Fantasy managers who drafted Cam Skattebo may finally see the workhorse usage they were hoping for when drafting the New York Giants running back.
The Giants placed running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. on injured reserve after the running back left the Giants' overtime win against the Houston Texans with a hamstring injury. Tracy Jr.'s absence creates an opportunity for Skattebo's Fantasy outlook to skyrocket, due to the increased workload Skattebo will see.
Tracy Jr.'s IR designation means the former Purdue Boilermaker will miss at least four games, leaving a void in the Giants running back room. Skattebo and Devin Singletary will take the majority of the running back snaps until Tracy Jr. returns into the mix.
The Giants running back room quickly shifted in just two weeks. Head coach John Harbaugh challenged his running back room consisting of Skattebo, Tracy Jr., Singletary and Najee Harris to, " Step up and be the back ," following the Giants' loss to the New Orleans Saints. Since the loss, Harris was cut and Tracy Jr. is out for an extended time, leaving just Skattebo and Singletary remaining.
Skattebo will have gone from getting zero carries in the loss to the Saints to being the Giants' RB 1, while Tracy Jr. is out. Fantasy managers got a glimpse of what Skattebo can do as the Giants' lead back last week. The former Arizona State Sun Devil finished with 124 rushing yards and touchdown, leading to a 19.1 PPR points performance . The bulk of Skattbo's workload cam after Tracy Jr. left the game midway through the second quarter.
Fantasy managers can expect similar workload to last week and week 1 for Skattebo, where he is the focal point of the Giants offense. Anywhere from 15-25 touches should be the norm for Skattbeo in the thin Giants running back room, depending on the game script. Life can change fast in the NFL and Skattebo is the most recent implentation of the statement as Skattebo went from no carries to being the focal point of his offense in two weeks.
The increased production with Tracy Jr. out bodes well for Skattebo's Fantasy outlook, but there may be some concern when analyzing Skattbo. After Skattebo ripped off 42-yard run to cap off a career-high rushing display, the Giants running back left the field. Skattebo said he, " felt something ," in his hamstring after the play. The Giants do have a bye week this upcoming slate, giving Skattebo time to heal up, but as Fantasy managers seen in the past a hamstring injury could be nagging for running backs.
Singletary saw an increased usage last week once Tracy Jr. left the game as Singletary finished with a season-high 41 rushing yards and capped it off with a game-winning touchdown run. Singletary will be second fiddle behind Skattebo once the Giants return to action, but that doesn't mean SIngletary should be completely disregarded in Fantasy. If Skattbo's hamstring injury constatly nags the second-year running back, the Giants may try to give Singletary more touches to keep Skattebo fresh
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Fantasy Football Injury Update: Tyrone Tracy Jr. Placed on IR, Cam Skattebo Becomes a Workhorse Running Back .
