Selvin Young just lost one obstacle in his quest for 2,000 yards. Rookie RB Ryan Torain -- who had been very impressive in camp thus far according to the coaching staff -- just had a very bad day: Torain was carrying the ball in a nine-on-seven drill when he was tackled. As he fell, Torain stuck out his left hand to brace his fall and his elbow popped.He suffered fractured bone fragments in the elbow. He was to be taken for an MRI around noon.All told, Torain is going to miss two to three months. Being a running back and having to to take blows to the elbow often, I'm estimating this is more like three than two. This is a big blow for the talented Arizona State product, as he had a realistic shot of getting meaningful time on a team that makes studs out of ordinary running backs.
Within the article it was mentioned that Mike Shanahan thought Torain had a realistic shot at the tailback job in Denver. Now Andre Hall and Michael Pittman are left to push Young, who should have a pretty clear path to the starting gig.
Young's main threat at this point sounds like Hall, but Pittman has always found a way to get in the game and be productive. He's also an established pass-catcher out of the backfield. It's entirely possible that Young plays the first two downs and short-yardage with Hall occasionally spelling him, while Pittman is the third down back.
Fantasy Spin:
As I said earlier today, Young is going to be the number one running back in Denver. He's going to have a productive season. All this injury does is make that prediction much more realistic. It does, however, likely shoot Young a bit higher on draft boards ... which is bad for those of us who were loving how late he could be drafted. Your handcuff at this point sounds like Hall, but don't forget about Pittman.
