Week 5 of the 2017 regular season is just about coming to a close with the Monday Night game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.
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We will be ranking the top five players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change and news arrives. The following ownership percentages come via CBS Sportsline entering Week 5.
Wayne Gallman, New York Giants (62 percent ownership)
Gallman emerged from Sunday’s loss to the Chargers with his body intact, and that is a huge win for the Giants. You have to seriously wonder if the Giants, who haven’t been able to run the ball consistently all season, will now have to go run-heavy with their receiving corps completely annihilated. Gallman might be up to the challenge, getting 11 carries for the second straight week and catching four passes on five targets. He’s been decent two weeks in a row and his role might be about to expand heavily.
Elijah McGuire, New York Jets (48)
Matt Forte was already out for a second straight week and now Bilal Powell is down with a hamstring issue. The Jets had been working McGuire into the mix prior to Sunday, and though he didn’t do much with his 11 carries, he might be in line for a ton of work if Forte and Powell both miss next week. It could be a Wally Pipp situation in New York once again.
Mack is making an impact in the running game, earning nine carries to Frank Gore’s 14, but turning his workload into 91 yards and a touchdown, while Gore plodded to 48 yards. It was Mack’s second touchdown this season after missing two games with a shoulder injury, and you have to wonder how much more he’ll cut into Gore’s workload going forward. He appears to have the juice that Gore’s veteran legs lack.
Breida is starting to look like more than just a handcuff to Carlos Hyde. Breida outplayed Hyde as a rusher and a pass-catcher Sunday, with a 10-8 advantage in carries and perhaps more significant, a 5-5-1 edge in targets. Breida was a preseason standout for the 49ers, so they have full confidence in the rookie and he is taking advantage. If you have Hyde, you really need to have Breida on your bench, and you might want him as a stand-alone.
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers (7)
The Chargers have been looking to replace Danny Woodhead for a little over a season, and they may have found their man in Ekeler, who had a much more prominent role on Sunday with Branden Oliver out, and Ekeler responded with three receptions for 28 yards. If anything happened to Melvin Gordon — and his knee is always an issue — Ekeler could be the guy who gets the call. He’s a handcuff for sure and a PPR stash.
