To really compete in fantasy football owners have to get creative with their lineups every week. The draft was just the beginning to building a championship team. A quarter into the season, a lot of owners are making moves as the fantasy studs and duds are starting to reveal themselves. If you are scrambling to replace Darren Sproles or just want to get a guy while he is hot, now is the time to be on the lookout for the hidden gems still out there on waivers. Here are the best running back options owners should go grab right now.
Fantasy football, Week 4: Best players available at running back in waivers, free agency
These overlooked rushers will make a big slash on the fantasy scene and owners should pick them up off waivers now.
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Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia Eagles (55 percent)
Smallwood should have been on owners radar a while ago, but he is definitely the running back to know now that The Eagles have lost Darren Sproles for the season. Smallwood out-snapped and touched starter LeGarrette Blount in the Eagles Week 3 win over division rival New York Giants. He ended the game with 12 carries for 71 yards and one catch for nine yards. Sunday the Eagles host the Los Angeles Chargers who happen to be the third worst defense against the run in the league. With Smallwood trending up in the Eagles’ offense, he could explode against an easy defense in Week 4.
D’Onta Foreman, Houston Texans (23 percent)
The Texans are slowly giving more work to Foreman as the season continues. Foreman had eight carries for 25 yards and caught two passes for 65 yards in the Texans loss to the New England Patriots. That seems blasé, however, starter Lamar Miller only rushed 14 times for 56 yards and caught one pass for seven yards in the same outing. So Foreman had more in total yards than Miller on Sunday. Miller will not be replaced by Foreman as a starter and don’t expect Foreman to see a significant rise in snap count. Still, deep league owners that want a productive running option that offers versatility in the passing game should not skip over Foreman.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints (42 percent)
Sharing a backfield with Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson, most owners have paid Kamara very little attention. However, Kamara is the true No. 2 in the Saints backfield. Against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, Kamara played 15 snaps, two more than Peterson, and rushed twice for 37 yards and a touchdown while adding three catches for five yards in the passing game. Not huge numbers, but there is a lot more life to come from Kamara. If Peterson continues to struggle or Ingram gets hurt, owners will be happy to have Kamara in their back pocket. No harm in stashing Kamara for later in the season.
