Branden Oliver is going to be a hot name this week. (USATSI)
Go here to see the Fantasy Football Today team break down some of the players contained in this blog.
What follows is a list of players who found the end zone on offense in Week 5 who are owned in less than 50 percent of CBSSports.com leagues:
Davante Adams, Chris Ogbonnaya, Jim Dray, Justin Hunter, Travis Benjamin (twice!), Kenny Britt, Benny Cunningham, Riley Cooper, Antone Smith, Odell Beckham, Louis Murphy, Travaris Cadet, Chris Gragg, Michael Palmer, Juwan Thompson, De'Anthony Thomas, Steve Johnson, Branden Oliver (twice!), Timothy Wright, Mohamed Sanu, Andre Roberts.
By my count, there were 71 passing or rushing touchdowns this week, so that means 32.4 percent of all offensive scores this week came from relative Fantasy no-names. The key for Fantasy owners this week will be to pick through the names and figure out which ones -- if any are likely to make a long-term impact.
Among the players listed above, I think the following five are the most intriguing:
Branden Oliver, RB, Chargers
This is an obvious pick, but Oliver has looked good since being thrust into a larger role over the last few weeks. He was first pegged as the Danny Woodhead replacement, and has hauled in eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. However, he really impressed with his work as a featured back in Week 5, as he rushed for 114 yards on 19 carries.
At this point, we don't know how long Donald Brown's concussion is going to keep him out of action, but Oliver isn't going away any time soon. Brown is seriously miscast as a No. 1 running back, and Oliver torched a pretty solid Jets run defense Sunday. Though the eventual return of Ryan Mathews looms over everything, Oliver looks like a must-add player right now.
As an added bonus, with his short stature and jersey number, he bears a striking resemblance to another great former Chargers backup running back. This was Sproles-esque, no?
Davante Adams, WR, Packers
The third wide receiver for the Packers has been a spot where Fantasy owners have found some real value in years past, specifically in 2012, when James Jones hauled in 14 touchdowns. Adams is still a long way from proving his is worth owning, but there will be chances for him to succeed, with how much attention Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb draw. Keep Adams on your radar.
Odell Beckham, WR, Giants
We have been waiting for Beckham's hamstring to heal so we could see what the Giants have in their first-round pick. Rookie receivers often struggle with consistency, but he looks good enough in Week 5 to pique our interest. Eli Manning has plenty of weapons now, so it remains to be seen how much Beckham is used on a weekly basis, however.
Antone Smith, RB, Falcons
Antone Smith has now touched the ball 25 times in his career, which stretches 29 games over three seasons. With those 25 touches he has 429 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns, seriously staggering numbers on a per-touch basis. The problem is, though he might be the team's best home run hitter, the Falcons don't seem interested in making him even a platoon player.
The Falcons have not had many players stand out in the backfield so far, so it is not inconceivable that Smith will earn a large roll moving forward. Until it actually happens, though, it is hard to actually suggest adding Smith.
Timothy Wright, TE, Patriots
When the Patriots traded for Timothy Wright prior to the start of the season, there was some thought that he would be used as the second tight end in the team's deadly two tight end sets. For the first four weeks of the season, that did not prove true, but Wright broke out in Week 5, hauling in five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately, though the Patriots did play with two tight ends more than usual in Week 5, Wright played just 19 snaps total. He has likely earned a bigger role moving forward and looks like he could be a useful weapon, Fantasy owners will obviously want to temper expectations.
