Tim Hightower Fantasy News

Friday, January 20, 2012, 12:58pm

Redskins coaches head into the offseason feeling upbeat about the team’s running backs: Roy Helu, Evan Royster and Tim Hightower.

“You can see we have some depth,” head coach Mike Shanahan said. “I think Roy has done a fantastic job as well as Royster coming in and taking advantage of an opportunity. I though Tim did a great job before he got hurt. So we have some depth at that position.”

Added offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan: “You feel like you have two guys who can help you in the future.”

Monday, December 26, 2011, 8:07pm

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said rookie running back Roy Helu, who was limited by knee and toe injuries all week, was tested out before Saturday’s game and couldn’t push off without pain and so the decision was made to sit him against the Vikings.

Shanahan praised Evan Royster’s production and said between Helu, Royster and Tim Hightower, the Redskins have great depth at running back.

Mike Shanahan: Roy Helu not ready
Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 11:04am

Ryan Torain, the Redskins’ starter Sunday, is actually the team’s third-leading rusher in the past six games. The team’s top runner over that stretch is Roy Helu, but Coach Mike Shanahan seems reluctant to rush the rookie into a starring role.

“I like Helu. He’s doing some great things,” Shanahan said. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on him too early. He’s not ready for that. But he’s gaining experience, and I like what I see.”

Torain has started the Redskins’ past two games and three of the four since Tim Hightower went down with a season-ending knee injury. Torain’s rushing numbers from those four games: 40 yards on 24 carries. In Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys, Torain had only four yards on five carries and spent most of the second half on the sideline. Torain has totaled 71 yards in the past six games, considerably less than Helu’s 122.

Despite splitting carries and playing largely on passing downs, Helu has led the Redskins in rushing in each of the past three games. On Sunday, he had 35 yards on eight carries. He ran for 41 yards each of the previous two weeks.

Redskins claim RB Tashard Choice
Monday, October 31, 2011, 4:50pm

The Redskins claimed former Cowboys running back Tashard Choice on waivers.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 2:28pm

Redskins blogger Rich Tandler took a look at RB snaps last week:

With Tim Hightower out for the season and a third running back for the roster yet to be determined, most are assuming that Ryan Torain will start at running back for the Redskins when they play the Bills in Toronto on Sunday.

A look at how playing time was distributed last week, however, might indicate that that’s not the case.

I knew that Torain did not play much last week but when looking at the snap counts done by Ryan O’Halloran at CSNwashington.com I was surprised to see that he played all of three snaps.

He carried to ball twice, once in each of the first two series of the second half, for a net of minus-five years (one for minus-seven, the other for two) so he was in there for one other snap.

Roy Helu, however, saw plenty of action. He played 33 of the 67 offensive snaps. That is two more than Hightower had and, of course, 30 more than Torain.

Helu played every snap of the Redskins’ final four possessions while Torain watched.

Skins RB Hightower will miss rest of season
Monday, October 24, 2011, 3:38pm

Washington Redskins running back Tim Hightower suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

'Skins head coach Mike Shanahan made the announcement at his Monday afternoon press conference, but said the club has not decided to place Hightower on injured reserve or to make any other roster adjustments.

Skins WR Santana Moss could miss multiple weeks
Monday, October 24, 2011, 7:47am

Heard 3-4 weeks on Santana Moss with the broken hand.

Skins believe RB Hightower has a torn ACL
Monday, October 24, 2011, 7:45am

Multiple sources tell ESPNRadio980 that the Redskins & medical staff strongly believe that Tim Hightower has a torn ACL, MRI in AM.

Monday, October 17, 2011, 12:29pm

Washington RB Tim Hightower was wearing a uniform and pads but was set to play only on an emergency basis.

Hightower, who was listed on the team’s injury report as questionable with a shoulder injury, did not see any action against the Eagles.

Hightower, though, said not playing Sunday was precautionary and that he’s feeling better.

“It was just a matter of resting up,” he said. “I’ll be good to go for the rest of the season.”

Thursday, October 13, 2011, 10:19am

Don’t think that just because Tim Hightower has started the first four games and Washington is 3-1 that the cold-blooded Mike Shanahan feels an obligation to keep starting him, especially since the former Arizona Cardinal has an ailing shoulder.

Consider that Shanahan drafted Ryan Torain in Denver, brought him here last year and enjoyed his success (4.5 yards per carry) in 2010 only to make him a non-person for the first three games of 2011.

Hightower is averaging just 3.5 yards a carry, not even half the 7.1 that Torain churned out at St. Louis. If Hightower wasn’t Washington’s best pass-catching back and best pass blocker, he would probably be assuming Torain’s cheerleader role until the latter was injured or slacked off considerably.

Rookie Roy Helu, whose cutback style seems a great fit for Shanahan’s zone-blocking system, is averaging 5.3 per carry and figures to remain the changeup back when the starter needs a breather.