The Denver Broncos have placed running backs Michael Pittman (neck) and Andre Hall (ankle, wrist) on injured reserve, ending their seasons. Those transactions make Ryan Torain one of the hottest names in fantasy football.

Torain was unimpressive in his regular-season debut, but the Broncos all but abandoned the run in a loss to the Dolphins. With Pittman and Hall out of the backfield mix, I think the starting job is now Torain’s to lose.

He’s still a free agent in more than 50 percent of NFL.com leagues, so be sure to put in a claim for him this week.

Selvin Young will also see an increase in carries and should be owned in leagues with 12-plus teams. But he doesn’t possess the same upside as Torain, who has been compared to former fantasy star Terrell Davis.

The Broncos have a short week before a game against the Browns (Thursday, 8:15 p.m., NFL Network), so Torain will likely go from the waiver wire and into the starting lineup in a 48-hour period.

The Browns rank 28th against the run.

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