven to be correct. Bush's NFL career has been impacted by nagging injuries and missed time.

Reggie Bush fantasy owners have to feel a little worried about Bush's increased workload. Bush has never eclipsed more than 155 carries in a season. So far this season, Bush has tallied 75 carries, which puts him on pace for around 150 total carries. However, the more time Daniel Thomas misses, the more carries Bush will receive.

Bush has not remained healthy for an entire season since his rookie year. Fantasy owners of Reggie Bush need to feel a little uneasy about his increased workload. Ideally, you would want to see Bush get about 12 carries and catch around five passes. That amount of touches should allow Bush to produce some decent fantasy numbers.

However, Bush is looking at possibly receiving around 25 carries. This will also limit his impact in the passing game. Bush will likely be asked to stay in and pass protect more than usual. With a healthy Thomas, the Dolphins could have used Bush in the slot and Thomas as an extra blocker.