Four weeks of NFL action are in the books, which means it’s time for owners everywhere to scour the waiver wire for the best Week 5 running back pickups. Looking around the league shows that players like Damien Williams and Samaje Perine have the best chance of positive production in the coming weeks.
Week 5 Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups
Damien Williams, Samaje Perine Highlight Fantasy Football Week 5 Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups
Damien Williams
Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery suffered a nasty knee injury during Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions. While we do not yet know the severity of the injury, it didn’t look good in real-time.
This injury opens the door for Damien Williams to be a fantasy football star until Montgomery returns to the lineup. The journeyman running back played well in relief of Montgomery, and his previous stop in Kansas City proved that he is talented enough to handle a starting role in the NFL. With no other proven competition on the roster, Williams should have one of the highest market shares in the league as long as Montgomery is sidelined.
Damien Williams would not be denied. 😤#DETvsCHI | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/hq4nehANA4
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 3, 2021
Samaje Perine
Once again, this Week 5 running back waiver wire pickup requires monitoring the injury report. Joe Mixon suffered an ankle injury late in Thursday night’s action, and Samaje Perine played the vast majority of the snaps in his absence. Now, it looks like Mixon probably will suit up next week, but you should grab Perine just in case Mixon’s status takes a turn for the worst.
Latavius Murray
It’s the Latavius Murray show in Baltimore, apparently. Despite being far less effective than Ty’Son Williams, head coach Jim Harbaugh appears determined to keep Latavius Murray as the starting running back. In Week 4, the longtime NFL veteran recorded 18 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown.
Latavius Murray is not a good NFL running back anymore, but that doesn’t really matter when you’re getting this much volume in this scheme. Murray isn’t going to win you any weeks, but he won’t lose you any, either. If you need an emergency starter as bye weeks start kicking in, you could do a lot worse.
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J.D. McKissic
It’s time to accept that Antonio Gibson is never getting that pass-catching role. J.D. McKissic is a great receiving back, and he’ll always carry some fantasy value in PPR leagues. Last week, the third-down back finished the night with five receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown while also earning seven carries.
Washington’s defense is one of the worst in the league, which means this team should be in plenty of shootouts moving forward. As long as that is the case, McKissic will carry some weekly value as a low-end flex play.
Kenneth Gainwell
Miles Sanders is going to be Philadelphia’s early-down running back, but he’s not going to see too many targets. The Eagles don’t have too much in terms of proven pass-catchers, and rookie Kenneth Gainwell appears to have carved out a role in this offense.
Facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs, Gainwell finished the night with six receptions for 58 yards on eight targets while adding another 31 yards and a touchdown on the ground. This scoring was partially inflated by playing catch-up all game long, but the Eagles should be doing a lot of that in the coming weeks. Philadelphia’s next three games are against the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Las Vegas Raiders. There should be plenty of targets to go around.
Kenneth Gainwell up the middle! @Eagles cut the Chiefs lead to 28-23.
📺: #KCvsPHI on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/oU8wr8E6FO— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2021
Jeremy McNichols
A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are both battling hamstring injuries, and there’s a very real chance that neither player suits up in Week 5. Somebody is going to have to catch the ball, and that somebody could be Jeremy McNichols. During Week 4’s loss, the backup running back finished with eight receptions for 74 yards on a staggering 12 targets. This is fantastic volume, and it should be there as long as Brown and Jones cannot play.
Week 5 Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups
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