The New York Giants and fantasy owners everywhere suffered a big injury when Andre Brown went down with a broken leg and after initially saying he could be back quickly, it appears that he will be out at least half the season after going on short-term IR, making names like Isaac Redman, Felix Jones, Vick Ballard and Bryce Brown possible fantasy replacements for him.
According to Pro Football Talk, Brown was placed on IR with the eligibility to return this season, meaning he will be out for the first eight games, making his earliest return in Week 10 vs. the Oakland raiders, which comes after the team bye week in Week 9. Brown was supposed to be the primary running back and goal line back for the Giants this season along with David Wilson, but after breaking his leg in the final preseason game he will miss half the year after breaking his leg and missing six games last season.
Last season Brown led the team with eight touchdowns in 10 games and now he will have to tray and come back again from a leg injury. Brown initially thought that he could come back without going on IR, but clearly the Giants did not agree and now they will move on with Wilson as their primary back and Da'Rell Scott as well as Michael Cox on the depth chart. Many were relying on Brown to be a fantasy starter this year and his injury threw a number of owners for a spin and now they need to find some sort of replacement if they didn't get the chance to handcuff David Wilson to him. Last season Brown had 385 yards on 73 carries behind Ahmad Bradshaw and now that the veteran is with the Colts, he was expecting to get starting carries.
Wilson obviously is elevated in nearly every league and while many owners have picked him high anyway, he still could be had in some leagues, along with Ballard, Brown and Redman, who all could put up solid numbers as owners wait for Brown's return. Two players that could be used as holdovers until Brown's return are Isaac Redman and Felix Jones, as they are expected to be the two main backs to step in while Le'Veon Bell is out with a foot injury.
Bell was expected to be the starter and with Jonathan Dwyer, last year's rushing leader getting cut, it will be Redman and Jones making up for the production. While Bell is expected to be back semi-soon, this may only be short term, but it could be very productive, as the Steelers are going to be running the ball a lot this season. Jones was acquired in a trade this offseason after playing with the Cowboys and signing with the Eagles and now he is with the Steelers. Redman rushed for 410 yards and two scores last season and he likely will be the first option in Week 1 and could be a nice spot starter.
Ballard is a very interesting option after breaking out with the Colts last season and now that they added Ahmad Bradshaw, he actually could end up being more effective in the running and passing game. Last season he had over 200 carries for 814 yards and that means he should get plenty of looks from Andrew Luck this year. Brown is another solid option in Chip Kelly's offense, as LeSean McCoy has dealt with injuries the past couple years and since Kelly moves so fast, he will need to be changing out backs frequently. All these players might be able to soften the blow of losing Brown.
