Fantasy: Which RB will step up after Guice's season-ending injury?

Get ready for your season with theScore's 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.

Extended car rides between August and December can be difficult for fantasy owners. At any moment, season-altering news can drop, resulting in a disappointing surprise when you park your car.

My commute has become a little longer after a recent move, thus increasing the odds of one of those landscape-changing stories coming down during my drive.

So, yes, I let out an expletive when I shut my car off, picked up my phone, and read the breaking news alert that Derrius Guice would be out for the season with a torn ACL - we are only human.

It's a terrible turn of events for a promising rookie back who was poised to make a major impact in his first NFL season.

While his preseason debut ended abruptly, Guice showed signs that he was ready to prove his critics wrong, including the front-office decision-makers who passed on him in the draft.

The official box score states the LSU product rushed six times for 19 yards Thursday night, but it doesn't recognize a 34-yard run that was called back due to a holding penalty. On the play, Guice blasted through a massive lane opened up by the Redskins' offensive line, then spun away from one defender before stiff-arming another. Ultimately, it took several Patriots to get Guice to the ground.

Holding on the offense, but Guice creating on contact here #NorrisNotes pic.twitter.com/a200u3CcYu

- Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) August 10, 2018

Now we're left wondering what could have been for the second-round pick with first-round talent, who was drawing praise for his work on and off the field. We look forward to drafting you in 2019, Mr. Guice.

So, which Redskins back will step up in the wake of Guice's injury? Let's take a look at the candidates.

Chris Thompson

For the first 11 weeks of 2017, Thompson was a fantasy star, as the RB10 in PPR and the RB12 in standard formats. The 5-foot-8, 195-pound pass-catching specialist saw his usage on the ground rise and found the end zone six times during that stretch.

However, a broken fibula halted his breakout campaign and perhaps contributed to the team drafting Guice. Thompson avoided the PUP list to begin camp and expects to be ready for Week 1, but he also admitted he doesn't think he'll be fully recovered until November, putting his early-season production in question.

Thompson also might be in for negative regression in the touchdown department, after he was on pace for 10 scores a year ago. That's a number that will be difficult to reproduce if he's not completely healthy for the first two months.

Rob Kelley

Kelley is an uninspiring fantasy option, pedestrian as a runner and extremely limited as a receiver. Unless Washington's coaching staff is giving respect to the most veteran ball carrier, the team seems to be favoring Kelley as its early-down power back.

We should remember that Kelley wasn't bad during the 2016 campaign when he compiled 704 rushing yards and seven total touchdowns over 14 games. But his play dropped off dramatically last season, and he was usurped by a fourth-rounder.

Samaje Perine

That fourth-rounder was Perine, who wasn't much better than his predecessor but was at least able to deliver a couple solid fantasy outings, breaking 100 yards twice in the second half of the season.

Perine is slightly more serviceable as a pass-catcher, though he lacks a nose for the goal line, scoring just twice in 16 games as a rookie.

Kapri Bibbs

Bibbs isn't going to sustain a rushing attack over an entire campaign and is therefore unlikely to compete for early-down touches. His value to the Redskins is a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option if Thompson is unable to go in Week 1, or is sidelined again at some point in the season.

Similar to a back like Jacquizz Rodgers, Bibbs is capable of providing starter's snaps and performing well over a short stretch. He had 100 total yards on 20 touches in the Redskins' regular-season finale in 2017. Click the star next to his name on the waiver wire and keep him on your watchlist for now.

Free Agents

Adrian Peterson and Alfred Morris are intriguing options who Washington should consider. We saw that Peterson still had something left in the tank during his run in Arizona last season.

The former Vikings star had two monster games and was able to average at least 4 yards per carry in half of his Cardinals' starts as a 32-year-old. By comparison, Kelley reached that mark in just 14 percent of his 2017 outings, while Perine completed the feat in 25 percent of his contests last season.

Morris is a familiar face in Washington and performed adequately for the Cowboys as a fill-in during Ezekiel Elliott's suspension. He's received interest from the Jets recently, though the two sides were unable to reach a deal.

Fantasy Fallout

Despite Thompson's breakout, the Redskins ranked 28th in rushing yards and tied for 21st in rushing scores last season. Of course, injuries to the offensive line contributed to the disappointing production on the ground.

A healthy group of Washington blockers came in 10th in our 2018 offensive line rankings and are poised to help get this unit back on track.

Thompson is by far the most dynamic back left on the Redskins roster and should be drafted in the middle rounds in hopes he can recapture his 2017 form. He's the only back worth owning on the roster.

Kelley and Perine are worth dart throws late in drafts, but any significant investment will almost surely result in regret as the season goes on. Neither back can be started with confidence. You're better off rostering Peterson or Morris with your last pick in hopes they sign in Washington over the next couple weeks.

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