Woah!  Injuries have engulfed the NFL yet again, but we’ll get into that another time.  It’s week five and before we know it, we’ll be together stuffing our faces and watching football on Thanksgiving while preparing for the fantasy football playoffs.  As teams adjust to the new kick off rules, it’s interesting how the Lions, Rams, Colts, and Giants have only allowed one return opportunity out of the four games played.  On the other hand, the Saints are granting their opponents the opportunity to return the ball and hoping that they won’t advance pass the thirty yard line.  The Saints have kicked the ball to returners nineteen times this season.    

Last week we mentioned two players that could help boost your return game in the Scott Fish Bowl or any leagues allowing return yards.  Neither Calvin Austin or Brandon Powell boosted anything for your fantasy squads in week four.  Powell was someone to monitor but the return of Jordan Addison suggests we need to look elsewhere.  Although Austin had a tough week four, he is someone to keep on your squad for now.  The Steelers play the Cowboys in week five and remember the Cowboys will be without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.  Currently the Cowboys defense is struggling with the fundamentals, missing 32 tackles this season which is tied for the tenth most in the NFL.  Here are two new players that could help boost your return game.   

Mecole Hardman Jr.

Shortly after a first quarter interception was thrown by Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury. This was definitely an injury that could have been avoided but that’s football.  The Chiefs wide receiver room suddening looks beat up and thin right now.  Remember they’re without Hollywood Brown until at least January.  Last season Mecole Hardman Jr was reunited with the Chiefs and became a piece to another championship run.  This year Hardman is entrenched as the starting kick and punt returner.  Now he could find himself on the field with Mahomes for an offense he is familiar with. We talked about how many opportunities the Saints have given to opposing kick returners.  Well guess who is playing the Saints in week five.  “Yep, the Chiefs!”  The Saints have also given up 469 yards to their kick returning opponents the most in the NFL.  That’s an average of 117 yards per game for return yards.  Hardman should definitely get an opportunity to return a kick this week.   He is currently rostered in zero percent of Sleeper leagues and needs to be considered adding to your squads immediately.

D’Onta Foreman

That fact that we are talking about a player on the Browns whose offense is struggling and he is their second running back on the depth chart shows that everyone can have a role in fantasy football.   D’Onta Foreman is playing against the hottest offense in the league, the Washington Commanders who put up 42 points and plucked all the Carndinal’s feathers.  The Commanders have also given up an average of 109 return yards per game.  Week four D’Onta Foreman had two returns for 56 yards.  Lastly, if you have space on your roster Foreman could serve as a depth piece should Jerome Ford have an injury, or the Browns start to lose games and don’t feel the need to rush Nick Chubb back.  D’Onta Foreman is currently rostered in eleven percent of Sleeper leagues.