The bye teams are cranking up this week, with the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Carolina Panthers all getting Week 5 off. That means fantasy owners won’t have Adrian Peterson, Chris Ivory or Jonathan Stewart this week, while the Dolphins’ new head coach has two weeks to figure out how to use Lamar Miller.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 4 running backs to target for Week 5
With no Adrian Peterson or Chris Ivory available this week, we examine some potential waiver wire options at running back.
Despite those big names being out, there are still some decent options at running back on the waiver wire, whether they be short-term DFS plays or bench lottery tickets. Here are five backs owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues worth a look.
Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos (34 percent)
C.J. Anderson could be nearing the end of his rope. Once again, the two split carries in Week 4, and once again Hillman outplayed Anderson. Hillman finished the day with 103 rushing yards on 11 carries, most of which came on a 72-yard run to the end zone. Look for the committee to continue at least one more week, but it’s become clear that Hillman has the bigger fantasy upside with his home run ability. He’s worth a flex start against the Oakland Raiders this week.
Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns (31 percent)
The Browns finally got Johnson more involved in the passing game, and he responded with his best game yet. The rookie caught nine passes on 10 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown, adding eight rushes for 31 yards. Isaiah Crowell remains the lead runner in this committee, but Johnson has carved out a role for himself on passing downs. He should be owned in all PPR leagues when Cleveland takes on the Baltimore Ravens this week.
Christine Michael, Dallas Cowboys (nine percent)
The Cowboys’ offense took another hit when Lance Dunbar suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury. Michael was active in Week 4 but mainly watched from the sidelines, seeing just one touch on his only snap of the game. Michael’s role could expand in the coming weeks, but we don’t anticipate him overtaking Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden just yet. He remains a speculative bench stash until the Cowboys prove they’re serious about getting him more involved.
Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs (less than one percent)
This might be the most random name on the list, but it’s one to watch if you’re a Jamaal Charles owner. Charles was his usual self on Sunday, but saw less playing time than usual, getting 59 of 75 offensive snaps. Normally when Charles gets rested, you’d think it’s Knile Davis time, right? Wrong.
Instead, West (whom I know nothing about other than his first name sounds like a Pokemon) played 17 snaps and got six touches, turning them into 21 total yards. Meanwhile, Davis saw zero snaps and has zero touches the past two weeks despite not being on the injury report. Changing of the guard? Who knows, but for now it appears West is the handcuff to own if Charles goes down. Davis can be safely dropped in 12- and 14-team leagues.
