Waiver Wire Pickups – Guillotine Fantasy Football Week 5
Did you make it through another week of Guillotine fantasy football? If you’re reading this, I’ll assume you did—congrats! But there’s still a long way to go. Today, we’re diving into the top waiver wire pickups for Week 5 in your Guillotine leagues.
So, who was cut from the last-place team in Week 4? Which players should you target on the waiver wire? And how much of your Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) should you be spending? Each week, I’ll give you my insights on how to navigate the waiver wire best. Keep reading for my top Guillotine waiver wire pickups for Week 5. Let’s get started!
Waiver Wire Pickups – Guillotine Leagues
Another week down another team was sent to the graveyard. Hopefully, it wasn’t you. If it was, there’s still time to re-up and start another league! Guillotine leagues can begin with any week of the season!
For those of you still alive and looking to improve, I’ve got some names for you. At this point in the season, rosters will start to look more traditional with fewer dart-throw players and handcuffs. Also, the teams that have saved their budget money may start spending it when a big name hits the waivers. In other words, it’s more likely that someone might drop a huge bid on one of the following players on this list.
QB Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
Max Bid: 15 – 20 %
After falling behind early against one of the tougher defenses, Josh Allen and the Bills struggled to get anything going. With just 180 passing yards, 21 rushing yards, and no touchdowns, his day could have put the nail in your guillotine coffin. It was the second time this season that he dropped a poor fantasy performance.
Looking ahead, Allen will face the Texans in Week 5. In three of four games, opposing quarterbacks have thrown multiple touchdowns including four to Sam Darnold in Week 3. In 2021, the Bills blanked the Texans 40-0 behind Allen’s 248 passing yards, two passing scores, and 41 rushing yards.
Big names usually drive high prices. When you have a high-profile, dual-threat signal caller up for grabs, he’ll usually be a bit more pricey.
RB Breece Hall – New York Jets
Max Bid: 18 – 21 %
One thing was made clear from the Broncos/Jets matchup: Denver’s defense is legit. Unfortunately, that kept Breece Hall from doing much of anything. He accounted for four of the Jets’ 64 rushing yards and only added 14 receiving yards. It was a rough day for all fantasy players relying on the Jets.
I originally had a higher bid estimate for Hall. After seeing that he’d be facing the Vikings, I had to lower it. Minnesota has been a menace for opposing running backs giving up the fourth fewest yards per carry (3.8) and a total of 300 rushing yards in 2024. Hall’s pure talent still counts for something and his three games with five or more receptions give a nice floor.
Someone will likely put a huge bid on Hall. Possibly double what I’d recommend to spend. If you really want him, don’t let me stop you. I just wouldn’t spend that much on a player that could give another chop-worthy output.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson – New England Patriots
Max Bid: 21 – 25 %
For back-to-back weeks, Rhamondre Stevenson has let down fantasy managers. Week 4 was a little better with 63 total yards. Both of those games got away from the Patriots, fast. Stevenson is still far and away the best runner on the team and he’ll get his touches.
Week 5 brings the most profitable matchup the team has seen all year as they will host Miami. Without Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins have been unable to construct anything resembling a pro-level offense. The revolving door of quarterbacks hasn’t been able to sustain drives, allowing for the opposing team to control the pace of play. They haven’t scored more than 12 points since Week 1 and have surrendered 111.7 yards per game to running backs in that span.
Stevenson is a very capable running back who controls the majority of touches out of the backfield. He’s in line for a big comeback in Week 5.
WR Brandon Aiyuk – San Francisco 49ers
Max Bid: 17 – 20 %
Brandon Aiyuk hasn’t been the fantasy hero many of us had been hoping for after he signed his big contract. He has failed to reach 50 receiving yards in all four games this season with no receiving touchdowns. He possibly took down more than one team in your guillotine league, too.
The upcoming matchup with Arizona could be just what we, as fantasy managers, need from him. With a porous defense and an offense built to score lots of points, Aiyuk could greatly benefit early in this one. In two of the last three games where the 49ers have hosted the Cardinals, Aiyuk has caught six passes for 89 and 148 yards. He also has three career scores against them in the last three seasons.
It’s only a matter of time until we see another huge performance from the former Sun Devil standout. Divisional matchups tend to bring out the best in many of the competitors and Week 5 seems like the right time for it.
WR Amari Cooper – Cleveland Browns
Max Bid: 14 – 16 %
In reality, Amari Cooper had a great day. On the stat sheet, not so much. He had an awesome 82-yard catch and score that was called back due to a questionable penalty. That would have turned his four catches and 35 yards into a saving performance for any guillotine squad. Alas, here we are.
Heading out to Washington to face off with a team that has given up 25.5 points per game is something we want all of our fantasy players to be a part of. In the first three weeks, they allowed five players to surpass 60 receiving yards with three of them going for more than 80 yards. They’ve also allowed seven receiving touchdowns to wide receivers.
The stars are aligning for an offensive pop of production with Cooper at the forefront. The struggles that Cleveland has had this season may make their primary pass catcher a touch more affordable this week.
TE Brock Bowers – Las Vegas Raiders
Max Bid: 10 – 12 %
In the overall picture of tight ends this season, Brock Bowers’ lowest output of the year wasn’t bad. He had two receptions and totaled just 31 yards. Had he been with a guillotine squad filled with underperformers, he very well may have hit your league’s waiver wire.
A Week 5 meeting with division rival Denver may seem daunting. However, opposing tight ends have accounted for 19 receptions in their last three contests with Cade Otton hauling in seven catches for 47 yards in Week 3.
With games of 58 and 98 receiving yards this season and the unknown status of Davante Adams, Bowers could generate a very good fantasy performance in Week 5. If I was unsure of my current tight end, I’d be willing to spend a bit more time acquiring his talents.
Waiver Wire Pickups – Budget Bids
Every week, you’re going to see players become available that you want for your team. There are two views on this. Either wait and save your budget for when you really need it or place tiny bids on those bigger names that hit the wire. I prefer the second strategy. I’ll put a one percent bid on a few players every week, maybe a little more. You won’t usually get many of them, but every so often, a player with big value becomes a cheap roster acquisition. The following players, as well as the ones previously mentioned, all fall into that category.
- QB Caleb Williams – Chicago
- QB Kirk Cousins – Atlanta
- RB De’Von Achane – Miami
- RB James Cook – Buffalo
- RB Trey Sermon – Indianapolis
- RB Raheem Mostert – Miami
- RB Justice Hill – Baltimore
- WR Garrett Wilson – New York Jets
- WR Zay Flowers – Baltimore
- WR Keenan Allen – Chicago
- WR Dontayvion Wicks – Green Bay
- WR Andrei Iosivas – Cincinnati
- TE Dalton Schultz – Houston
- TE Tyler Conklin – New York Jets
- TE Colby Parkinson – Los Angeles Rams
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