The Denver Broncos starting running back is a bit of a mystery right now.
Yes, technically, it’s C.J. Anderson. The Pro Bowler had a big finish to 2014 and emerged from training camp as the clear No. 1 back.
But anyone who paid attention to Gary Kubiak throughout August quickly realized just how high he was on Ronnie Hillman. So high, in fact, both Hillman and Juwan Thompson jumped Montee Ball on the depth chart and made the former second round pick expendable.
And then this past Sunday the Broncos couldn’t get anything going on the ground until a breakthrough fourth quarter drive led by Hillman at running back. Neither Anderson (12 carries, 29 yards) nor Hillman (12 carries, 41 yards) had a good day, but Hillman was clearly better. Throw in the fact Anderson is battling a nasty toe injury and is officially listed as questionable for tomorrow night’s game and there’s a good bet Hillman gets the majority of the carries against the Chiefs.
But does that mean Hillman is the starter moving forward? Let’s see how it all sorts out in this week’s running back rankings.
No. 3 — Juwan Thompson
https://twitter.com/DenvBroncosFan/status/640166830468829185
Thompson rested to close the preseason, but that didn’t translate to any carries in Week 1 against Baltimore. With Anderson potentially out, or at least hurting, it’d be a shocker if Thompson is once again shut out of the box score against the Chiefs. Some people love Thompson — as he clearly runs hard — he needs to make plays when he gets his chance.
No. 2 — C.J. Anderson
C.J. Anderson listed as questionable for Thursday night http://t.co/IKxTyR1G6K
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 16, 2015
Anderson’s status as Broncos starting running back should also be listed as “questionable.” Anderson had a nice stretch to end last season, but Kubiak has never been shy about shuffling around running backs. Think about guys like Mike Bell, Tatum Bell, Reuben Droughns, Mike Anderson, Quentin Griffin, Olandis Gary, etc.. Anderson could be next to disappear just as quickly as he emerged.
No. 1 — Ronnie Hillman
“Ronnie Hillman could eventually takeover as that star guy.”
– @Akbar_Gbaja pic.twitter.com/YCqv39dTwG
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 15, 2015
Look at the national media and fantasy “experts” finally catching on. No one cares about fantasy drafts (I know that) but this is nuts. In my league C.J. Anderson went for $59 ($200 budget) and I snagged Hillman for $2. Should Anderson have gone higher than Hillman? Probably, but the gap in preseason wasn’t much and it’s now officially closed. Hillman will be the starter the majority (if not the rest) of 2015.