RADIO
There were many complaints about the lack of waiver-wire options at the end of Week 3, and this just goes to show that you need to be careful what you wish for. In a week that began with Ty Montgomery scaring us all with a rib injury and Davante Adams nearly getting Sleepy Hollow'd, we’d go on to see big names like Julio Jones and Marcus Mariota exit early before Dalvin Cook’s torn ACL overshadowed everything. Not to be outdone, the Sunday night game saw Chris Carson leave with a significant ankle injury.
While many RBs went down, the other positions are relatively thin. Folks might be wondering about the Ezekiel Elliott replacement should the hearing go sideways -- my lean is Alfred Morris. I'm working on a way to tie-in features about players I think might have been dropped above my cut-off point that I'd prefer to some of these guys, but it's a work in progress.
Below are my Week 5 waiver wire pickups, or free agents to consider adding to your fantasy football teams. I provide information on players that are owned in roughly 35% of Yahoo leagues or less, so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad. Now let’s look around the league at many names who are worth mentioning as Week 5 approaches.
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Quarterbacks - Week 5 Waiver Wire
DeShaun Watson (QB, HOU) - 32% owned (3% FAAB)
Watson was our top QB add last week and I hope you listened! The Titans are truly terrible against the pass in 2017, allowing 283 yards and four touchdowns with just one pick to the rookie, as well as yielding 24 yards and an additional score on the ground. Yes, Watson’s five total TDs made him Sunday’s (and likely Week 4’s) QB1, in a brilliant encore to his outstanding effort against the Patriots in Week 3. He gets a tougher test in Week 5 against Kansas City (but at least it isn’t at Arrowhead!) before a nice home matchup with the Browns. A Week 7 Bye and Week 8 road trip to Seattle is iffy, but Week 9 against the Colts is another great look for the folks who can think long-term.
Brian Hoyer (QB, SF) - 8% owned (2% FAAB)
Let’s face it, the Colts are one of the “get-right pills” for opposing offenses and Hoyer’s 49ers are next in line. Andrew Luck isn’t going to be back so the Colts’ defense should get gassed pretty early here by San Francisco’s up-tempo attack. While trusting in Hoyer isn’t the most comfortable, he’s widely available and should offer QB2 upside for those seeking a bye-week filler.
Running Backs - Week 5 Waiver Wire
Latavius Murray (RB, MIN) - 15% owned (50% FAAB)
So, here it is -- the premier add of the week. Owners of Dalvin Cook will no doubt be shelling out lots for the ex-Raider, though we all need to remember he isn’t running behind that Oakland O-line anymore. Temper expectations a bit, as he’s totaled just 38 yards on 14 carries through four weeks, and will cede passing-down snaps to Jerick McKinnon. Of course, early-down and goal-line work is more than enough for me and many others to still happily make the add and hopefully, Sam Bradford returns to balance out this offense. I’d expect plenty of frustrating TD-dependent 15-18 touch efforts with 50-60 yards, but perhaps more consistent work will set him free. Before Minny’s Week 9 bye, they’ll face the Bears, Packers, Ravens and Browns.
Eddie Lacy (RB, SEA) - 17% owned (18% FAAB)
Eddie Lacy would end up with 11 carries for 52 yards in a cupcake matchup against a beaten Colts team in the fourth quarter, with the bulk of his work coming after Chris Carson was carted off the field with what Pete Carroll is calling a “significant” ankle injury. Thomas Rawls was a healthy scratch, joining C.J. Prosise on the sidelines while the Seahawks rolled to a 46-18 victory. Prosise should return and push J.D. McKissic toward the back of the pack (he looked good but also ran against the white-flag Colts D), but Lacy’s decent showing here should make him the “1A” early-down/goal-line back to own in Seattle. They’ll face the Rams next week before a Week 6 bye, after which they face the Giants and the Texans. This is far from ideal, but work is work.
Wayne Gallman (RB, NYG) - 3% owned (5% FAAB)
After being a healthy scratch for the first three weeks of the season, Gallman was active against the Bucs with Orleans Darkwa out and saw his chance to shine when Paul Perkins went down in the third quarter. Gallman would pick up 42 rushing yards on 11 carries and catch two balls for eight yards and his first career touchdown on a crisp flat route. While Perkins’ injury isn’t thought to be serious (and neither is Darkwa’s), Gallman’s modest day was the best thing we’ve seen out of this ground game in a long time. He should get the starting nod in Week 5 against the Chargers, which could be quite useful. Unfortunately, things clam up after that with games against Denver and Seattle coming before the Giants’ bye in Week 8.
Andre Ellington (RB, ARI) - 22% owned (5% FAAB in PPR)
Well, would you look at that? Ellington’s Week 3 against Dallas wasn’t a total outlier, as he followed that up by catching nine* (should’ve been 10) balls on 14 targets for 86 yards. He really should’ve had a TD catch in the first quarter, but the refs got it wrong. Arizona doesn’t seem like they’re willing to force Chris Johnson and the north-south running game into being a thing without David Johnson in the mix, with Ellington perhaps ready to join the ranks of Chris Thompson and the new wave of pass-catching backs who can serviceable even in standard leagues. That said, I’m really only paying attention in PPR with Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and the Rams due up next before their Week 8 bye.
Alex Collins (RB, BAL) - 9% owned (4% FAAB)
Collins once again turned a measly nine carries into exactly 82 yards, which is downright impressive. We applaud his consistency, but also need to note that he fumbled in the second quarter and earned himself some bench time as a result. He got back into good graces with a 50-yard scamper and easily looked like the best Baltimore back, though that’s not saying much. I don’t want to count on this hyper-efficiency on basically 10 touches per week behind a bad offensive line on a team that is sputtering, but he’s got enough momentum to make him a decent add heading into a Week 5 road date with the Raiders.
Aaron Jones (RB, GB) - 11% owned (2% FAAB for Montgomery owners)
Jones should really only garner waiver-wire attention from Ty Montgomery owners, as TyMont appears to be pushing for a Week 5 start despite some initially terrible news regarding his ribs after a nasty Week 4 hit on Thursday night. Jamaal Williams was the handcuff to own until he also got hurt, which put Jones in a position to collect 49 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in a runaway victory against the Bears. In a juicy waiver-wire week, Jones is an afterthought for most.
Elijah McGuire (RB, NYJ) - 2% owned (1% FAAB)
The Jets have now won two games in a row after looking lost in their first two games, with Mr. McGuire getting some more looks thanks to Matt Forte’s injury. The rookie turned 12 touches into 131 total yards (93 rushing, 31 receiving) and a score against a Jacksonville team that is great against the pass but quite susceptible to the run. Forte is unlikely to be rushed back, making McGuire a decent flex dart throw in deeper formats for a cushy Week 5 road spot against the Browns.
Wide Receivers - Week 5 Waiver Wire
Will Fuller V (WR, HOU) - 31% owned (4% FAAB)
Making his 2017 debut, Fuller would swiftly step into the spotlight by catching four-of-six targets for 35 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 57-14 blowout over the Titans. This is great news considering Fuller hadn’t seen much of DeShaun Watson’s arm, but we also can’t expect this many points to go around on a weekly basis. The good news is that this was the first of three straight home games for Houston, but a tough draw against the Chiefs awaits before a nice date with the Browns in Week 6. Hopefully, Fuller isn’t sacrificed to Marcus Peters, but I wouldn’t be surprised one bit. He makes for a solid flex grab right now with his speed and early flash.
Devin Funchess (WR, CAR) - 24% owned (4% FAAB)
Funchess was fantastic in an easy matchup with the Patriots defense, catching seven of his nine targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns before some late-game cramping saw him limp off. He’s now seen a combined 25 targets over his last three games (19 in his last two) and has finally established himself as a legitimate option alongside Kelvin Benjamin. With Benjamin not taking over any games in his own right, Funchess has a chance to shine in this Greg Olsen-less offense, but it would be premature to suddenly trust Cam Newton’s arm with what we’ve seen. He makes for a decent WR4 in 12-team formats thanks to some iffy matchups on the immediate horizon, though the schedule opens up between Weeks 7-10 (CHI, TB, ATL, MIA) for a team’s No. 2 receiver.
Jaron Brown (WR, ARI) - 5% owned (2% FAAB)
“Ja. Brown” may have been a name that got under the skin of many hopeful John Brown owners over the last few years, but now it can bring some light into your world. After seeing zero targets in Week 1, Jaron has tallied 29 targets over his last three games for 14 catches, 205 yards and a touchdown. No one likes seeing a catch rate under 50 percent on the target count, but he was 8-for-12 in Week 4 and registered a 94% snap count. Even without a real “specialty” to offer alongside Larry Fitzgerald’s strong hands and J.J. Nelson/John Brown’s big speed, it’s clear that Jaron Brown is a healthy part of this pass-happy offense. A road date with Philadelphia next week should see him on WR4 radars in 12-teamers.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR, PIT) - 1% owned (1% FAAB)
Those of you in deeper waters should be aware of Pittsburgh featuring Smith-Schuster as the clear No. 3 receiver for Big Ben. Eli Rogers was a healthy scratch, so JSS should see some healthy weeks in the future as he continues to earn Roethlisberger’s trust as a secondary (and maybe even primary, some day) read in a stacked offense. Digging through the Killer B’s scraps isn’t the most ideal, but getting a talented piece of the Pittsburgh pie is pretty good when you set the bar at just one percent owned.
Tight Ends - Week 5 Waiver Wire
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE, NYJ) - 7% owned (2% FAAB)
Seferian-Jenkins has now caught nine of his 10 targets for 76 yards in two games, showing trustworthy hands and using his size over the middle for the Jets. No one else can contend with his raw skills and size between the other TEs and WRs, with these couple of games giving him some nice momentum with Josh McCown heading into some seriously light matchups with the Browns and Patriots in the next two weeks. The opportunities have been there for work, but the red-zone chances haven’t been on this team. That isn’t likely to come in bunches, but these next two weeks will house as good a chance as any to make him a top-12 TE.
Ryan Griffin (TE, HOU) - 11% owned (1% FAAB)
Griffin somehow flopped in a 57-point showing for Houston, catching just two of his five targets for 13 yards against the sieve-like Titans. While no one was expecting Griffin to suddenly be a top-five TE just because he was starting, this was rude. Still, he should remain in line for a floor of five targets in what should be a tighter Week 5 game with the Chiefs next Sunday night. Without Eric Berry, tight ends can breathe against that defense.
*I’m going to need to see more than four targets and a busted coverage play from the worst TE defense in the land to make O.J. Howard a thing, but it was a nice week for him!
Early Defensive Streaming Candidates
- OAK (v. BAL) - 31% owned
- MIA (v. TEN) *if Mariota's out - 8% owned
- NYJ (@CLE) - 3% owned
