Fantasy ballers: Four RBs who will exceed their Week 5 projections
Two veteran running backs and a pair of up-and-coming rookies are ready to outperform their Week 5 projections in fantasy football.
Alvin Kamara (RB) New Orleans Saints
Kamara finished Week 4 with 21.4 points in Yahoo leagues after returning from a three-game suspension. The seventh-year veteran put the team on his back, handling 11 carries for 51 yards and catching 13 passes from quarterback Derek Carr.
Carr’s shoulder injury made short passes to Kamara the team’s best option against Tampa Bay, and barring a medical miracle for the QB, the versatile back should see plenty of targets against the Patriots.
Kamara was one of two running backs to score at least 20 fantasy points without a touchdown last week. If he finds the end zone in New England, he’ll have no problem passing 14.44 fantasy points.
David Montgomery (RB) Detroit Lions
Montgomery has surpassed his fantasy projection in all three of his starts. The former Bear missed Week 3 with a thigh injury but had 32 carries for 121 yards, three touchdowns and 34.1 fantasy points against the Packers in Week 4.
He’s unlikely to see that many carries against Carolina, but he’ll beat his projected 12.08 points against a winless Panthers team allowing the fourth-most points fantasy to opposing running backs.
De’Von Achane (RB) Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lost to the Bills on Sunday, but they’ve found an absolute stud with their third-round draft pick. Achane followed up a 51.3-point performance against the Broncos with 101 yards and two scores on eight carries in Buffalo. The effort was worth 27 points in Yahoo leagues, where he’s projected to score 12.97 points in Week 5.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had no problem playing the hot hand as offensive coordinator in San Francisco, and after a 28-point loss to the Bills, he’ll give his rookie running back all the work he can handle against a woeful Giants defense giving up 30.5 points per game.
Jaleel McLaughlin (RB) Denver Broncos
After an excellent showing in Week 4, McLaughlin may have jumped the line in terms of Denver’s depth chart. When starting running back Javonte Williams injured his hip against Chicago, the undrafted rookie stepped up by averaging 10.3 yards per carry for a team-high 73 yards including a 31-yard run in the third quarter. He also had three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Broncos coach Sean Payton was almost giddy about McLaughlin’s performance.
“Let’s talk about Jaleel,” Payton told reporters. “He played really well. He’s one of the guys that got a game ball this morning. He was explosive in the run and the pass. He gave us some juice, so we’ll continue to look at his role."
McLaughlin set an NCAA record with 8,155 rushing yards in college and had 79 touchdowns in five seasons. Even if Williams suits up for the Jets game, Denver’s rookie running back should crush his 4.82-point projection.
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