With the news of the Arizona Cardinals placing Beanie Wells on the injured reserve list with the designated to return tag, Ryan Williams has moved into the lead running back spot until at least Nov. 25. That's when Wells will be able to make a return to game action, assuming that his turf toe injury is better.
The decision by the Cardinals to place Wells on the injured reserve now makes the running back situation more clear. So far this season, the banged up Wells had 29 carries to Williams' 31, but it was Williams' 3.4 rush average bettering Wells' 2.9. Neither had a touchdown this year.
Any need to pick up a running back for a fantasy team could point to Williams as someone to keep an eye on. Now that's he's the main back, his numbers might see a big increase despite the Cardinals being the NFL's 27th-best rushing team.
Expect Williams to get the majority of the carries for Ken Whisenhunt's offense. He had a breakout game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, carrying the ball 13 times for 83 yards. Behind him, Arizona has only a smaller change-up back in LaRod Stephens-Howling, and the untested William Powell, a first-year pro out of Kansas State.