Check out Marc Caviglia’s fantasy football rankings and hot takes on the Week 5 running back matchups:
- Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin has been a nice find off the waiver wire for those who snagged him after Week 1 or Week 2. The dual-threat running back has 192 rushing yards on 48 carries and 113 receiving yards on 18 receptions through four games. These numbers are good enough for Gaskin to be considered as a low-end RB2 or Flex play most weeks, however Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers isn’t the week to trust the rookie. The Niners are No.1 in the NFL at defending opposing running backs and allow just 3.0 yards per carry. They have given up just 1 touchdown to running back and are limited them to 21.3 receiving yards per game. Gaskins will be added to the list of RBs that couldn’t get it done against San Francisco.
- Staying in the same game, a RB I am really high on is Jerick McKinnon of the 49ers. He’s scored a touchdown in four straight games to start the season and last week, he saw a team-high 21 touches and turned it into 97 total yards and a score. The 49ers are starting to get healthy on offense, with Jimmy G expected back, and McKinnon is in a prime spot for a big Week 5. The Dolphins give up 140 yards of total offense to the running back position and have allowed 6 total touchdowns. I project McKinnon to sit around 17-20 touches in this football game and love his chances to make it five straight weeks with a touchdown.
- It’s been a roller coaster of a season for Rams RB Darrell Henderson Jr. He had 3 carries for 6 yards in Week 1, went for 121 total yards and a TD in Week 2, followed it up with 114 rushing yards and a score in Week 3 only to finish with 37 total yards on 9 touches in Week 4. Factor in Malcolm Brown continuing to solidify his role in the backfield and rookie RB Cam Akers back from an injury this week and you have a sticky situation brewing in Los Angeles. Instead of trying to predict which Rams RB carries the value, it’s time to put them all on your bench and see how opportunity pans out. Even with Henderson’s running style being best suited for the Washington Football Team, it’s tough to rely on him.
- David Johnson saw a season-high 18 touches for the Texans in Week 4 and finished with 92 total yards. Overall, Johnson is average 3.9 yards per carry and and punched in a touchdown on opening night. He also has at least 2 receptions in every game this season and should continue to be a factor as a pass catcher against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. It’s evident that the Texans are building more confidence in Johnson as the season progresses and you can expect him to go for over 100 total yards against a Jaguars defense that gives up 20.3 fantasy points per game to the RB position.
Rankings are based on the following scoring:
6 points per touchdown
1 point per 10 rushing & receiving yards
-2 points per turnover
.5 point & 1 point per reception (toggle to find scoring format)
