Week 5 Running Backs: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds

September 29, 2014

This is not a particularly strong week for running back pickups as you may have already noticed. Some of the usual suspects such as Lorenzo Taliaferro, Antone Smith,Bishop Sankey, Matt Asiata, and Jerick McKinnon make the list if they are still out there but after that you're pretty much digging for a needle in a haystack. Let me try to help you sift through all that coal to try to find a diamond in the rough.

Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Andre Williams (RB, NYG) - 33% owned on Fleaflicker

Make no mistake, Rashad Jennings is still the workhorse for this Giants offense. The main reason that Andre Williams got as many carries as he did Thursday night was that the game was an absolute blowout for the Giants, and because the Giants are doing their best to limit Jennings carries when possible. Jennings had 163 carries in 2013 which is his career high, and at his current pace he is going to shatter that. The Giants wanted to give him a nice break on the short week.

However, Andre Williams did make the most of his opportunity on Thursday night rushing 15 times for 66 yards and a TD. The 4.4 yards per carry isn't overly impressive, but it's not bad for a guy who is going to be a bench piece for you.  The 5'11 230 pound back was dominant in college, and has Giants fans like yours truly dreaming about what he can be for the team in future years. In fact, I've nicknamed him Andre "2000" because clearly he'll be one of the few elite backs to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season! Player Profiler also is very favorable towards Mr. Williams, ranking him in the 91st percentile for running backs. Granted, his best comparable is Eddie Lacy who is making everyone nervous right now but Lacy showed flashes of dominance last year and will regain his form in due time.

This is all a long winded way of saying that Williams is worth a speculative add in 12 + teams or deeper. At this point in the season he is most likely one of the more talented handcuffs you can pick up off the waiver wire.

Ka'deem Carey (RB, CHI) - 9% owned on Fleaflicker

Speaking of talented rookies, have you met my friend Ka'deem? Mr. Carey introduced himself to the world on Sunday against the packers by rushing 14 times for 72 yards. In fact, as surprisingly good as the Packers secondary has been, their run defense is just as bad.  The Packers allowed over 200 rushing yards to the Bears on Sunday, which makes it even more surprising that the Bears found a way to lose that game.

I digress though. Ka'deem is behind Matt Forte on the depth chart for running backs with Daaaa Bears. Forte was drafted 3rd or 4th overall this season, and while he hasn't found the end zone yet, that trend will eventually change course. The Bears also have a ton of weapons in the offensive passing games.

So what about Ka'deem? He most likely won't get even close to 14 attempts per game. In fact, week 4 was the first time he attempted more than one rush in a game and it was mostly to spell Forte who had rushed over 20 times. Still, similar to his fellow rookie Andre Williams, Mr. Carey grades out pretty well as far as athleticism and is worth a speculative add if you're really hurting for running backs.

Darrin Reaves (RB, CAR) - 1% owned on Fleaflicker

You know you're really looking deep when one of my suggestions is an undrafted rookie. However, with all the injuries to the Panthers running backs, including DeAngelo Williams (again), Fozzy Whittaker and Jonathan Stewart, it seems that Darrin Reaves now finds himself with an opportunity to be the lead guy. For what it's worth he rushed 12 times for only 26 yards and caught three targets for another 11 yards. Not really awe inspiring stats there.

So why am I recommending him? Because he is a fairly big back at 5'10 and 220 pounds. Also if you've seen Cam Newton lately, you know the rushing QB we all knew and loved hasn't been himself. That all adds up to Reaves getting more touches than he usually would in the Panthers system. For now Reaves is that guy, but unlike Christoper, he is no Superman. Don't overspend on him but he's worth a speculative bench add in 12+ teams just for the opportunity he currently has.

Daniel Thomas (RB, MIA) - 4% owned on Fleaflicker

At the beginning of the season I traded Lamar Miller in my dynasty league because I thought his time in Miami was done. The signing of Daniel Thomas after Knowshon Moreno went down seemed to only cement the idea that the Dolphins really didn't like Miller.  Well my apologies to Lamar Miller, as he has been brilliant since Moreno got injured.

We aren't here to talk about Miller though. We are here to talk about Daniel Thomas. You all remember Thomas and his rather uninspiring 3.7 yards per carry for his career right? Understandable if you don't. He was let go by the Dolphins during this preseason because they figured they saw all he had to offer.

Well now he is back, and he hasn't been the same Daniel Thomas we knew before. In the two games he has played for the 'fins, he has averaged 7.1 yards per carry and an insane 23 yards per reception. On Sunday against the Raiders in London he rushed 5 times for 35 yards and added a reception for 25 yards. Maybe his release really woke him up, and he realized he had be better if he wanted to play in the NFL.

Be careful when adding Thomas, because the Dolphins are on bye this upcoming week and then Knowshon may be back after that. However, if Knowshon or Miller gets injured, I'd expect Thomas to get the bulk of their work. He knows the Dolphins' system well, and has started to prove that he has slightly more ability to play than we thought.

Denard Robinson (RB, JAX) - 4% owned on Fleaflicker

To know how much I dislike Toby Gerhart all you have to do is read this article I wrote a few weeks ago. Since then, Gerhart has done nothing to reassure me.  There was a chance that with Bortles as the QB we might see some improved numbers from Gerhart. But nope, he continues to be the 2.4 yards per carry back we've seen all year.

Enter Denard Robinson. Last year, Robinson was on kicking duty for the Jags but this year he seems to have moved into the backup running back role. He rushed 9 times times for a measly 25 yards on Sunday but that doesn't tell the full story. Look, I wish I didn't have to try to recommend any of the Jaguars running backs to you, but if you're insistent on taking the chance on any of them it should be Robinson. Watching the game, he just looked way more explosive or as coaches like to say "hungry" than anything we've seen out of Gerhart.

According to Player Profiler, he's also in the 92nd percentile for the 40 yard dash which means he's very quick. The Jaguars just need to figure a way to get him in space and then let that speed take over. Keep in mind that Robinson is only 199 pounds so he isn't exactly built to handle a heavy workload. I hesitantly recommend picking up Robinson in deeper leagues just in case the Jaguars o-line suddenly figures out how to block. It's not very likely, but hey crazier things have happened.

Waiver Wire Targets for PPR Leagues

Branden Oliver (RB, SD) - 4% owned on Fleaflicker

By now you're probably sick of hearing about all the injures to the Chargers backfield. Ryan Mathews is dealing with an ankle injury and Danny Woodhead is unfortunately out for the year. That left us all with Donald Brown, whom many experts rushed to tell you to pick up.

Brown has been solid as the feature back for the Chargers, but he's never been the feature back before. The most carries he's had in a season has been 134, which means some of those carries will have to go elsewhere. Mathews will return from his ankle injury eventually, but in the mean time you should take a look at Branden Oliver.  He's not really built to be a feature back either, as he profiles similarly another PPR star Justin Forsett, but like Forsett I could see him carving out a passing down role for himself.  His 9 rushes for 23 yards on Sunday were nothing special, but his 4 catches for 33 yards would help anyone in a PPR league. That's a very tidy 8.3 yards per reception average.

Mathews is due back relatively soon and the Chargers face the Jets this week, who have probably the toughest run defense in the league, so this may not be the week to fire up Oliver. If you're feeling lucky, you could definitely do worse in deep leagues.

Travaris Cadet (RB, NO) - 1% owned on Fleaflicker

Pierre Thomas has more or less disappeared since the first game of the season. It's entirely possible he could still be the new "Darren Sproles" but so far this season he doesn't look like it.

Another running back did my catch eye though. Travaris Cadet did nothing in the running game, but he caught all six of his targets for 59 yards. That's a great average of 9.8 yards per reception, and he certainly helped anyone who happened to play him in PPR formats last night. Granted, I imagine those people are in 32 team leagues, but hey a win is a win.

Everyone knows by now the Saints like to have at least one running back they feel comfortable passing to, and if last night's game was any indication then Cadet and Brees have great chemistry. I'd be taking the chance that this 6'1 210 pound undrafted rookie could help my team in deeper PPR formats.

Closing Thoughts For Week 5

A lot my recommendations this week are undrafted rookies. These guys slipped under the radar in real life and maybe they can do the same in your fantasy league! As always, feel free to contact me on twitter @RekedFantasy with any fantasy football questions. Catch you all next week.