There seems to be a bit of a Denver Broncos theme developing here at Finding Paydirt. First WR Brandon Marshall is suspended three (or maybe two) games, and then news hits that rookie RB Ryan Torain broke his elbow at practice Wednesday morning and will be sidelined at least 6-8 weeks.
From a fantasy standpoint, Selvin Young figures to benefit most from Torain's injury. The two were battling for the No. 1 RB job, with Torain looking good thus far in training camp. However, Young now takes over as the starter and could be worth bumping up your draft board a couple spots. He ran well last season as a rookie, rushing for 729 yards on 140 carries (5.2-yard average) and starting eight contests. One thing Young didn't do well, though, was find the endzone: He scored exactly one TD.
With Torain out of the picture, Andre Hall likely will be the primary backup RB. He's nothing more than a late-round flier in your draft, but he'd be a popular pickup if anything were to happen to Young. Michael Pittman, on the other hand, shouldn't be considered even if he's moved back to running back.
As for Torain, his fantasy value really takes a hit. Many people (myself included) liked the Arizona State product as a sleeper this year, but you can probably throw those hopes out the window now. The earliest he'll return from this injury is late September, and even then he'll be well behind the eight ball in terms of gaining experience in the offense. Torain still might be worth grabbing in the late rounds of keeper leagues, but other than that I wouldn't bother drafting him. The Broncos may even put him on IR if his elbow injury turns out to be more severe.
