Denver Broncos running back Montee Ball was expected to break out this season as the team’s feature back with Knowshon Moreno now a member of the Miami Dolphins, but that never materialized for the former Wisconsin Badgers star. Ball showed plenty of promise last season, including as a pass-catcher out of the backfield in the Broncos offense, but he was ineffective to start the season with a meager 3.1 yards per carry. He suffered a groin injury in Week 5 and has been out since, and the rising Ronnie Hillman, who was once an afterthought as a change-of-pace back, has quite clearly Wally Pipped Ball as the Broncos No. 1 guy in the backfield.
Predominantly Orange
According to the USA Today’s Lindsay Jones, Ball has returned to practice today and is in pads, so it looks like he’ll be able to suit up this week against the Oakland Raiders, so it’s an easy matchup for Ball to get back into the swing of things. It’s great to see that he’s back on the field, but he’ll likely be a bit player upon his return, barring a sudden collapse in production from Hillman, who has been solid since taking over as the Broncos main back.
It will be especially interesting to see how often Ball gets the ball in short-yardage situation, and fantasy owners are undoubtedly going to focus on the goal-line touches. Ball isn’t a viable fantasy option at this point, but it’s still a situation worth monitoring.