Entering the season, if you opted to go running back at the front end of your fantasy draft, you're probably not feeling great right now. precautionary move, but I'm not sure it's smart to buy that. Not only is he not producing when he's actually in the game, but Taliaferro and Forsett have played above expectation according to our metrics. And Forsett has actually been the most effective running back in the entire NFL thus far.
Even if Pierce starts to see volume, he won't be effective. There's no reason to hold him on your fantasy team.
Add Marvin Jones
You may have forgotten, but ESPN.com leagues, Jones could end up being a nice WR3 this year if he's 100 percent.
Add Allen Robinson
Rookie expected to miss Week 5, Robinson will become rookie ESPN.com, meaning he's probably out there on the waiver wire in your league.
Not only is he set to return in Week 5, but Palmer has a nice matchup against the Broncos in a game that should be fairly high scoring. And so far this year, the Broncos secondary ranks in the bottom 10 against the pass when adjusted for strength of opponent.
Given the team's weapons, Palmer is a decent start each week. When the matchup is favorable, he's a perfect streaming option.
Sell Chris Johnson
A quick glance at the Jets backfield this past weekend shows you what you need to know about Chris Johnson. Teammate Chris Ivory saw 11 more carries, and despite just 10 career receptions entering the game, Ivory out-targeted Johnson 6 to 2. On the season, our advanced metrics see Ivory as the far superior running back.
Johnson did score a touchdown on a 35-yard run, saving his day and giving owners an additional week of potentially selling him. Get rid of him while (if) you can.
Add Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater's starting debut went well, ending with a 16.88 Passing NEP and a Total NEP, due to his running abilities, of 22.47. Granted, it was against a Falcons defense that's been torched over the last year-plus, but it was good to see how relevant he could be.
Adding him is a no-brainer for quarterback-needy teams, despite his ankle injury. The Vikings' schedule is pretty stellar moving forward, too, facing bottom half pass defenses in six of their next seven games.
Add the Lions Defense
The Lions defense isn't on as many waiver wires this week as last, but if they're out there, snag them. Not only have they started the year as our number five overall defense, but they'll face Kyle Orton in his first start with Buffalo, and they'll be at home. It could get ugly.
Add Andre Williams
Rookie Andre Williams saw some work in the Giants blowout win last Thursday night, and turned it into 66 yards and a touchdown. We shouldn't expect him to get 15 carries each week moving forward, but a matchup against the league's second-worst rush defense, Atlanta, makes him an interesting sleeper in Week 5.
He's still out there in about 70% of ESPN.com leagues, and if you need a running back this week due to injury or bye weeks, he's not a bad option. After all, we saw both the Bengals and Vikings produce two very fantasy relevant running backs when they faced Atlanta this year.
Add Darrin Reaves
The entire Carolina backfield is banged up, leaving Darrin Reaves as the man to handle the load in Week 5. Who? Exactly.
When there's a starting back on the waiver wire, you have to add him. Reaves had 12 carries for 26 yards last week against Baltimore, good (bad) for a Rushing NEP of -3.90. He'll need to be more effective in Week 5, but a matchup against Chicago could be worse.
And who knows, maybe he'll be a long-term answer for an offense that needs some sort of spark.
Buy the Giants Offense
Last week, I wrote about how our perception of the G-Men may be a little off due to a terrible 2013 campaign and a Week 1 matchup against the now fifth-ranked Detroit Lions defense. Perhaps we just haven't given the Giants a chance.
Over the last three weeks, New York has moved from one of the worst offensive teams in the league to the 18th-best one, doing so with a quarterback who's played far above expectation. Eli Manning has a 14.68 Passing NEP on the year now, better than Nick Foles and Jay Cutler. Jay Cutler doesn't care though.
Not only is the Giants offense trending up, but their upcoming schedule includes contests against Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas and Indianapolis. Not a bad stretch at all.