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Living on the Waiver Wire

Montee Ball admitted it was just a matter of time before an injury came his way.

He wasn’t alone during Week 5 of the NFL season, as injuries continued to take down valuable fantasy football options, particularly at the running back position.

Luckily, there is a new emerging weapon every week, and there are a few players to target this week on the waiver wire that can help replace Ball and some of his injured brethren.

Running Back

Ball, considered by many a first-round caliber fantasy football player this season, will miss some time with a groin injury suffered Sunday against Arizona.

That might not overly concern the Broncos, who have watched Ball struggle to get anything going through the first four games of their season. It does concern fantasy owners, who put a lot of stock in the second-year back out of Wisconsin and have seen little return.

However, the answer to replacing Ball may not reside in Denver. Sure, Ronnie Hillman looked strong with 64 yards on 15 carries in second-half garbage time Sunday, but it was rookie Juwan Thompson out of Duke who scored on a late goal-line carry in his first regular-season game.

Denver’s C.J. Anderson was a healthy scratch Sunday, but he should make a return to the active roster with Ball sitting out at least a few weeks. With three players to choose from and no clear-cut favorite to get the majority of touches, Denver likely will use a committee approach going forward. Hillman likely will see the most touches, but it is hard to count on him from a fantasy perspective with Thompson a much better touchdown threat on the goal line.

Instead, look to San Diego’s Branden Oliver, who spelled the struggling Donald Brown to the tune of 114 yards and one touchdown rushing, as well as 68 receiving yards and another score Sunday against the New York Jets, who had been the best defense in the league against the run going into that game. Oliver, who only is on the field because of injuries to starter Ryan Matthews and passing-down back Danny Woodhead, made the most of his opportunities and could take over as the starter in front of Brown until Matthews is recovered from a medial collateral ligament injury. Matthews still is a few weeks away, and Oliver should be added in all fantasy formats going forward, as he should continue to be a strong piece to the Chargers’ sizzling offense. Oliver is even worth a start this week against the Oakland Raiders, who rank 24th against the run this season.

Another must-add player is Andre Williams of the New York Giants. Starting running back Rashad Jennings sprained an MCL on Sunday against Atlanta and could be out as long as a month. Williams, a rookie out of Boston College, had 65 yards and a touchdown Sunday, and that gave him 131 yards and two touchdowns in the last two games. Though he is raw when it comes to pass blocking and catching the ball out of the backfield, Williams will be the starter going forward and should remain a prevalent part of the Giants’ offense, which ranks 12th in the league in rushing offense this season.

Justin Forsett of Baltimore remains widely available in fantasy leagues. Mentioned several times in this column, Forsett had touchdown runs in each of the last two weeks and has been just shy of 100 total yards of offense in each of the last two weeks. For those in points-per-reception formats, Forsett is worth a start, as he has 23 receptions this season. Consider him a safe start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, as the Bucs have allowed six rushing touchdowns this season, tied for second most in the NFL.

Tight End

Don’t get too excited about Tim Wright with the New England Patriots. I made that mistake by drafting him at the beginning of the season, and it took five weeks for Wright to do anything at all.

Sure, Wright is coming off an 85-yard, one touchdown game against the Cincinnati Bengals, helped largely because the Patriots finally went to a two tight-end set to bolster the run game against the Bengals. Still, Wright is no Aaron Hernandez on the field, and Tom Brady has had tunnel vision on Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. Wright’s five catches Sunday night more than doubled his season total, so don’t expect too much from him. However, consider him a risky start when the Patriots face defenses that struggle to stop the run, as that is the most likely time Wright will see the field.

One tight end that deserves a roster spot is Dwayne Allen in Indianapolis. Allen has passed Coby Fleener in terms of production this season and has four touchdowns in five games this season. Still available in more than 80 percent of standard leagues, Allen is a no-brainer thanks to his touchdown potential. Don’t count on him for a 100-yard game or to get 10 receptions any time soon with how many weapons Andrew Luck has around him, but expect Luck to continue to look toward the big man in the redzone.

Bye Weeks

Kansas City and New Orleans both are on bye weeks, which is good news for the two teams who have been hit hard with injuries. Owners of Jamaal Charles and Jimmy Graham may be looking for spot starters this week, so make sure you get your waiver-claims in on running backs and tight ends with a top priority.

Survivor Pool

Back in the win column with the Philadelphia Eagles pick last week, bringing the season total to 3-1. That one loss is all you need to fall out of the pool early, but we will keep the picks coming, anyway. This week’s lock is a rare road-team selection. Any other week, I would say never, ever pick a road team, but I have to break my own rule with so many even matchups this week. The lock is the Denver Broncos at the New York Jets, who still can’t figure out who to start at quarterback. A west coast team on the road for an early game? Never a fun pick, but it looks to be the safest.

John Livingston is a sports writer for The Durango Herald and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. He can be reached at jlivingston@durangoherald.com or on Twitter @jlivi2.



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