Tim Hightower, the Arizona Cardinals’ featured running back in 2010, was traded to the Washington Redskins in exchange for Vonnie Holliday and a 2012 draft pick on Sunday night. Hightower led all Cardinals’ running backs in snaps (597), rushing attempts (153) and targets(41) this past season, racking up 758 yards rushing, seven touchdowns, 21 receptions and 136 yards receiving. Hightower has spent his entire three-year career with the Cardinals where he’s accumulated 1,733 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in that time period. In 2009, the Richmond graduate finished the regular season as the second-most targeted running back (75), catching 63 balls for 428 yards.
On the surface, it would appear that Hightower had a productive season in 2010 – his 5.0 YPC mark certainly points to that conclusion – but a closer look at the three-year veteran’s game log paints a picture of inconsistency. In 10 games Hightower failed to average 4.0 YPC and on five of those occasions he did not reach the 3.0 YPC threshold. On the other, smaller end of the spectrum, Hightower broke the 100-yard plateau two times in 2010, rushing for 121 yards and a score in week two against Atlanta, and 148 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos during week 14.
Fantasy Spin:
Albert Einstein once said, “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another”. Conveniently, these words hold true for the fantasy relevance of the trade between Arizona and Washington. In Arizona, the departure of Hightower paints a clearer picture of how carries will be distributed between rookie Ryan Williams and the much-maligned Beanie Wells. Personally, I expect Wells to see a slight edge in the carry department when the season begins, but Williams and LaRod Stephens-Howling will be on the field for passing downs. Washington’s backfield looks a lot like Arizona’s before the trade: Ryan Torain is the old Beanie Wells (the explosive, albeit fragile, third-year back), Roy Helu looks a lot like Ryan Williams (the talented rookie looking to breakout) and Tim Hightower is Tim Hightower (will see enough carries, targets, and snaps that you’ll never feel comfortable starting the formers). So now the old Arizona situation is the new Washington situation and vice versa, just like Einstein said…or something like that.
© 2026 PFF - all rights reserved.