Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: RB adds with Montee Ball, Rashad Jennings out

The Fantasy football season is heating up with the midway point nearing for most leagues. Not only is this the stretch that will make or break your season, there are several notable players hurt and subsequent pickups you can make to save or kill your season.

The two biggest fantasy names to go down with injury this week are Broncos RB Montee Ball and Giants RB Rashad Jennings. Both players are expected to miss multiple weeks due to injury.

Whether you own one, both or neither, this opens the door for several RBs to put up big numbers during others' absences. If you miss out on getting the guys who will replace Jennings and Ball, but still need to add a RB, fear not.

There are several other RBs to pick up this week. Here's a look at the best ones.

Giants RB Andre Williams

It's amazing what Rashad Jennings has been doing for the Giants this season, gaining 396 rushing yards and 2 TDs to go with 11 receptions for 109 yards. That gives him 505 total yards and two scores.

Jennings is on the shelf for a few weeks with a sprained MCL, so Williams is the new lead back. The rookie already showed he could be up to the task, grinding out 65 yards and a touchdown on the ground against the Atlanta Falcons.

With the Eagles up next (9th-most RB points allowed), Williams is an RB 1 this week. Williams owned in 28 percent of leagues. If he's available, grab him. He'll likely get a full workload against Philadelphia in Week 6.

Chargers RB Branden Oliver

I'll admit, I wasn't buying into Oliver in Week 5. When he started seeing a handful of carries, I simply wasn't impressed enough to urge everyone to run to the waiver wire. He posted a pedestrian 2.56 YPC against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Aside from youth, there wasn't an element in his performance that made me consider him a clear upgrade from Donald Brown.

However, Brown was inefficient and irrelevant as the Chargers No. 1 RB after Ryan Matthews went down. After he suffered a concussion Sunday vs. the Jets, on Sunday, Oliver came in and dominated the game, notching 182 total yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 touches.

He looked like the second coming of Darren Sproles, and with the lowly Raiders coming up next , Oliver should be a high RB 2 this week. Even if Brown returns this week, expect Oliver to get 20+ touches again vs. an Oakland team in disarray on the heels of firing their head coach.

Grab Oliver if you're in one of the 84 percent of leagues that he's available in.

Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman

This may be my least favorite pick up for the week. Montee Ball could miss as many as three weeks with a groin injury. During his absence, the Broncos will face the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and the San Diego Chargers - none of which are a cakewalk for running backs.

To make matters worse, Hillman isn't exactly a lock at lead running back duties. He'll see some competition from C.J. Anderson, and coach John Fox may not hesitate to feed the hot hand. Still, there's plenty of opportunity here. Hillman got some decent action against the Arizona Cardinals, rushing for 64 yards on 15 carries, but it was Juwan Thompson who scored an 8-yard TD in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.

Hillman is owned in 10 percent of leagues. Claim him if you're in dire need of running back. Otherwise, there's a chance you could grab him in free agency once waivers clear in your leagues.

Rams RB Benny Cunningham

There is some speculation that Zac Stacy may take a backseat to Cunningham after suffering a strained calf on Sunday. He fumbled the ball in the process. I'm not completely buying that Stacy is in the doghouse, and even if he was, the Rams have some tough run defenses in their future with the 49ers and Seahawks.

While I'm not thrilled about Cunningham, he is very available with just six percent ownership. If you're dropping some dead weight on your roster, you could do worse than take a chance on Cunningham.

Vikings RB Jerick McKinnon

Matt Asiata looks like he's going to be the primary back for between the tackles running, but Jerick McKinnon has shown he can be a capable third-down pass-catcher and change-of-pace back the figures to get 10-20 touches per game going forward.

He was held in check last Thursday with Christian Ponder playing like his usual terrible self. However, when Teddy Bridgewater was the QB in Week 5, he helped keep McKinnon involved in the offense far more, allowing the rookie RB to gain 152 total yards and a touchdown on 19 touches.

Bridgewater should play in Week 6, to be back, and with a stout Lions defense on deck, Minnesota will need a faster, more elusive back like McKinnon to make a dent on Detroit.

He's a worthy FLEX play this week against one of the league's better run defenses, but Mckinnon has the potential to become a weekly RB 2 if Minnesota continues to up his workload.

Editor's Note: FanDuel is hosting a private fantasy football League for SBNation readers this week. It's $10 to join, the top 200 teams win money, and first place wins $1,000. League starts Sunday 1 PM ET and ends on Monday. Here's the link.