Week 5 fantasy football waiver series: Mike Boone, Tyler Algeier, and George Pickens lead the way

With the season approaching, we expected Melvin Gordon to be the obvious replacement should something happen to Jafonte Williams, but conditions in Denver may already have changed by Week 4. Because with Williams leaving Sunday’s game against Raiders With a knee injury, it was Mike Boone who got the first chance to Bronco.

That’s because Gordon’s faltering problems surfaced again on Sunday, leading to a defensive landing for the Raiders. Boone eventually ended up with only three holders for 20 yards, but he’s still considered one of the most wanted players in the exemption corps heading into week five, given Williams’ injury and Gordon struggles.

That doesn’t necessarily mean I think Boone will be the starter for the Broncos. Gordon was penalized for his failures and may have had a very short leash, but you have to think the Broncos would give him his first crack at a leadership role if Williams had to waste time, given how much they gave him a streak. far. And there seems to be a real chance that Williams will miss some time – we don’t know as of Sunday afternoon, but the fact that he was taken to the locker room and left almost immediately is certainly not a good sign.

Even if it’s not a long-term injury, the Broncos play Thursday in Week 5 against ponies Who might be missing Jonathan Taylor After leaving Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. It seems very likely that both Gordon and Boone will have extended roles in Week 5, and while Gordon is on the list pretty much everywhere (92%), Boone is available pretty much everywhere. He sees double-digit touches in sharing time with Gordon, at least – and it’s at least possible that he’d still be the first choice if Gordon really cost himself for his failures.

Whether that means Boone should be the top choice in compromises depends on both what we hear about Williams’ long-term condition as well as what Broncos says about the Gordon/Boone split. If Nyheim Hines (75% listed) were available in your league, I’d take it instead of Boone, but I’d probably prioritize Boone over Deon Jackson or Phillip Lindsay, other Colts RB options to help replace Taylor.

Here’s who we’ll be following up on for Week 5 Waiver Wire.