San Diego Chargers running back Branden Oliver has taken a firm grasp on the starting job. Since coming in for Ryan Mathews, Oliver has put up three consecutive big games and may hold onto the job when Mathews comes back from injury. Oliver carried the ball 19 times for 114 yards and one touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 5, and 26 times for 101 yards and one touchdown against the Oakland Raiders in Week 6.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 8: Branden Oliver
Branden Oliver has been impressive in three games, but can he stand up to the Denver defense?
Stephen Dunn
Oliver did come back down to Earth against the Kansas City Chiefs this past week. He carried the ball 15 times for 67 yards without a score, but he was still the lead back. Oliver has a lot of potential going forward and is already producing. As an undrafted rookie, he's already exceeded every expectation and now the question is whether or not he'll hit a wall.
Fantasy Impact: That seems unlikely given the way he's running, but the Denver Broncos have been very solid against the run this year. Denver allows just 74.3 rushing yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry, third in the NFL. Oliver has made his way into being a must-start, but it's not a favorable matchup by any means. Fantasy owners should start him unless they have a for-sure big day on their hands with another player.
