The first of nine bye weeks has arrived, and this week is a doozy. The Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Rams all have the week off. That means fantasy rocks like Marshawn Lynch, Montee Ball, Giovani Bernard, Andre Ellington and Zac Stacy are not available, leaving owners to search for one-week replacements.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 running backs to pick up for Week 4
Need to replace Marshawn Lynch, Giovani Bernard, Andre Ellington or Montee Ball? Here are some waiver options that could help you out.
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We got you covered, though. Here are five guys owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues who could offer relief.
Donald Brown, San Diego Chargers (50 percent)
Danny Woodhead is done for the year and Ryan Mathews is still on the shelf, leaving Brown as the lead back in San Diego's ground-based offense. The Chargers will give him the rock -- Brown had 31 carries last week even though he turned in just 62 yards. That kind of volume will get him fantasy upside against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have struggled to stop anyone so far. Fire up Brown as a safe flex play this week.
Khiry Robinson, New Orleans Saints (42 percent)
Robinson earned the starting job with Mark Ingram out and made the most of it, rushing for 69 yards on 18 carries against the Minnesota Vikings. Pierre Thomas still gets all the passing-down snaps, but Robinson is locked in as New Orleans' primary between-the-tackles runner until Ingram comes back. Robinson gets a promising matchup with the Dallas Cowboys' defense next week.
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DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers (36 percent)
Williams has a thigh injury and was a game-time decision last week before being scratched. He should return this week and the Panthers will need him after losing Jonathan Stewart for possibly a month. Even at less than 100 percent, Williams should be the unquestioned starter with both Stewart and Mike Tolbert out. He's a good bet to bag more than 20 touches against the Baltimore Ravens with Cam Newton still hobbled.
Alfred Blue, Houston Texans (24 percent)
Arian Foster's high workload already caught up with him and he sat out Week 3. Blue got the start in his place, rushing for 78 yards on 13 carries. The box score looks respectable, but Blue couldn't get much going against the New York Giants' defense, padding his stats on a 46-yard run. His upside doesn't look too high right now, but if Foster is forced to miss another week, Blue is a flex option in 14- and 16-team leagues.
Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings (18 percent)
Sooner or later the Vikings should realize that Matt Asiata isn't the answer. McKinnon saw just four touches in Week 3, but his role could expand over the coming weeks if Asiata continues his plodding ways. The matchup looks good on paper against the Atlanta Falcons, but McKinnon is just a speculative add at this point. Hold on to him if you can spare the roster spot.
