The Denver Broncos have CJ Anderson playing well in place of Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman as they deal with injury issues and fantasy football owners should start him at running back in Week 14, while Julius Thomas is on his way back from being injured and could play on Sunday, although fantasy owners in the playoffs should keep an eye on Jacob Tamme just in case.
The Broncos have been getting some strong play from Anderson and he could end up staying as the number one back even after Hillman and Ball return to full strength. Anderson has been the lead back for a number of weeks and with Ball dealing with a lingering groin injury, Anderson has made the most of his opportunities. Last week Anderson had over 160 yards in the win against the Chiefs and that type or production should keep him in as a starter in fantasy and for the Broncos.
According to Pro Football Talk, Thomas is not practicing in full yet and has been back in a limited capacity this week leading up to Sunday. Jacob Tamme is also dealing with a rib and back issue and was held out of practice. The Broncos come in after a win against the Chiefs and Thomas was inactive in that game along with Ball and Hillman. Anderson came through once again and now he is poised to start for the Broncos against the Bills on Sunday.
Buffalo has a strong run defense, but with the Broncos passing game spreading things out, Anderson could find some holes again. Juwan Thompson may get some carries, but the main role will be for Anderson, who has over 300 yards rushing in his last two games. Over his last three games Anderson has 14 catches and two touchdowns overall and this season he is averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Hillman played well coming in for Ball, but he was ruled out for over a month with a knee injury.
Hillman has 378 yards rushing this season and he has already surpassed his numbers from last year when he had 218 yards in nine games. Hillman has played in seven games this season and had two 100-yard performances and he has 20 catches for 137 yards on the season. Anderson, Ball and Hillman have done a good job at making up for Knowshon Moreno's production, as he was not signed after rushing for over 1000 yards last season.
Ball is not practicing this week with his groin injury and he has just 172 yards this season in five games. Ball had a strong rookie season with 558 yards rushing and four touchdowns and he comes in with 20 catches for 145 yards this season. Anderson will likely remain the starter moving forward and even if Ball and Hillman return, he should get the bulk of the carries with the way he has played and those two will need time to get back to game speed anyway.
Thomas is having a strong season and the Broncos are hoping that he can return this week. Thomas has 12 touchdowns catches in 10 games and he has 40 receptions for 426 yards this season and could return this week or next week if the Broncos want to be cautious heading towards the playoffs.