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After he signed with the Cleveland Browns in free agency, Ben Tate instantly became a popular breakout candidate for fantasy football owners looking toward the 2014 season. A potential preseason challenge for the starting job from rookie Terrance West never really materialized, and Tate entered Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers clearly atop the depth chart.
Tate had six carries for 41 yards in last Sunday’s game, but he left with a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Browns’ head coach Mike Pettine confirmed on Wednesday that Tate has a sprained knee, and he will miss this coming Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday morning that Tate was likely to miss 2-4 weeks, but right now it has the makings of a week-to-week injury that will frustrate his fantasy owners.
West filled in capably for Tate against the Steelers, with an even 100 rushing yards on 16 carries, and he is in line to start against the Saints in Week 2. Undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell also got a piece of the action in Tate’s absence, with five carries for 32 yards and, most notably, two touchdowns.
Tate obviously has to be benched in fantasy leagues this week, and possibly for a couple games after that depending on how quickly he recovers. The Browns have a bye in Week 4, so they could play it cautiously with Tate and hold him out until Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans.
Tate’s injury history during his time with the Houston Texans makes it hard to set concrete expectations for his return, but I will give Pettine credit for being forthright this week and declaring him out early. In the meantime, even if you’re not a Tate owner, West (57 percent ownership in Yahoo! leagues) and to a lesser extent Crowell (16 percent) are solid waiver wire options right now.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
