Jeremy Langford, DeAngelo Williams and Kendall Gaskins are among the players who received opportunities to produce on Sunday because of a rash of injuries to hit the league, and they are players worth looking at for fantasy football owners.
Jeremy Langford received his opportunities as Matt Forte’s backup for the Chicago Bears. Forte left Sunday’s game against Minnesota in the third quarter with a knee injury. Langford, a rookie from Michigan State, came in and rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries. Entering the game he hadn’t done much for his career, as he had recorded just 34 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. But if Forte is to miss any time, Langford is a player you will want to pick up.
Sadly, Le’Veon Bell got hurt for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cincinnati Bengals. DeAngelo Williams is the backup there and broke out a big run of 55 yards. As anyone who watched the first two games of the season could tell you, Williams is a more than capable backup for Bell. If Williams is available in your league, pick him up immediately.
The San Francisco 49ers were hit hard by injuries. The week they released Jarryd Hayne, they saw a bunch of running backs get hurt. Carlos Hyde was already out for them with an injury, then Mike Davis left with a hand injury against the Rams, and Reggie Bush suffered an injury after getting hurt on the concrete sidelines. Enter Kendall Gaskins. He stepped in and took lead back duties for the 49ers. The problem is Gaskins has never done anything in his NFL career. Worse yet, he plays on a crappy team that has no offense. We don’t like him too much as an option and we expect the 49ers to add some depth during the week.
Khiry Robinson is another running back who suffered an injury in Week 8 of the NFL season. The New Orleans Saints already have a crowded backfield, so there isn’t exactly a chance to pick up a running back there. Mark Ingram is probably already owned in your league and he’ll be the one seeing more action. C.J. Spiller may also see more action depending on how bad the injury is to Robinson, so he is an option if he’s available in your league.
To recap: I’d rank running back fantasy pickups in the following order – Williams, Langford, Spiller and Gaskins. If it looks like Bell’s injury is not as serious while Forte’s is, I’d reverse the order on Williams and Langford.
