Nov 03 2008
The Emergence of Tim Hightower
One of the major fantasy story lines from this week in fantasy football was the backfield situation in Arizona, where Tim Hightower finally looks like he has supplanted Edgerrin James as to go-to running back. Hightower received all of the major carries, amassing 22 carries for 109 yards and a TD. Previously used as primarily a short-yardage back in goal-line situations, Hightower finally had a chance to display his entire repetoire, and shined in the process. Here’s what to take from all of this:
1) It’s OK to bench Edge for good
He hasn’t been especially productive for years, but since he was always guaranteed the bulk of the carries, he was a useful commodity in fantasy. Having those carries taken away from him now makes Edge expendable. He might be useful only as a handcuff or a deep reserve, but that’s about it.
2) Pick up Hightower immediately
He’s probably already been snatched up in a lot of leagues because of his TD scoring prowess. But if for some reason he’s still in the free agent pool, do anything you can to add him.
3) If you’ve got him, use him
Hightower has all the things you’d want in a RB for fantasy: talent, carries, a nose for the end zone and the presence of a balanced offense to make him even more dangerous. Most teams who have held on to him have probably used him only as a bye-week replacement up to now, but if he’s your current RB3 or RB4, you now have another bonafide superstar in your ranks. Now might be a good time to deal one of your bigger name RBs to address a need at another position, allowing you to get Hightower into the starting lineup. Yes, I have that much faith in him.
