Fantasy Football Cut-N-Go: Pierre Thomas to Share Carries With Mike Bell

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekday roundup of the NFL news with fantasy football impact.

In the months of November and December of last year, Pierre Thomas had a coming-out party. He scored nine times in those two months and vaulted his fantasy value into the Top 20 of many fantasy football pundits' preseason rankings.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners that grabbed him early, Thomas missed the first two weeks of play with a knee injury. While gone, Mike Bell stepped into his place and ran extremely well. But, in a twisted turn of events, Thomas became healthy enough to play in Week 3 and Mike Bell has since injured his knee.

Since returning for Week 3, Thomas has been running like the back we expected him to be. He's gained 212 yards and scored three touchdowns in two games. He also sports a 6.4 yards-per-carry average. But now, with Mike Bell healthy enough to return to action, Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune says that Thomas might not have the leading role to himself.

I expect them to split carries w/Bush as outlier in passing sets @JeffTefertiller Bell vs Thomas: Which do you expect to see more carries?

Duncan has been taking some heat on Twitter for that statement -- but he's defending his stance.

If healthy, both runners will get carries each game. Trust me. Payton will ride the hot hand. @acopsey72 No chance Bell splits with Pierre.

In the fantasy world a "hot hand" approach or running back by committee approach is terrible. This news can kill the fantasy value of both Bell and Thomas. And I haven't even mentioned Reggie Bush, who will take a few carries away and also play a role in the receiving game out of the backfield.

Maybe it's time to trade high on Thomas while you can.

Other Fantasy Football Notes
• We're not going to see Ahmad Bradshaw carry the ball more often according to Tom Rock of Newsday. Apparently, Tom Coughlin isn't ready to expand Bradshaw's role -- keeping Bradshaw as the backup to Brandon Jacobs, even though Bradshaw leads the team in rushing yardage.

• Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that the inevitable has happened. If both Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker are healthy at the same time, Bouchette says Mendenhall will get twice as many carries as Parker.

• Not only has Patrick Crayton lost his handle on the No. 2 spot on the receiver depth chart in Dallas, but it also looks like he'll lose his job as a punt returner too. Bill Nichols of the Dallas Morning News alludes to that fact after the Cowboys signed Allen Rossum.

• Speaking of running back timeshare situations, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer says that Andy Reid is going to stick with a shared carry approach with Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy.

• I was about to praise Michael Crabtree for finally making a good decision. But, Matt Maiocco of The Press-Democrat says that Crabtree is being forced to stay in San Francisco and learn the playbook during the team's bye week, even though his teammates can leave town.

• With only 11 receptions this season Greg Jennings just isn't playing a large role in the Packers offense. Greg A. Bedard of The Journal Sentinel says that Jennings announced that he wants the ball more.