Lance

Ball

With Knowshon Moreno (hamstring) inactive, McGahee was a workhorse. He received seven carries on the opening drive of the game and was only spelled briefly by Lance Ball (six carries, 28 yards). McGahee is the goal-line back even when Moreno is healthy, but isn’t explosive and likely wouldn’t be able to sustain health with this kind of workload consistently. His fantasy value for Week 3 will be dependent on Moreno’s status.

Ball closed out last season as the passing-down complement to Willis McGahee. The Broncos are expected to seek an upgrade for McGahee’s running mate in 2012. Boosted by Denver’s thin air, Britton graded out as Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked punter last season.

Ball functioned as an effective change-of-pace to starter Knowshon Moreno, breaking off a 34-yard run out of the shotgun on the fourth play of the game. He later added a 15-yard run to set up Eric Decker’s 14-yard score. Expect Ball to play a similar role against the Raiders in Week 9 if Willis McGahee (hand) misses another game.

Even though a banged up Willis McGahee could get nothing going on the ground, the Broncos gave Ball his fewest carries since Week 5. With just 25 total touches over his past four games, Ball can’t be counted on as a weekly flex option in any format.

Ball was involved early in the game, apparently in an effort to spell Willis McGahee. He did not get the football at all in the final two quarters, however. Ball will continue to be McGahee’s change-of-pace back in Week 17 against the Chiefs.

A typically plodding day for a back who’s had trouble taking advantage of the Broncos’ run-heavy attack this season. An impending exclusive rights free agent, Ball finishes 2011 with 96 rushes for 402 yards and 16 catches for 148 yards. Depending on how Knowshon Moreno’s recovery from a torn ACL goes this offseason, Ball might not be brought back to back-up an aging and fragile Willis McGahee in 2012.

He is by no means in the clear, but this news suggests the injury is more day-to-day than week-to-week. Knowshon Moreno’s knee injury is being called a “mild sprain” and Lance Ball ran well with 30 rushes for 96 yards, but with Tim Tebow’s offense relying almost exclusively on the run McGahee’s presence will be encouraged. Unless news worsens, neither Moreno nor Ball are must-adds in fantasy.

His status went from doubtful to questionable during the game, and following this most recent report we’ll call him day-to-day just like Willis McGahee (hamstring). Moreno ran the ball well when he took over for McGahee, and he could have some value in PPR leagues depending on how these injuries shake out. His health should cause owners to pause when considering him, however.

McGahee pulled up lame on Denver’s second offensive series, but Fox suggested his absence for the majority of the second half was due more to situational football than the injury. “We were kind of doing something different,” said Fox, “playing catch-up.” At this point, we would expect McGahee to be available at Buffalo for Week 16.

Ball also lost a critical fumble. With Willis McGahee in-and-out of the game with a leg injury, Ball racked up his largest yardage total of the season. Most of his damage came on two plays, a 32-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and 34-yard reception in the fourth. Ball is a load to bring down in the open field, but lacks the athleticism to get out in space on a consistent basis. He’ll be a low-end RB2 if McGahee can’t give it a go in Week 16.