Shame on everyone who benched/dropped Thomas Rawls for Week 5. The undrafted rookie amassed 169 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown.
Really, he looked impressive in every aspect of the game, making defenders miss in the open field en route to a 69-yard touchdown sprint and shedding tackles at the line of scrimmage pushing piles past the first down marker. This is all even more impressive considering the effort came against a very formidable Bengals run defense.
If Marshawn Lynch cannot return for a Week 6 matchup against the Panthers, expect another strong outing from Rawls. But at this point, it's looking like Marshawn is fully expected to suit up. How many touches he gets, or how long he holds up, are still open questions. Assuming Lynch plays in Week 6, Rawls would be nothing more than a low-end FLEX play for deeper leagues. But he should not be dropped in any formats, as this backfield still has question marks moving forward.