The Denver Broncos have found themselves with a shortage of running backs heading into Week 11. First Montee Ball was lost. Then Ronnie Hillman went down. That leaves CJ Anderson as the starting back and after a big game against the Oakland Raiders, he is looking up to the challenge. After being signed as an undrafted free agent, Andersen did not expect to be placed in this role so quickly, but the coaching staff has plenty of confidence in the second-year player.
Offensive coordinator Adam Gase is loving the momentum Anderson has heading into Week 11. The running back put up a solid performance against Oakland, rushing for 90 yards off 13 carries while adding another 73 off four catches for a touchdown. The highlight reel including a dump pass from Peyton Manning that Anderson then turned into a 51-yard score. He admits it was just him doing his job.
"I have two goals every week: Help the team. And be great. If the line keeps doing what they're doing, I want to make sure they shine," Anderson said, via the Denver Post. "You see how the veterans in our locker room work every day. I am going to put my head down and continue to work. That's all I know how to do."
While the Broncos are thankful for the progress of Anderson, getting Ball back on the field will help heading into the second half of the season. However, fantasy owners should not be so quick to put Ball back into their starting lineup. The running back only has a handful of practices under his belt and Anderson could still get the start. Ball has not been on the field since Oct. 5 and has worked out in a limited basis heading into Sunday's game.
"I was moving around pretty well," Ball said, via the team website. "we have great trainers, and I most definitely listened to them, and they brought me along perfectly, and this is around the time when they said, 'You'll feel good.' But it's still a process we're going along with to see how I feel (Thursday) and the next day, and we're going to go from there."
Having both Ball and Anderson will make up for the loss of Hillman which could be for the next three weeks. The running back limped off the field against the Raiders with an ankle injury and is not expected back for some time. Until then, Denver will hand off to Anderson until Ball is fully healthy again.
