Fantasy football waiver wire: Best running backs available in Week 5

In some ways, Week 4 felt like the turning point of the fantasy football season. A handful of major injuries could have season-altering ramifications, and it’s also the last week every team played before the bye weeks start. The challenges are just starting for fantasy owners, and the waiver wire will be more important than ever during this middle stretch of the year.

The running back position got decimated by injuries Sunday. Dalvin Cook suffered a torn ACL, ending his outstanding rookie year way too early. Chris Carson broke his ankle, which puts his promising season in jeopardy, as well. Ty Montgomery picked up a rib injury Thursday night and his backup, Jamaal Williams, has a sprained knee.

On top of the injuries, fantasy owners also have to deal with bye teams (Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Washington). Devonta Freeman, C.J. Anderson, Mark Ingram, Rob Kelley, and Alvin Kamara won’t be available to use in Week 5, so now’s the time to test your bench depth and waiver wire savvy.

With so much turnover at the position, here are the top running backs on the wire, owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! standard leagues.

I’m just lumping all these players together because who knows what the Seahawks’ backfield will look like now. Rawls was a healthy scratch on Sunday night, suggesting that he fell out of favor and might not get the starting job back even after Carson’s injury. Lacy had his most productive outing (11 carries, 52 yards), but most of that game in garbage time. McKissic is a converted wideout who scored two touchdowns and looked good, but could go back to special teams duty when C.J. Prosise comes back. It’s all a big mess. Whomever leads the committee will be nothing more than an RB3 against the Los Angeles Rams this week.

Murray gets a shot to live up to his contract now. After signing a three-year, $15 million deal with the Vikings, Murray missed most of the offseason with ankle surgery and lost his job to Cook, but with the rookie out for the year Murray will likely be fantasy-relevant again. Last year he scored 12 touchdowns for the Oakland Raiders, but averaged only 4.0 yards per carry and topped off as a two-down plodder. Jerick McKinnon will probably replace him on passing downs He’s an obvious downgrade from Cook, but offers a stable fantasy floor against the Chicago Bears next week.

Jones was pressed into action when both Montgomery and Williams went down with injuries Thursday night. He did fairly well, showing off his natural athleticism with 49 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. If Montgomery and Williams miss Week 5, Jones would be a plug-and-play flex option against the Dallas Cowboys.

Collins seems to have supplanted Terrance West for good, getting the start and rushing for 82 yards on nine carries. However, he also lost a crucial fumble, drawing the ire of coach John Harbaugh, and Buck Allen is still entrenched on passing downs. The Ravens’ offense is utterly broken, depressing the fantasy appeal of everyone involved. Collins has talent, but has yet to put it all together — there are reasons why the Seahawks let him go at final cuts. He’s worth owning in deeper leagues, but don’t be surprised if the past two weeks ends up being his fantasy peak.

Gallman was a healthy scratch the first three weeks, but an injury to Orleans Darkwa forced the Giants to use him Sunday. He took on a bigger role when Paul Perkins left with a rib injury, finishing with 50 total yards and a touchdown on 13 touches. The Giants’ running game has been toxic all year, but at 0-4 they might as well give Gallman a longer look. He’s the only guy in this backfield who’s shown any kind of spark. Depending on Perkins’ status, Gallman will be on the RB3 borderline against the Los Angeles Chargers next week.