ESPN 980's Chris Russell reports that the Redskins "strongly believe" Tim Hightower has a torn left ACL.

He'll have a Monday morning MRI. Hightower suffered a non-contact injury in Sunday's loss to the Panthers, which is never a good sign. Redskins.com is speculating that Ryan Torain will take over as the Redskins' starter, with rookie Roy Helu as the change-of-pace and third-down back. Hightower is in a contract year, so he may have played his final snap as a Redskin. Through five appearances, he has 321 yards and one touchdown on 84 carries.

Tim Hightower left Bank of America Stadium Sunday with a bulky wrap on his left knee and on crutches.

The Redskins aren't saying anything about the injury other than confirming he'll have an MRI. "It's not excruciating pain, it's just uncomfortable," Hightower said. "I've never really been hurt so I don't know what stuff is supposed to feel like. ... I was a little frustrated. I was a little stubborn. But I'll be back."

Tim Hightower left Sunday's game against the Panthers in the third quarter with an apparent left knee injury.

This one looked really bad. Hightower went to plant his left leg for a hard cut, but his left knee buckled in a dreaded non-contact injury. Prior to going down, Hightower had racked up 17 carries for 88 yards while Ryan Torain and Roy Helu combined for two carries. Torain is now on as the feature back.

Tim Hightower (shoulder) is listed as probable for Week 7 after turning in a full practice Friday.

He practiced fully each day this week. Hightower can't be used in fantasy leagues after playing zero snaps in Week 6, but he appears to be back to full health. He currently seems to be third in line for carries behind Ryan Torain and Roy Helu. Helu played over Hightower in passing situations last week.

Tim Hightower (shoulder) returned to a full practice on Wednesday.

The full practice suggests Hightower is either close to or at 100 percent. His Week 7 workload is unclear, but our tentative expectation is that Ryan Torain will remain Washington's feature back against Carolina's 31st-ranked run defense. Hightower did not play a snap in last week's loss to Philadelphia.

Tim Hightower said he didn't play Sunday as a precaution and added that he'll "be good to go for the rest of the season."

"It was just a matter of resting up," Hightower said. Players are often overly optimistic about injuries, so we'd have to see Hightower put in full practices before considering him a real threat in this backfield. Even once healthy, Hightower may be pegged to a mere passing-down role.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says Tim Hightower will continue to be an "emergency," third-string back until he shows his shoulder is completely recovered.

"As I told Tim before the game, if I had to have him, if somebody went down, he was going to play, but that was the only situation he would play," Shanahan said. "I thought he was a little banged up. Still want to get him healthy, want him to be able to play at 100 percent." Roy Helu filled in as the Redskins' third-down back, with Ryan Torain handling the majority of first- and second-down work. Hightower may not get his job back anytime soon.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said after Sunday's loss that Tim Hightower didn't play against the Eagles because of his injured shoulder.

Hightower was questionable coming into the game, and ended up without a touch while playing third fiddle, or "emergency back," behind Ryan Torain and Roy Helu. Hightower didn't even play a snap. He's going to be dropped in a lot of fantasy leagues this week, presumably, and for good reason. Look for Torain and Helu to continue to lead the backfield in Week 7 against Carolina.

Redskins declared Tim Hightower (knee, shoulder) active for Sunday's game against the Eagles.

As expected. Hightower may draw the start today, but the vast majority of Redskins beat writers expect Ryan Torain to lead the team in carries. We're expecting Torain to handle the majority of early-down work, Hightower to get his reps on third down and Roy Helu to serve as the change-of-pace back. Torain is most likely back to get the "hot hand" that coach Mike Shanahan loves to ride.

Tim Hightower (knee) is listed as "questionable" after another limited practice on Friday.

Hightower was limited all week, but all indications suggest he will be active on Sunday. One report has Hightower as the likely starter, though he could give way to Ryan Torain in a "hot hand" approach after just a few carries. Hightower will be a risk-reward RB2 play against the Eagles' 30th-ranked run defense.

According to CSN Washington's Kelli Johnson, Tim Hightower (shoulder) "looks like" the starter for this week's game against the Eagles.

The Redskins are still expected to "manage" Hightower's carries. HC Mike Shanahan and OC Kyle Shanahan are giving no hints as to the distribution of touches, though we suspect Ryan Torain will have the hot hand. "Every game is its own individual game and you see how it plays out. You get a feel for three guys going during the week," Kyle Shanahan said. "You get a feel in the game and you usually just go with your gut and how it's going." That sounds like the quintessential Shanahan hot-hand approach.

Tim Hightower (shoulder) was limited again in Thursday's practice.

Hightower is fully expected to play in an attractive matchup against fantasy's most generous run defense. As the passing-down back splitting touches with Ryan Torain, Hightower is just a flex option this week.

Tim Hightower (shoulder) was limited in Redskins practice Wednesday.

Hightower's injury is not expected to keep him out of Week 6, but it certainly could limit his ball-carrying role against Philadelphia. Hightower won't be a fantasy option this week. Look for Ryan Torain in the feature back role.

Tim Hightower earned a lecture from coach Mike Shanahan for failing to disclose his shoulder injury early in the season.

Hightower injured the shoulder way back in the season opener and aggravated it in Week 3, but he didn't want to risk losing playing time. "I think that shoulder is a lot better than it was," said Shanahan. "But looking back at it, I think he [was] a little more sore than he let on." Hightower will play against the Eagles this week, though likely in a third-down role.

Tim Hightower (shoulder) confirmed Monday that he expects to resume playing in Week 6 against the Eagles.

"I plan on playing," said Hightower, who lost snaps before the Week 5 bye due to the shoulder injury. We won't pretend that Washington's game-day running back usage is predictable, but the D.C. beat writers expect Hightower to focus on passing downs only moving forward, with Ryan Torain as the feature back.

Tim Hightower acknowledged that he aggravated a shoulder injury early in last week's game against the Rams.

Hightower also conceded that the injury affected his performance. "I wasn't 100 percent, and as much as I didn't want to say that," Hightower said. "I want to win and I don't want to hurt my team." We haven't gotten the sense that the injury will be an issue coming out of the bye week, but Hightower will likely be limited to passing-down work regardless.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan revealed that Tim Hightower suffered a shoulder injury early in Sunday's win over St. Louis.

The extent is unknown. Shanahan also said Sunday night that Hightower was banged up in practice last week, leading to more carries for Ryan Torain. Hightower only carried the football once in the second half against the Rams. We suspect the injury isn't serious, but it certainly could affect his playing time.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said in his post-game press conference Sunday that Tim Hightower's Week 4 role was reduced because he "looked banged up" in practices this past week.

Hightower wasn't even on the injury report, of course. The Redskins instead decided to go with the hot hand at St. Louis, and Ryan Torain had it en route to 19 carries, 135 yards, and a touchdown. Hightower probably isn't going to go away, but his role as Washington's lead back has appeared tenuous since Shanahan admitted to nearly benching him last Monday night. We'll have more updates on the Skins' backfield throughout the week ahead.

Appearing on ESPN 980 Washington Friday, coach Mike Shanahan said he nearly benched Tim Hightower for Ryan Torain in Monday night's loss to Dallas.

Shanahan nearly made the switch because Hightower couldn't keep his balance, a big problem early in the game. "We can't have the type of slippage we had," said Shanahan, who has a propensity for pulling tailbacks at a moment's notice. "Hopefully, we will have that problem rectified." Added Shanahan, "I got a lot of belief in Ryan Torain." Just keep in mind that Shanahan is also known for using the media as a motivational tool on running backs. Torain can't function in the passing game, so it's not realistic to think Hightower would've been benched. Shanahan's comments do suggest that he envisions Torain as the immediate backup to Hightower, with Roy Helu locked into a change-of-pace role.

Tim Hightower carried the ball 14 times for 41 yards in Monday's Week 3 loss to Dallas, 18-16.

Hightower also added five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a wide open pattern in the flat on first down from a yard out with no one even close. Aside from the score, it was a lackluster performance, as Hightower managed just 2.9 yards per rushing attempt. He was also on the sideline in favor of Roy Helu on some big fourth quarter drives. Hightower is still the far superior pass blocker and isn't in danger of losing his lead-back job just yet, but Helu - the much more talented runner - is lurking in the background.