The Denver Broncos are coming into the Week 10 schedule with RB Montee Ball banged up and fantasy football owners should look to start Ronnie Hillman, Juwan Thompson or CJ Anderson, as those running backs will be the main options for Peyton Manning over the weekend with Ball out, with Hillman coming in as the starter after a strong game last week.
Hillman suffered an ankle injury last week during the opening quarter of the game against the Patriots, but that ended up being a small issue and he was able to return. Hillman led the way with over 50 total yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos and he is a strong start option going forward even when Ball returns. Thompson is a boom or bust option, but he is a solid pickup in deeper leagues and will step up if Hillman goes down.
Hillman has been very solid for the Broncos this season and he complicated things for Montee Ball owners and the Broncos with how he has performed. Ball will be eased back in no matter what and with the way Hillman has played, he could be pushed into more of a backup role over the final stretch of the season. Hillman has been impressive and he has already set a career high for carries along with yards and touchdowns this season as well as receptions.
Hillman has 365 yards in six games this season with 18 catches and that puts him over where he was two years ago with 327 yards and one touchdown with 10 receptions. Hillman played in just nine games last season and had 55 carries and now he has shown he can handle the load. Hillman had 17 touches last week and now he has had at least 17 touches in each of his last four games and in the one before that he had 15 carries. Hillman had just 16 yards on the ground against the Pats, but he added seven catches for 47 yards through the air.
Hillman has two 100-yard games this season and one was two weeks ago against the Chargers and that play will keep him in the top spot for now. Ball has just 172 yards this season in four games and while he is heading towards coming back soon, he is not ready yet. According to Pro Football Talk, Ball could begin practicing this week and could come in as questionable for Week 10, but that still makes Hillman the better option.
Thompson is an option in deeper leagues, as he had two touchdowns the week before last, but against the Pats he did not do much. The Broncos threw the ball a ton in that game and that was likely a factor and now he has the chance to backup Hillman until Ball returns. Last week he had just six yards in the game, but in Week 9 he had seven carries for 24 yards and two scores. Desperate fantasy owners could look at Thompson and he is a decent option at least until Ball returns. Hillman is the starter for now and owners should go with his hot hand.
