Fantasy Football Week 5: Unheralded Players Poised for Statistical Outbursts

Since injuries, byes and other factors come into play more and more as the season progresses, many fantasy owners are likely searching for answers heading into the weekend portion of Week 5.

Some so-called superstar players are scuffling badly, and others are on the shelf. That means owners will be forced to turn to players in whom they may not have a ton of faith. If the matchups are played right, though, there are players on the waiver wire who can step in and be productive.

For fantasy owners who find themselves in dire straits, here are three players who will exploit good situations and put forth strong fantasy outings in Week 5.

Austin Davis

Many thought that the St. Louis Rams' season was over before it started when quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season, but a new option has emerged in recent weeks. Third-year gunslinger Austin Davis made his first career NFL start a couple weeks ago, and he has been impressive to say the least.

The Southern Mississippi product was especially strong in a Week 3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys as he threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw two picks, but that is to be expected out of a 25-year-old signal-caller with very little NFL experience.

This franchise has a history of cultivating starting quarterbacks out of nowhere, including the likes of Kurt Warner, Marc Bulger and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Davis looks like the next name to join that list as head coach Jeff Fisher officially named him the starter ahead of Week 5, according to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner:

Fisher decided to stick with Davis rather than going back to Shaun Hill, and it is clearly the right decision. Davis has done some really nice things so far this season, and he seems to have a really nice rapport with emerging wide receiver Brian Quick.

In addition to that, a quote courtesy of the Rams' official Twitter account makes it blatantly obvious that Davis is ready and willing to be the guy:

If Davis is going to firmly entrench himself in this role, then the Rams' Week 5 game against the Philadelphia Eagles represents a good opportunity. Although Philly is 3-1, its secondary has been suspect. The Eagles are allowing nearly 258 passing yards per game, and they have given up 10 passing scores, which is the second most in the league.

Since the Eagles rely on an up-tempo offense, the Rams may be forced to open things up in order to keep pace. They did that fairly effectively against the Cowboys and could do something similar on Sunday.

Any fantasy owner looking for answers at the quarterback position and scraping the bottom of the barrel would be wise to take a long look at Davis due to a strong Week 5 matchup.

Darrin Reaves

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers entered the season with a ton of depth at running back, but that is already being tested. With DeAngelo Williams out and Jonathan Stewart doubtful, the Panthers are likely to turn to undrafted rookie Darrin Reaves, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Reaves received the first 15 touches of his career last week against the Baltimore Ravens, and he admittedly didn't do much with them. With 37 total yards and a yards-per-carry average of 2.2, Reaves will have to be much better in Week 5 in order for Carolina to compete with the Chicago Bears.

One major thing working in Reaves' favor is the fact that the Panthers don't have many other viable options in the backfield this week. Also, head coach Ron Rivera was extremely complimentary of Reaves' efforts last week despite his pedestrian statistical output, per ESPN.com's David Newton.

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The one nice thing about Reaves is he's terrific with pass protection. (He) did a nice job. Had only one (mental error) for the number of plays he played. Had two technique errors, but he did a nice job. ... He's a tough little guy, and he works very hard at it and deserves the opportunity to play.

"

Although Reaves didn't receive a ton of hype coming out of college at UAB, he had an extremely productive career. With 28 total touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Blazers, it is clear that Reaves has a nose for the end zone.

That is good news in Week 5 since the Panthers will face a Bears team that isn't great against the run. The Bears are allowing over 122 rushing yards per game, which is in the middle of the pack, but they are also surrendering 4.7 yards per carry. That means Carolina should be able to grind out some yardage if it sticks with the running game.

Reaves was available in all leagues entering Week 5, and there's a decent chance that he is still on your waiver wire. If you're searching frantically for a flex play, then you could do a lot worse than Reaves this week.

Andrew Hawkins

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The Cleveland Browns are without superstar wide receiver Josh Gordon for the time being, but another pass-catcher is starting to emerge as a true fantasy threat. In his first season with the Browns, Andrew Hawkins is unquestionably the team's No. 1 receiver until Gordon returns to the fold.

Through three games, Hawkins is averaging seven catches per contest, has at least 10 targets in every appearance and has at least 70 yards in every outing as well. As seen in this graphic courtesy of StatMilk, Hawkins is quite obviously quarterback Brian Hoyer's favorite target to this point:

Hawkins has yet to catch a touchdown, but he has been productive nonetheless. In fact, he is among the best receivers in the league in terms of making the most out of his pass routes, according to NFL.com's Chris Wesseling via Pro Football Focus:

While Hawkins is useful in all types of fantasy leagues, he is a bona fide, every-week starter in point-per-reception leagues especially. In Week 5, Hawkins will face a Tennessee Titans defense that is decent against the pass but is coming off an awful performance.

The Titans allowed Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to throw for nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns in Week 4. Hoyer is no Luck, but he can find the open guy and exploit soft spots in the defense. As it turns out, Hawkins is open more often than not.

Hawkins still isn't getting the respect he deserves, but that shouldn't stop you from getting him in your fantasy lineup this week.

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