5 breakout fantasy football stars to pick up for Week 5

2. Top Fantasy Football Pickups For Week 5 - Denver Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin

The dreaded injury bug has risen to claim another victim in Week 4 as Denver's Javonte Williams had to depart Sunday's 31-28 win over the Chicago Bears early with a hip issue. The timing has to be incredibly frustrating for Williams, who just now looked to be fully over last year's ACL tear, but it did create an opportunity for backup Jaleel McLaughlin to step up.

McLaughlin split time with Samaje Perine after Williams left the game but was very impressive with his carries, turning seven of them into 72 yards. There is also pass-catching appeal for McLaughlin, who turned three targets into three receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown.

The big question here is Williams' status going forward and there is every reason to expect that Denver will be cautious with him given his previous injury history. A short-term absence would benefit McLaughlin, whose strong performance in Week 4 would likely earn him a bigger share of the workload than Perine in the near future.

Very few fantasy owners had even heard of McLaughlin prior to this week as he is rostered in just two percent of leagues. Keep a close eye on the injury reports in Denver but teams in need of a fill-in running back for Week 5, when Jerome Ford, Kenneth Walker and Rachaad White are all on bye, should take a shot on McLaughlin.