Week 4 may have left you feeling broken as a fantasy manager. Hopefully, the Week 5 Waiver Wire can help you pick up the pieces!
Perhaps you have Kyle Pitts and had to suffer through an Arthur Smith galaxy-brained game plan of him being out-snapped by Parker Hesse (87-percent to 62-percent). Maybe you drafted Javonte Williams in the second round and were so excited about his upside next to new QB Russell Wilson only to suffer through a largely forgettable first four weeks and now a season-ending torn ACL. Or perhaps you drafted Jonathan Taylor with a top-two pick only to suffer through three straight fantasy duds including this week’s 42 yards rushing on 20 carries. Now Taylor is dealing with an ankle injury.
It is not time to sit around and feel sorry for a draft pick mistake made in August or September. Now is the time to grind the waiver wire. Pull yourself up by the fantasy bootstraps and keep going. This season has been a wild ride and will continue to get crazier. Embrace the chaos, fantasy gamers must be sharper than their league mates with waiver wire adds and start/sit decisions.
(ALL PLAYERS ARE ROSTERED IN 25 % OR LESS OF YAHOO LEAGUES)
Quarterbacks
Kenny Pickett – Pittsburgh
Steelers fans (and anyone with Redzone) were let out of their Mitch Trubisky misery as first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett made his NFL debut. Pickett had some rough moments with three interceptions (in his defense, one was a desperation hail mary), but he did score two rushing touchdowns.
Kenny Pickett Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Pickett rushed for 20 TDs in his prolific career at the University of Pittsburgh, and we have seen time and time again that young QBs with rushing upside offer us some fantasy value. Add in the weapons Pickett has in Pittsburgh at the skill positions, and he will be a QB2. There will be some very rough moments, but we do not play real football. We play fantasy football.
Geno Smith – Seattle
Smith went nuts this past weekend in a wild 48-45 win over Detroit. He rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown and passed for 320 yards and two TDs. He now has back-to-back games with 320 or more yards passing and has three games with two touchdown passes. The schedule gets a lot more complicated, but it is time to consider Smith as a streamer or QB2. Seattle is finally letting a QB cook, and it is not Russell Wilson. Smith having a career year out of nowhere at 31 years old is one of the best storylines of the season.
Teddy Bridgewater – Miami
Superflex league players and streamers can take a look at Bridgewater. Tua Tagovailoa will miss this week’s game. Bridgewater can be treated as a QB2 against the Jets.
Running Backs
Mike Boone – Denver
Javonte Williams has a torn ACL and LCL, and his season is over. Boone will step right in as the receiving back and has the potential for a lot more. Melvin Gordon has four fumbles on the season and has dealt with his own slight injury knocks.
Mike Boone Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Boone out-snapped Gordon this past week on a limited sample size. You could have multiple weeks of fantasy viability from Boone with potential RB2 production. Prioritize him this week in all formats.
Deon Jackson – Indianapolis
Nyheim Hines will fill in for Jonathan Taylor as the lead back in Indianapolis, but Jackson should be rostered in deeper formats. He beat out Phillip Lindsay (currently on The Colts practice squad) this offseason and will get the first crack at backing up Hines should Taylor miss this week (Thursday night game). This injury is certainly not season-ending, but ankles are tricky for running backs.
Tyler Allgeier – Atlanta
This is now the third straight week I have recommended Allgeier as a pickup, and this past week we finally saw him flash. Allgeier finished with 84 yards rushing on ten carries and added a 20-yard reception. Cordarrelle Patterson is dealing with a knee injury (UPDATE SENT TO IR) and played only 29- percent of snaps. Caleb Huntley also mixed in with 10 carries for 56 yards and a TD, but Allgeier should see his role increase as the season moves along. The Falcons are one of the more run-heavy teams in the league, and the rookie RB should see double-digit carries most weeks.
Jaylen Warren – Pittsburgh
A weekly reminder to roster Jaylen Warren. He is talented, and if Najee Harris were to miss time he is the clear backup.
Justice Hill – Baltimore
J.K. Dobbins looks fully back and is a weekly fantasy starter in all formats, but Hill should be rostered in all formats. He is the clear handcuff to Dobbins. If Dobbins were to go down, Hill would be an RB2. The Ravens average 28 points per game. Simply put, we want to have Ravens on our rosters.
Damien Williams – Atlanta
Williams comes off IR after Week 5. He was the lead back in Week 1 before he went down. With the number of opportunities we are seeing at the RB position in Atlanta, Williams makes for a nice stash.
Latavius Murray – New Orleans
Murray joined the Saints roster this week as Alvin Kamara dealt with a rib injury that ultimately kept him out of this week’s game. Mark Ingram started but exited with an injury of his own. Murray offered instant fantasy production as he rushed 11 times for 57 yards and caught one pass. If you are in a deeper league, he can be a very cheap addition for RB depth considering all the RB injuries in New Orleans.
Tight Ends
Will Dissly – Seattle
Heading into Monday Night Football, Dissly is TE9 overall for the season. He led The Seattle tight ends in snaps, routes run, targets, and catches. His four catch/target performance were both season highs. We do not overpay for touchdowns, but we cannot ignore the Smith to Dissly connection. Do not bid much, please.
Mo Allie-Cox – Indianapolis
The Colts TE musical chairs continue. Last week we saw a two-touchdown game from Jelani Woods. I have written about Kylen Granson in past columns (who also added four catches this past game), but Mo Alie-Cox is back in the waiver wire consideration after his monster six catch for 85 yards and two touchdowns performance. He led The Colts TEs in snaps and routes run. Indianapolis has a crowded TE room and an absolute mess of a situation to invest in, but games like this cannot be ignored.
Greg Dulcich – Denver
Last week I wrote: Dulcich was hyped up by both The Denver media and coaching staff all offseason as a potential impact player. A hamstring injury placed him on the IR, but he is due to come off of it after Week 5. The TE position is a barren wasteland. I would rather roster Dulcich than players like Will Dissly. Be patient here. It could pay off.
Greg Dulcich Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
So I will again repeat: ADD DULCICH. He will step into a potentially large weekly role in Denver. Oh, and ignore what I said about Will Dissly last week. He is a TD machine now, I guess.
Wide Receivers
Wan’Dale Robinson – New York Giants
Your weekly reminder to add Robinson. The Giants are a complete mess at WR. Richie James leads all Giants wide receivers with 15 catches on the season but had only one this past weekend. Robinson should step into a Sterling Shepard-like target share. New York is desperate for offensive playmakers to assist star RB Saquon Barkley. Add Robinson before he is back from injury.
Josh Reynolds – Detroit
Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark missed this past week’s loss to Seattle with injuries, and Reynolds was the primary WR to benefit. He caught seven passes for 81 yards and a TD while leading Detroit wide receivers in routes run and targets. Quintez Cephus also suffered an injury. Jared Goff and the Lions are on a fantasy tear, and we want Lions on our rosters. Reynolds can be considered a flex play this week and for as long as St. Brown is out.
Alec Pierce – Indianapolis
Pierce, a second-round pick this past NFL draft, has quietly flashed the last two weeks. He led all Colts WRs with 80 yards receiving on four catches a week after catching three passes for 61 yards. Despite the struggles Matt Ryan has displayed, a big Pierce game seems to be coming. I want to be ahead of the market on him.
Khalil Shakir – Buffalo
Deep league and dynasty managers should take a look at Shakir. Jamison Crowder suffered a broken ankle and is out indefinitely.
Khalil Shakir Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Shakir is the No. 4 WR in one of the league’s top offenses. We have already seen Isaiah McKenzie and Gabe Davis miss games with injuries.
Kyle Phillips – Tennessee
Phillips had a great debut with six catches for 66 yards and has done nothing since with two one-catch games to go along with a game missed due to injury. However, Treylon Burks injury opens up another path for Philips to have some fantasy viability. Robert Woods will lead the way among Titans WRs, but Philips could see a weekly floor as his snaps increase. It is nice that we have already seen him do it once and are not simply “hoping.”
Odell Beckham Jr. – FA
We are another week into the season and have more and more Beckham Jr. rumors floating around. The Rams, the Giants, and the Packers appear interested. I am not sure who will sign him, but it seems like a decent bet if you have a roster spot in a deep format. In a chaotic season like this one, an Odell Beckham smash game (or three) would seem fitting.
Skyy Moore – Kansas City
Moore quietly saw a large increase in snaps and saw four targets on only 11 routes run. We are playing the long game with Moore, but this is a positive sign that he could see usage later in the season. He makes for a nice stash in deeper formats.
