Fantasy football week 7 sleepers: 5 running back sleepers

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Oct 18, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Branden Oliver (43) rushes with the football during the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Branden Oliver-San Diego Chargers

If you are in a deep league or desperate for help, one option whose playing time appears to be on the upswing is the Chargers’ Branden Oliver. Oliver was effective last year in his rookie year posting a few 100+ yard games and showing some solid skills as a pass-catcher when injuries depleted the San Diego backfield leaving him as the last man standing.

This season, the Chargers were expected to rely on Melvin Gordon as their main early-down option and go to Danny Woodhead on passing downs. The Woodhead part of the plan has worked well, but Gordon has been a big disappointment and was benched last week after a pair of fumbles. Oliver stepped in for Gordon and ran for 23 yards on seven carries and added 40 yards on four catches. He looked ready to contribute, but it remains to be seen if the Chargers will go back to Gordon and leave him without enough touches to put up good numbers.

Coming into week 7, Oliver is only owned in 2.2% of ESPN leagues and he is available for the minimum of 3,000 on DraftKings. On FanDuel, he’s only 4,700 making him one of the most affordable options who actually could get some playing time. This week, the Chargers are taking on the Raiders who have struggled to stop the run, so there will be production for the San Diego backfield. How much time Oliver has earned in that timeshare will determine if he’s one of the running back sleepers who delivers or not this week. He’s a long-shot, high-risk play for this week, but he could be a producer if he gets time going forward making him a deep league stash consideration.

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