Travis Henry, the skilled running back who last played for the Denver Broncos, has reportedly failed yet another drug test. Henry was released by the Broncos earlier in the offseason and now it looks like he’s in much bigger trouble.

According to the report, Henry tested positive for marijuana in May. Although he found out, he kept the information from the Broncos. A few weeks later, the Broncos waived him.

If this report is true, Henry’s NFL career is likely over. He all but certainly will get suspended for a year. Even if he is let back into the league, he’ll be on the other side of 30.

Henry, at his best, was a fantasy football power. Now if he’s on your fantasy football dynasty team, it’s safe to release him. He won’t be playing football anytime soon.

The Broncos will likely turn to Michael Pittman, Selvin Young, Mike Bell, Andre Hall or Ryan Torain at running back in 2008. Denver, like always, has plenty of options at that position — any of which could turn into a fantasy football stud.

Is Travis Henry’s career over?

Photo: Newscom

Travis Henry of the Denver Broncos was released on Monday. While the exact reasons weren’t revealed, it’s believed that Henry wasn’t being responsible with his workouts and rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.

This move has major fantasy football impact because Henry was slated to be the team’s starter. As a starter for the Broncos, Henry would have held a lot of value.

Depending on where Henry winds up, he could hold decent value or no value. It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which Henry becomes more valuable since the Broncos were a perfect fit for his running style.

With Henry out of the picture, the Broncos have a lot of running backs to pick from when choosing the 2008 starter. The team recently signed Michael Pittman and he will be given a chance. Andre Hall, Selvin Young, Mike Bell and Ryan Torain are other options for Denver. Whoever wins the starting job will hold a lot of fantasy football value — as is almost always the case for the Broncos’ starting running back.

Photo: Newscom

The Denver Broncos added depth to their running back corps by signing free agent tailback Michael Pittman. Pittman played last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he had 286 yards on 68 carries.

The main reason the Broncos needed added depth was because projected starter Travis Henry is dealing with hamstring issues. Pittman will join other running backs Selvin Young, Andre Hall and Ryan Torain on Denver’s roster.

In fantasy football, Pittman would need to secure a starting or at least a backup job to be considered a draftable player. If he somehow wins the starting job, he’d suddenly become a player who’d be drafted in the top five rounds just because of the Broncos’ history of having very productive running backs. Even if he wins the backup job, Pittman would hold value since the other running backs on the roster are mostly injury prone.

The Broncos decided to sign Pittman after looking at free agent Shaun Alexander.

Photo: Newscom

QB Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Garcia is questionable heading into Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints. If he plays, he’s actually a good start against the Saints’ porous defense. In addition, Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard become startable. If Garcia doesn’t play, that means either Bruce Gradkowski or Luke McCown gets the nod. If either of those quarterbacks get on the field, it’s probably best to bench everyone on offense for the Bucs.

RB Travis Henry, Denver Broncos - The Broncos are playing the Oakland Raiders this week. If you haven’t been paying attention, the Raiders are an atrocious defensive squad against the run. Whoever starts for the Broncos is a good start. Right now it looks like it could be Henry but if he misses the game due to injury, Selvin Young is next in line.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals - Fitzgerald is questionable for Week 13 with a groin injury. If he isn’t able to suit up versus the Cleveland Browns, all of a sudden Bryant Johnson becomes a good start in his place. Anquan Boldin would also be upgraded against the weak Browns defense. Obviously, Kurt Warner’s value will be higher if Fitzgerald plays, but either way he’s a good start.

TE Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens - Heap has been plagued for most of the year with a hamstring injury. He’s questionable this week against the New England Patriots on Monday night, so he’s a highly risky play. Even if he were probable, it’d be best to stay away. Heap shouldn’t be started in fantasy football again until he proves he’s capable of playing an entire game.

All eyes were on the epic matchup between the Patriots and Colts this weekend. But from a fantasy perspective, there was a lot more going on around the NFL. Several players went down with injuries on Sunday. Here’s the infirmary report.

QB Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos - Cutler left the game with a leg injury in the second quarter and didn’t return. It appears as if the injury could be serious but as of now, his status is uncertain going forward. Patrick Ramsey is the backup QB.

QB Tavaris Jackson, Minnesota Vikings - Jackson is hurt yet again. This time he suffered a concussion. With as injury prone and ineffective as he is, you shouldn’t be considering him in fantasy leagues.

RB Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs - Johnson left after an ugly injury to his right foot. The Chiefs haven’t ruled him out for next week yet but based on what it looked like, I’d be surprised to see him return. Priest Holmes is the backup running back in Kansas City.

RB Travis Henry, Denver Broncos - Henry is banged up again. We’ll have to wait to see if he’s going to play in Week 10. If he misses the game, Selvin Young would get the start at running back.

WR Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals - Johnson was carried off on a stretcher after taking a hard hit. The good news is the initial tests showed no major injury. His status for Week 10 is unknown, however.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, Indianapolis Colts - Gonzalez dislocated his thumb on the first play of the game against the Patriots. He returned to the field but depending on if he can practice or not, he may end up missing the Week 10 contest.

More Football News from b5media:

• Squib Kick - Tom Brady to Randy Moss
• Every Morning Quarterback - Interview with Donte Whitner (Bills)
• BCS Frenzy - Notre Dame Loses Again
• Every Morning Quarterback - Peterson Sets NFL Record

Photo credit: NFL.com

Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry is adamant that he’s going to play this Sunday for the Broncos despite the looming possibility that he’ll be handed a one-year suspension due to drug use. If that’s the case, that makes this situation even more complicated for fantasy owners.

If Henry is able to play while his appeal process is pending, that could free him to play for a reported four more weeks. If true, this is good news for Henry fantasy owners. It would give owners time to make replacement plans for Henry if he is indeed suspended.

Selvin Young is still a good waiver wire pickup at this point. If he’s on the waiver wire in your league, nab him. Also, if you have Henry but missed out on Young, it’d be worth a shot to send a trade proposal to see how valued Young is in your league.

Since the entire situation is clouded, other Denver running back options Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell should be lowered in value a bit. Neither player were highly valued to begin with. But if it’s going to be another month before this situation is cleared up, you might as well hold off on acquiring Sapp or Bell.

With Travis Henry of the Denver Broncos reportedly on his way to being suspended from the NFL for a year, fantasy football owners can be heard scrambling all around the country. Henry was leading the NFL in rushing yards and was a week-in, week-out starter in the fantasy football world.

If Selvin Young is available, pick him up off waivers right away. Young is a rookie out of the University of Texas that appears next in line. He’s be impressive in his short stints so far this season and could do a good job if given the full-time job.

However, it likely won’t be that simple. Broncos’ head coach Mike Shanahan is a fantasy football owner’s worst nightmare. He rarely speaks the truth – especially about his running backs. If you’ve owned any Denver running backs over the years, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

With that in mind, Mike Bell and Cecil Sapp are two other players you might think about adding to your roster if you have room. Bell was impressive at times last year as a rookie but was converted to fullback this season. Sapp has already gotten some goal line carries, even when Henry was active. Both Bell and Sapp could conceivably end up worth more than Young. With Shanahan, you never quite know.

The best course of action right now is to pick up Young. If you Young isn’t available and you want to get in on the Broncos action, look for Bell or Sapp. If you really think Shanahan is going to pull fast one, the next running back on the depth charts is Andre Hall. Hall doesn’t appear to have much fantasy value at this point. That said, I wouldn’t rule him out of the equation just yet.

Photo credit: Eric Lars Bakke