5 best fantasy football pickups to make for Week 5

Let’s break down the five best fantasy football pickups to make for Week 5.

Week 4 of the NFL season included some breakout performances and noteworthy injuries. As of Monday morning, Jared Goff and Geno Smith are the two top-scoring quarterbacks for the week, and wide receivers Josh Reynolds, Jamal Agnew, and Corey Davis all had big games. Meanwhile, key players like Tua Tagovailoa, Jonathan Taylor, and Javonte Williams suffered injuries.

Let’s take a look at the five best pickups to make in fantasy football leagues.

5. RB Mike Boone, Denver Broncos

Rostered: 0.1%

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Javonte Williams has suffered a torn ACL.

With Williams sidelined, Melvin Gordon III and Mike Boone should take on larger roles. Given his past production, Gordon seems like he would serve as the primary back, but it may not be that clear-cut. Gordon has had a rough start to the season. He has fumbled four times in four games. In addition, he is averaging only 3.8 yards per carry, which is last on the team (minimum two carries).

In the midst of Gordon’s struggles, Boone took on a larger role in Week 4; he actually logged nine more offensive snaps than Gordon.

Throughout his five-year NFL career, Boone has been the model of efficiency with a career average of 5.6 yards per carry. In fact, Boone is averaging 5.8 yards per carry since 2019, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL (minimum 60 carries).

In 2019, he got an opportunity to play a larger role for the Minnesota Vikings, and he was excellent. For the season, he had 49 carries for 273 yards and three touchdowns, and he led the entire NFL with 3.7 yards after contact per carry (minimum 45 carries). In Week 17, he had a monster performance rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears.

Boone is a more than capable backup. I would not be surprised to see him eclipse Gordon on the Broncos’ depth chart.