Mike Shanahan giving fantasy footballers migraines

It's all but official now - after Week 4 - that Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan hates fantasy football. He either has never heard of it, or, more likely, he despises the popular game and has made it his No. 1 priority to surprise fantasy footballers on a weekly basis.

Tim Hightower, Ryan Torain and Roy Helu Jr. owners are already pulling out their hair after the conclusion of the first quarter of the 2011 season. This running back hierarchy could mirror that of a drunken game of musical chairs by the end of the year.

Hightower won over Shanahan in the preseason and opened as the No. 1 back on the depth chart, ahead of Helu and Torain. Torain's hand injury in the preseason set him back, and he didn't see a single touch in the first three games.

After a 25-carry, 72-yard, one-TD performance in Week 1 versus the New York Giants, Hightower has seen his workload decrease each week, and Shanahan admitted that he thought Hightower looked sluggish in practice heading into Week 4. It was revealed Monday that Hightower also suffered a shoulder injury against the Rams. He received just eight totes last week, while Torain went for 135 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. That came out of nowhere.

Torain gaining steam

Just when most Torain owners were giving up on him - he was already widely available on the waiver wire - he goes and pulls this. Thanks again, Shanny! Torain seems to be healthy, which is apparently why Shanahan made him the main man against the struggling St. Louis Rams. So now what? Is there any way to guestimate what Shanahan will do moving forward?

My head is already hurting trying to make sense of Shanny's plans in Washington's backfield. All I know is this: if you hung on to Torain for some RB depth, kudos to you.
We can't go overthinking what Shanahan does in D.C., the only thing we can do is evaluate each of his runners on an individual basis and go from there.

Tim Hightower - Don't let the fact that he was the No. 1 guy for the first three games push you to overvalue him; Hightower is the least attractive fantasy option in the long run of these three ball carriers. Coupled with Torain's preseason injury, Hightower's superior pass-blocking skills probably easily propelled him over Helu to begin the season. Even before Week 4, we at KFFL felt Helu or Torain would overtake him as the starter by midseason. Hightower could easily wind up as No. 3 on the depth chart beginning in Week 6 (the 'Skins have a bye in Week 5) and be relegated to third-down work throughout the rest of the schedule.

Ryan Torain - The deciding factor in this debacle of a fantasy running situation could be the fact that Shanahan is partial to Torain; Shanny drafted him in Denver and understands that his bruising style of rushing works in his system. Also, after the Week 4 performance, it's going to be hard for Shanahan not to go back to the hot hand. Don't forget about last year, either; he put up 742 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 10 games and also caught 18 passes for 125 yards and two scores. The only problem: his aggressive style of play makes him injury-prone, even though he only has three years of experience. If another ailment causes him to miss time, we'll have to go back to the drawing board. Ughh.

Roy Helu Jr. - Helu, 22, is a very intriguing fantasy football option, even as a rookie. But his rookie status could hurt him in this three-headed monster of a backfield. However, if Torain were to get injured again, Helu could easily step in as the No. 1 and never let go. For that possibility alone, he's worth stashing in deep enough leagues. Also, if Hightower is banished to Shanahan's doghouse, Helu provides a nice change of pace to Torain's rushing style.

Although it's a fool's journey to try and predict how Shanahan will use his backs, it does feel like there is some shuffling going on in the hierarchy - obviously after Torain's Week 4 breakout. For Torain owners, the team's Week 5 bye couldn't have come at a worse time, but you're still looking good if you held onto him.

Hightower now low man on totem pole

If I had to choose, I would own Torain first, then Helu and then Hightower. Ideally, it would be smart to handcuff Torain to Hightower or Helu to Torain, but it's not always that easy. If Torain is floating on your wire, by all means, scoop him up immediately.

This will probably be a frustrating situation as it plays out throughout the season. Shanahan showed while he was in Denver that he doesn't have any loyalty to his runners, and it's no different now. Injuries and week-to-week performances could easily dictate who sees the bulk of carries weekly. Stay tuned to this fluid scenario.