Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 5
Week 4 is in the books and the season would normally be a quarter of the way done already. This week was one for the rookies. All the rookie quarterbacks stepped up, and now we are at the point in the fantasy season where the bye weeks are starting to approach. Now is the time to prepare your team for it. Keep an eye on higher rostered players, I would sort your free agent pool by rostered and you’d be surprised who is there. This list consists of players under ~50% on ESPN in Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 5.
Quarterbacks
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers, 19% rostered
Jimmy Garoppolo and left the game early this week with a calf injury which could end up costing him a couple of weeks. Trey Lance entered Sunday and showed why he can run away with this job. He had 157 yards passing with two touchdowns, but also added 41 yards rushing on seven attempts. Lance is a serious look in Superflex leagues and brings a lot of fantasy value.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets, 7% rostered
Zach Wilson looked great on Sunday. He showed command of the field and incredible touch passing. Wilson threw for 297 yards and a pair of touchdowns. With a massive upset over the Titans, the Jets travel over to London next week to play the Falcons. Wilson is a sneaky play next week as the Falcons give up a lot of points to opposing quarterbacks, and to add, it’s on a neutral field.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears, 37% rostered
Justin Fields didn’t wow anyone with his stat line, but he got the win over Detroit. He showed a much-improved performance from last week with 209 yards passing, and nine yards rushing on three attempts. He seems to be on the rise, and the hope is they allow him to start long-term in Chicago.
Running Backs
Damien Williams, Chicago Bears, 10% rostered
With David Montgomery set for an MRI on his knee, everyone holds their breath as that is never good. The early word is he suffered hyperextension. Enter Damien Williams, who now is elevated into the starting role with rookie Fields looking better. Williams rushed eight times for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught both of his targets for 15 yards. If Montgomery is forced to miss a lot of time, Damien is the top waiver add by a mile.
Jeremy McNichols, Tennessee Titans, 2% rostered
Derrick Henry is the clear RB1. That is obvious, but Sunday in a loss against the Jets, Jeremy McNichols solidified his RB2 status in Tennessee. He only had one carry for 11 yards, but he did his work in the receiving game. He had 12 targets and brought in eight of those for 74 yards. It’s clear the Titans needed any target possible with Julio Jones and AJ Brown out, but McNichols needs attention with that type of target share.
Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs, 6% rostered
Darrel Williams is the clear backup to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but he made an impact Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. He rushed ten times for 42 yards and a touchdown and caught both of his targets for 16 yards. He showed clear fantasy value Sunday, and if I rostered Edwards-Helaire, this is an add I want to make.
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles, 25% rostered
Kenneth Gainwell has standalone value in Philadelphia. He only had three rushes for 31 yards and a touchdown, but also caught six of eight targets for 58 yards. He outplayed Miles Sanders who only saw three targets, and rushed for 13 yards on seven carries. He is starting to take this job over and is a must-add in all formats.
Alex Collins, Seattle Seahawks, 1% rostered
Alex Collins is not overtaking Chris Carson. Carson was not hurt Sunday, but it was interesting to see the game flow going through Collins. He had 10 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown. He also brought in both of his targets for 34 yards. If you roster Carson, Collins is an add you need to consider.
Latavius Murray, Baltimore Ravens, 34% rostered
It is very difficult to guess the pecking order in Baltimore. Sunday, Latavius Murray was the go-to running back. He had 18 rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown. With Ty’Son Williams inactive and Le’Veon Bell playing, it seems Williams is no longer in favor, and Murray has taken that role. With bye weeks coming up, if you need a running back to fill in, you could have a safe option here with Murray.
Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts, 5% rostered
Marlon Mack is only on here because there were rumors of a trade last week. He is someone to keep an eye on if he were to be moved. He did have ten carries for 22 yards against the Dolphins Sunday, as well as catching one of two targets for a yard. If he would end up getting traded there’s a chance he is in a better spot than he is now, so it might be worth considering in deep leagues. Maybe he’s been dropped in some of your dynasty leagues.
Consistency Score Home
Consistency Score: Running Backs
Consistency Score: Wide Receivers
Consistency Score: Tight Ends
Consistency Score: DST
Wide Receivers
AJ Green, Arizona Cardinals, 27% rostered
AJ Green has done nothing but produce this season with QB1 Kyler Murray. Sunday, he brought in five of six targets for 67 yards and a touchdown against a very good Los Angeles Rams defense. Green has been turning back the clock and needs to be rostered in all formats, especially with Kyler Murray throwing him the ball. He has seen six targets in all four games.
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets, 14% rostered
The Jets looked great Sunday with rookie Wilson slinging it against the Titans. Jamison Crowder did what he does best, and that is quietly produce. He brought in seven of nine targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. With Crowder now in the fold, the Jets travel to London to play the Falcons in what should be another breakout game for Wilson.
Josh Gordon, Kansas City Chiefs, 18% rostered
There is talk that Josh Gordon has been impressive in practice, and could be activated next week. With Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill being the top two options in Kansas City, Gordon could step right in as the starting outside wideout if he can outplay Mecole Hardman or Byron Pringle.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers, 14% rostered
An Aaron Rodgers favorite, Randall Cobb deserves attention just because of the fact Rodgers wanted him back. Sunday, he went for 69 yards and two touchdowns. He brought in five of six targets. With Marquez Valdes-Scantling on IR, this is Cobb’s opportunity to be a short-term fantasy option. We’ve been looking for the Packers WR2 and maybe Cobb fills that role as he and Rodgers get reacclimated together.
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears, 41% rostered
Fields showed up on Sunday and hopefully, he finally takes over this starting role once and for all. Darnell Mooney was his go-to target this week, not Allen Robinson. Mooney brought in five of seven targets for 125 yards and added a rush for ten yards. Mooney was a popular breakout pick this offseason, and now with this performance, he is back on the radar.
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Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills, 44% rostered
Emmanuel Sanders will probably not be on this list next week because he needs to be rostered in more leagues. He brought in five of six targets for 74 yards, adding a rush as well for seven yards. Week 1 Sanders saw eight targets and has seen six targets per game since then. He’s starting to look like he’s getting enough volume to be fantasy-relevant.
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams, 5% rostered
Van Jefferson each week competes with DeSean Jackson for the WR3 role in LA. Sunday, he caught all six of his targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. He has had back-to-back weeks with six targets and is someone worth keeping an eye on.
Quintez Cephus, Detroit Lions, 7% rostered
With Tyrell Williams still injured, Quintez Cephus has been emerging as a go-to target for Jared Goff. He brought in four catches on five targets Sunday for 83 yards. He has been consistent outside of Week 3. In Weeks 1 and 2 he was targeted 14 total times. He could have had a bigger game Sunday but was missed by Goff a few times. Cephus is a nice deeper league start for next week.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens, 13% rostered
Rashod Bateman is a must-add coming off IR. The Ravens chose not to activate him this week but looking like he should be a go for next week. He is a great stash as he was a popular add-in the summer before his injury.
Tight Ends
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills, 19% rostered
Dawson Knox is on the rise with another strong performance. He was targeted eight times and brought in five catches for 37 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He has been getting better every week and is becoming a consistent target for Allen. I would move him ahead of the Jonnu Smith tier in fantasy, and even approaching the Tyler Higbee tier.
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals, 1% rostered
CJ Uzomah has not had any fantasy relevance all season until this past Thursday night. He brought in five of six targets for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I wouldn’t expect this to be a consistent pattern, but Uzomah is a name to keep an eye on in deeper leagues.
Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys, 21% rostered
Dalton Schultz had yet another strong performance. He brought in six of eight targets for 58 yards and a touchdown. In three out of four games, Schultz has seen six or more targets and has outplayed Blake Jarwin. He is rising in the tight end tier and is someone that should be rostered with the bye weeks approaching.
Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals, 3% rostered
Seems like Maxx Williams plays well on even weeks. Week 1 and 3 were forgettable games, but Week 2 and 4 have been great games. He brought in all five of his targets for 66 yards and a touchdown against a good Rams defense. With Murray throwing the ball, I have interest in anyone on that offense for fantasy.
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles, 16% rostered
Dallas Goedert is still the top tight end to roster in Philadelphia, but Zach Ertz has been playing well lately. He brought in six catches on eight targets for 60 yards. Last week he saw seven targets, and this week he saw eight. He is getting better as the weeks go on, and is someone to keep an eye on.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts, 0% rostered
A late flier in deep leagues, Mo Alie-Cox is someone to monitor. He brought in three catches on five targets for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Alie-Cox is not someone you’ll see on your waivers in 10-12 team leagues, but in deeper dynasty leagues, he’s worth a flier if you need a tight end with bye weeks coming up.
For more options, or questions about these, you can reach me on Twitter @NMimi.
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