Week 5 Waiver Wire
Note: Every suggestion will be pulled from either the Yahoo or ESPN rostership, and everyone in these articles will be less than 50% rostered on at least one of those sites. Only some leagues are cut and dry the same so this is just a template for a 12 team full PPR league. There may be players that would have made this article but are rostered in over 50% of the leagues on both sites so they were not included because you’re either in a smaller league or bigger league. If you have questions, please get in chat and ask. Going forward, I will list the bye week schedule below as it is going to become more important as we plan for that moving forward.
Week 5: DET, LAC, PHI, TEN
Week 6: KC, LAR, MIA, MIN
Week 7: CHI, DAL
Week 8: NONE
Week 9: PIT, SF
Week 10: CLE, GB, LV, SEA
Week 11: ARI, CAR, NYG, TB
Week 12: ATL, BUF, CIN, JAX, NO, NYJ
Week 13: NONE
Week 14: BAL, DEN, HOU, IND, NE, WAS
QB
Justin Fields (Pittsburgh Steelers) – 5%
We finally saw the Justin Fields of old in Week 4, a game in which he was forced to throw. We saw the classic volatile Fields, turning the ball over and taking sacks all while chucking it down field and running for TDs. He ended the game with 312 passing yards and a score with 55 rushing yards on 10 carries and two more scores, good for 32 fantasy points. This week he faces the Dallas Cowboys on SNF, an opposing offense that should put up points and and opposing defense that is brutal against the run.
Joe Flacco (Indianapolis Colts) – %
Keep an eye on this situation as he becomes useless if Anthony Richardson is playing but he is worth the snag in case AR misses, especially if you have AR. In Week 4 Flacco came in for an injury to Anthony Richardson, who injured his hip before half. Flacco threw the ball 26 times, completing 16 of them for 168 yards and two scores. The Jaguars pass D is atrocious and a defense i’ll be attacking every week with props. They’re allowing the 2nd most passing yards per game (272.8), 3rd highest pass yards per play (7.3), and 3rd highest EPA/Pass (+.22).
Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) – %
This ones tough but it is matchup based. The Colts have a bottom third pass defense, giving up the 6th most passing yards per game (235), 10th highest passing yards per play (6.5), and 11th highest EPA/Pass (-.01) allowed. They just let Justin Fields throw for 312 yards on 34 attempts. If Fields can do that, Lawrence can, right? I expect a solid 14-18 fantasy points from Lawrence in this one with that ceiling raising if Joe Flacco is under center on the opposite side for the Colts.
RB
Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) – 15%
It didn’t take long for a RB to separate themselves from the group in KC. Steele is likely just not a very good RB in the NFL and it didn’t help when the UDFA lost a fumble in Week 4. The Chiefs are trotting out just about anyone who won’t fuck up and has a pulse at this point. In Hunt’s first game this year, just little over a week after signing with the team, Hunt ran the ball 14 times for 69 yards while catching two balls for 16 yards, good for 10.5 PPR points. If anyone from this backfield can pull off a RB1 workload, it is Hunt and he is on a fast path to earning it. The Chiefs host the Saints in Week 5, a game in which they likely lean on the run a little bit more than usual given Rashee Rice is now done for the year.
Trey Sermon (Indianapolis Colts) – 10%
If you need a quick fill, Sermon is your guy. Taylor hurt his heel in Week 4 and is likely headed to missing 2-4 games. Sermon entered the game for JT and took on the RB1 workload, running the ball five times for only eight yards but taking almost every snap once Taylor left. The Colts play the Jaguars in Week 5, a stout run defense but they are susceptible through the air, which is where Sermon can make an impact, especially if Joe Flacco gets the nod.
Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville Jaguars) – 3%
I mean, can Bigsby take over the RB1 spot in Jacksonville? It’s possible. So far this year Bigsby has out performed Etienne and it came to a head in Week 4 when it seemed like Etienne was benched early in the game in favor for Bigsby. Bigsby ended up with 30% of the snaps and 32% of the rushing share with Etienne only seeing 51% of the snaps and 45% of the rush share. Bigsby once again looked more explosive, taking his seven carries for 90 rushing yards, finishing with 9 PPR points on those 90 rushing yards. Regardless of short term matchup, Bigsby is a nice stash for an offense that could be completely flipped on its head within the next month.
Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears) – 0%
I hate Shane Waldron but here we are. Days after saying Herbert is the goal line back, Johnson takes the only goal line carry and ran it in for a score. Johnson was also able to secure seven of the 10 available 3rd down snaps over Swift. While Swift was also incredibly frustrating in this one, blowing up for 93 yards rushing on 16 carries the week we bet his under, but Johnson still secured 36% of the snaps and 27% of the carries. If Johnson has a 3rd down role and goal line role while simultaneously being the direct handcuff to Swift, he is worth a stash.
Top RB Handcuffs
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- Braelon Allen (New York Jets)
- Zach Charbonnet (Seattle Seahawks)
- Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons)
- Ty Chandler (Minnesota Vikings)
- Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Trey Sermon (Indianapolis Colts)
- Antonio Gibson (New England Patriots)
- Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Blake Corum (LA Rams)
- Tyrone Tracy (New York Giants)
- Ray Davis (Buffalo Bills)
WR
Dontayvion Wicks (Green Bay Packers) – 20%
Once again Christian Watson has gone down with an injury which has opened the door for Wicks to have a complete role as a perimeter WR in this high powered Packers offense. Wickes ended up with an 80% route participation, 29% target per route run, 26% target share, a 16.5 ADOT, 39% of the air yards and 50% of the 3rd down targets in Week 4 after Watson went down. If Wicks can secure an 80% route participation each week and even a 20% target share while maintaining that healthy ADOT, he is in for a great time when Watson is sidelined. The Packers take on the Rams in Week 5 which is a fantastic matchup on paper.
Wandale Robinson (New York Giants) – 15%
The amount of cheap volume Robinson is getting is absurd. The crazier part is that he is playing very well with those targets with +10 YACOE so far on the season. He has an insane 38 targets through four games, good for a 30% target per route run and 28% target share overall with a 76% catchable target rate and a PPR scamming 4.8 ADOT. He has been targeted more than Nabers on 3rd down with a 44% target rate compared to Nabers at 38%. The giants are suspected to have many games in which they are losing and in passing scripts on top of their already funneled target shares. The Giants visit Seattle in Week 5, a defense that will force them to take the easy stuff to Wandale and also is likely to put the Giants in a forced passing script, playing from behind.
Xavier Legette (Carolina Panthers) – 3%
Dare I say that Legette actually looks…good? I was a little bit lower on Legette entering there year because he is a late bloomer and he didn’t have an early breakout age which hurt his translatable metrics. However, he more or less had a breakout game in Week 4, seeing season highs almost across the board with an 88% route participation, 24% target per route run, 24% target share, 26% air yards and 22% of the 3rd down targets, catching six of his 10 targets for 66 yards and a score while adding two rushing attempts for 10 yards finishing with 19.6 PPR points. As long as Thielen is out and Dalton is starting, Legette has every right to be in your lineup, even against a tougher matchup like the Bears in Week 5.
Allen Lazard (New York Jets) – 0%
Lazard has been consistent so far this year as a reliable security blanket for Aaron Rodgers. He has 10.8 or more PPR points in three of his four games, averaging 13.7 overall. He has a consistent 88% route participation and 18% target share to go with a nice 8.6 ADOT for a player taking the majority of his snaps out of the slot. I wouldn’t go overboard but he is a plug and play in the FLEX during these Bye weeks, especially with opposing defenses focusing in on Wilson and while Rodgers and Wilson still can’t seem to get straight with any sort of consistent chemistry.
TE
Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints) – 5%
Taysom Hill is annoying but he exists. He is back from an injury that held him out in Week 3 and proceeded to run the ball six times for 24 yards and two scores, good for 14.4 fantasy points. Given the TE landscape in today’s world, he can be viewed as a weekly back end TE1 given his scoring upside at the goal line, virtually making him matchup proof.
Tyler Conklin (New York Jets) – 3%
Conklin is uninspiring but over the last two weeks he has seen 14 targets, catching nine of them for 110 yards, averaging 10 PPR points a game. Over those two weeks Conklin has a 92% route participation, 19% target share, 17% target per route run and a 9.3 ADOT with 33% of the team’s end zone targets. The Jets face the Vikings in Week 5, a team that has allowed George Kittle to go 7/76/1 in Week 2 and Tucker Kraft 6/53/1 in Week 4.
Tucker Kraft (Green Bay Packers) – 3%
Kraft is seemingly separating himself from Luke Musgrave as we continue through the year. In a Week 4 game the Packers threw the ball 54 times, Kraft had an 86% route participation, 13% target per route run, 93% catchable target rate and 25% of the 3rd down targets. He ended up catching six of his nine targets for 53 yards and a score, good for 17.3 PPR points. The Packers play the Rams in Week 5, a defense that is a sieve across the board.
DST
LV Raiders – 0%
The Raiders will visit the Denver Broncos in Week 5, a game that will carry the lowest over/under (37) on the week. Aside from the Bucs in Week 3, opposing DST’s have scored 6, 9, and 13 points against the Broncos, offering a high floor with a decent ceiling upside if they pressure Nix. Nix is still a work in progress and could turn the corner at any time but with the aggressiveness from this Raiders defense, I don’t think it will be here.
Seattle Seahawk – 0%
The Seahawks host the New York Giants in Week 5, a game the Giants may be forced to play without star rookie WR, Malik Nabers, if he cannot clear concussion protocol in time. Even if Nabers plays, this is an offense that can’t score points and can’t protect their QB. They have allowed at least one sack and turnover in each game and offered a 4 point floor with a 22 point ceiling to the DST’s who have played the Giants in Weeks 1 through 4. The Seahawks run a complex defense and the only way the Giants will be able to move the ball is through dink and dunk and pray Nabers clears protocol in time.
Indianapolis Colts – 0%
The Colts visit the Jaguars and it is rare I will recommend a road divisional DST but here we are. The Jaguars are lost on offense. They have allowed opposing defenses to get three or more sacks in three of the four games so far which has led opposing DST’s to average 7.75 points against them. The Jags are on a fast path to being 0-4 and unless Lawrence gets right, and gets right quick, this team is going to continue to spiral and Doug Pederson is unlikely to be the Head Coach for much longer.
