It’s Week 5 of the fantasy football season, and finding sleepers at the running back position can go a long way in ensuring a victory for your team.
Finding a running back fantasy football sleeper is more difficult than say, a wide receiver, because there is less volume to be shared at the position. Nonetheless, running back sleepers have the potential to win you your matchup or win you some cash in daily fantasy lineups.
Here are this week’s NFL running back sleepers, which include a couple of pairs of teammates. Let’s get into it!
Running back sleepers for fantasy football Week 5: Caleb Huntley, Atlanta Falcons
Caleb Huntley was a surprise last-minute elevation for the Falcons in Week 4, and he looked good splitting time with rookie Tyler Allgeier. He ran 10 times for 56 yards and a touchdown en route to the Falcons totally dominating the Browns on the ground. With Cordarrelle Patterson heading to injured reserve, that stat line may be a mainstay for Huntley.
In Week 5, Huntley and Allgeier are likely to split carries. Even in a tough matchup against Tampa Bay (though they did get shredded by Kansas City on the ground last week), Huntley should have some fantasy value based on volume alone. He’s an intriguing DFS option.
Running back sleepers for fantasy football Week 5: Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams’ offense looks so bad that it’s easy to forget that they’re the reigning champs. With Cooper Kupp literally shouldering the load for the Rams, it’s been a one-dimensional and predictable offense. However, somebody has to run the ball. Last week, Akers got the shot but turned eight carries into just 13 yards.
Darrell Henderson looked more explosive than Akers last week, totaling 39 yards on 10 touches. He is the clear pass-catching back, which gives him more of a floor this week than Akers in a tough matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. He’s a sleeper this week because the Rams may give him the starting gig back after Akers’ bad couple of weeks.