Fantasy football owners will have to deal with a lot of early-season absences at the running back position, whether because of injury or suspension. If you draft Arian Foster, C.J. Spiller, Le'Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, LeSean McCoy or LeGarrette Blount, you’ll need a good backup plan.
Here are fantasy news updates for those key running backs expected to miss time to start the season, their handcuffs and when fantasy owners can expect them to return.
MORE: 2015 Fantasy football rankings | RB sleepers | Fantasy football cheat sheet
Le’Veon Bell’s fantasy football outlook
As you know, Le’Veon Bell is suspended for the first two games of the season. That hasn’t scared many owners away in fantasy football drafts, with Bell still going as high as No. 1 overall. DeAngelo Williams will fill in for Bell against the Patriots and 49ers to open the season, but you don’t want to go that route. We have much better replacement suggestions if you draft Bell, who should be a stud as soon as he returns in Week 3 against the Rams.
How long is Arian Foster out?
This is a tricky one, as Arian Foster is expected to miss anywhere from 3-8 games after having surgery to help repair his preseason groin injury. Our best guess is that Foster will return after the Texans’ Week 9 bye. That makes him an extremely risky pick, even as a bench stash. Alfred Blue will start while Foster is out, but we’re not expecting much in what should be a poor Texans offense.
Will LeSean McCoy play Week 1?
Bills coach Rex Ryan has expressed some doubt that LeSean McCoy will be ready for Week 1. However, the Bills have been “cautiously optimistic” all along that McCoy, who’s been limited by a hamstring injury this preseason, will be ready, and the Bills cutting Fred Jackson on Monday could be a sign that they’re confident Shady will be ready to go against the Colts. Bryce Brown and rookie Karlos Williams figure to compete for carries behind McCoy.
MORE: 2015 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
When will Todd Gurley return?
The good news is that Todd Gurley, now nine months removed from ACL surgery, is expected to avoid the PUP list and could even be ready for Week 1. However, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner expects Gurley to “have a very limited role or potentially even sit the first game or two before he slowly starts working his way into the mix.” Fantasy owners shouldn’t plan on using Gurley before Week 3, and even then he may only be a flex option. That said, the rookie has tremendous upside once healthy.
C.J. Spiller injury update
C.J. Spiller underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 14 and has missed all of the preseason. That’s concerning for someone with such a long injury history, but multiple reports, even from Saints coach Sean Payton, suggest Spiller will be ready for Week 1. Once healthy, he’ll be a PPR machine for the Saints, but there's plenty of risk here. Side note: Spiller's injury history makes Mark Ingram a fantasy draft steal.
LeGarrette Blount’s suspension
LeGarrette Blount is suspended for the first game of the season. While we expect Blount to take over as the Patriots’ lead back in Week 2, you never know with Bill Belichick. Pay close attention to how he uses Jonas Gray, James White and Brandon Bolden against the Steelers; any one of that trio could move up the depth chart and take over as the starter or at least Blount’s handcuff.
Editor's note: The Sporting News Football Championship is coming! Hosted by FanDuel, this exclusive event will feature 10 weeks of qualifiers, culminating in a FREE Week 11 Final with $20,000 in prizes. Sign up now!