Apologies to anyone who listened to our advice to pick up running back Ronnie Hillman during the week with the expectation that he would start for the Denver Broncos. John Fox pulled a fast one on all of us.
Knowshon Moreno, who is a former first-round pick but has been a bust for Denver, surprisingly got the start on Sunday for the Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs. He actually performed well, rushing for 85 yards on 20 carries and adding four catches for 26 yards. That was after amassing just 15 yards on eight carries the entire season (he had been a healthy scratch since Week 2).
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported before the game on Sunday that Moreno was getting the start because he’s the best of the three backs in pass protection, and because he had a good history against the Chiefs. Hillman only carried the ball three times for nine yards.
Though there is some admitted uncertainty at the Broncos running back position, it now appears as if Moreno is the one to own with Willis McGahee out. Keep in mind that Moreno frequently gets injured, so if you did pick up Hillman, try to keep him on your roster if you have an extra spot.
You can keep up with Knowshon Moreno news at his Rotoworld page.
Michael Bush‘s situation is a lot more straight-forward. Bush saw carries early for the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings, and then he took over every down after Matt Forte re-injured his ankle in the third quarter. Bush finished with 21 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears.
Bush is a load at 245 pounds and is a durable back. We know from his past with Oakland that he can handle every-down duties, so he should make for a good pickup. Monitor the status of Forte’s ankle to know what kind of workload you can expect Bush to have next weekend against the Seahawks.
