Donald Brown, Branden Oliver's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 5

Donald Brown and Branden Oliver may not have been on the radar of many fantasy football players before the season, but that was no longer the case heading into Week 5 considering all the injuries the San Diego Chargers have suffered in the backfield.

Unfortunately, Brown joined that list Sunday, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com:

That opened the door for Oliver to dominate the New York Jets. Here is a look at the final stats for each running back:

	Donald Brown	Branden Oliver
Rushes	9	19
Rushing Yards	26	114
Rushing Touchdowns	0	1
Yards per Carry	2.9	6
Catches	1	4
Receiving Yards	4	68
Receiving Touchdowns	0	1
Targets	2	4

Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead both went down with injuries early in the year, which is why Brown and Oliver were even on the field in the first place. Oliver certainly delivered on that opportunity and will likely be a top waiver-wire target heading into Week 6.    

In fact, Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego pointed out that it was a LaDainian Tomlinson-type of day for Oliver:

This probably comes as no surprise for Keenan Allen, considering what he said before the year, via Marc Sessler of NFL.com:

As we mentioned, Oliver will likely be a serious target for fantasy owners looking for running back help. Brown joined the list of the walking wounded in the San Diego backfield, which means Oliver will likely see even more carries moving forward.

Oliver got involved in the passing game Sunday and dashed the strong New York front on the ground. 

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

The only real concern when it comes to Oliver is the impending return of Mathews. While Woodhead is out for the season, Mathews is reportedly looking to return sooner rather than later, per Williams of ESPN.com. Even though Oliver thrived Sunday, Mathews was the starting running back in San Diego heading into the season and will likely assume a heavy part of the workload when he returns.

After all, Brown was only averaging two yards per carry entering Sunday’s game, while Oliver was averaging 2.8.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Still, plenty of teams have seen success in the NFL with a running back committee, and it will be impossible to ignore Oliver in future games if he continues to run like he did Sunday. That could mean Mathews and Oliver split carries, which means Oliver should still be on your radar as a fantasy option.

Brown, on the other hand, should not be after the latest injury and Oliver's emergence. Even if Brown is healthy in a couple weeks, Mathews and Oliver could be ahead of him on the depth chart.

San Diego’s running game needed a consistent spark, and that will likely come from a healthy Mathews combining with Oliver.