Thursday Fantasy Flier, Week 2: Ronnie Hillman, handcuff with benefits
Just so we're clear, no one is promising you a smorgasbord of fantasy treats on Thursday night, when Denver travels to Kansas City. We're dealing with a pair of talented defenses here, and the teams are playing on short rest. Alex Smith is on one side of this thing, and an alarmingly diminished version of Peyton Manning is on the other. Many issues, many questions.
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If you're not looking to buy any additional fantasy shares in this tilt, we get it. Understood. But if you have a dire need for flex help — or let's say you've got less than $15 remaining in your daily budget — then give this guy a look...
Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos (36 percent owned, $14 in Yahoo Daily Fantasy)
C.J. Anderson limped away from opening week in something less than mint condition, dealing with toe and ankle issues. Anderson split the rushing workload evenly with Hillman in Week 1, with each back taking a dozen carries. (Hillman was involved in the opening series, we should note; he didn't function simply as a caddie.) A stellar camp and preseason (7.4 YPC) earned Hillman a rotational role in Denver's 2015 offense — and remember, he was basically a must-start player last season before spraining his foot. He produced 100-yard rushing performances against both the Jets and Chargers last year, and he was averaging 4.7 yards per tote, pre-injury.
[Week 2 rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver | Flex | All Positions]
As of this writing, Anderson is expected to play on Thursday night, so it's not as if Hillman will have the rushing workload all to himself. But the widespread expectation is that Ronnie will see plenty of touches. This from the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck:
Coach Gary Kubiak planned to give Hillman carries entering the season. Nothing has changed. The amount, though, could increase if Anderson is slowed.
Hillman certainly looked like the livelier back in Week 1, so no one should be at all shocked if he sees another 10-14 carries. Kansas City's defense only allowed four rushing touchdowns last season, the lowest total in the NFL, but they weren't so stingy where yardage was concerned (127.3 YPG). Hillman clearly has a path to a double-digit fantasy week. He's on the deep league radar, no question.
