Biggest Waiver Movers On Fleaflicker: Who Is Here To Stay

Week 5 is upon us, the second week for the dreaded byes. This week, we have Miami and Oakland taking a rest. In other words, not exactly the most impactful fantasy teams. With a few exceptions, odds are you aren’t too hurt by the absence of these teams. However, there are plenty of other reasons to be adding new meat to your fantasy lineup. Teams haven’t been performing (cough, New England) the never ending injury bug making its rounds and unsuspected fantasy production from less than known stars are contributing to the biggest movers this week. However, they might not all be fit for your team. Here are the top added fantasy players for Week 5, and the analysis for whether you should buy into the hype or leave them be on waivers.

Top Fleaflicker Players Added For Week 5

Philadelphia Eagles (PHI, DEF) - 5,854 Adds

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

I love that so many defenses have made their way onto this list. This week, the Eagles are the most added fantasy asset off of an explosive Week 4 against the Giants. Despite losing the game 26-21, Philadelphia was exceptional on the stat sheet, picking off Colin Kaepernick once and sacking him 4 times. The defense also managed all 21 points for Philly, scoring 1 TD after a blocked punt in the end zone, a pick six by Malcom Jenkins and Darren Sproles returning a punt 82 yards for a total day of 26 standard fantasy points. Interestingly enough, the Eagles have actually been the best fantasy defense so far this year with 51 points. With all that, I really don’t see the Eagles being worth adding in most leagues.

This week, they have a great matchup against the Rams in Philly, so by all means, grab them off waivers in the 48% of Fleaflicker leagues they are available in. Next week, another nice opponent in the Giants followed by a bye Week 7. Yet after that, they have a rough schedule. Going on the road to Arizona then Houston, then a game vs the Panthers before they see the Packers in Lambeau. So while they might be a nice short term add and definitely worth owning in two defense leagues, they seem more like a plug and play D when they have a decent enough matchup.

Eddie Royal (SD, WR) - 5,553 Adds

The production of guys like Eddie Royal are the reason that this column needs to be done every week. Through 4 weeks, of this, Royal is the guy I am going to definitively say: DO NOT ADD HIM IN STANDARD LEAGUES! I will admit, he had two great weeks, combining for 147 receiving yards on 9 receptions and 4 TD’s adding up to 38.7 fantasy points. I’m sure if you had him on your team (he was owned in 4% of leagues at the start of Week 3) he helped immensely. Keep in mind though, he had these career games against Buffalo and Jacksonville, whose defenses aren’t exactly shuttering to face. His first two weeks against Arizona and Seattle, he showed more of what to expect. In Arizona, Royal caught 1 of 6 passes for 20 yards, and then went 7-10 for 69 yards against the Seahawks.

So maybe in deep leagues you can give him a shot this week against the Jets, but don’t say I didn’t tell you so. When everybody is healthy in San Diego, which hasn’t been the case, Royal is at best the 5^th target of Philip Rivers. Keep this in mind, courtesy of Rotoworld: “Through four games, Royal is on pace for 68 catches, 944 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Keep in mind Royal was on pace for 20 TDs at this stage last year, but finished with eight.” Fool’s Gold.

Larry Donnell (NYG, TE) - 3,812 Adds

Another man with a monster Week 4, Larry Donnell is a lot more worth a fantasy look than Royal. Against the Redskins on Thursday night, Donnell caught 7 of 8 targets for 54 yards and 3 TD’s for 23.4 fantasy points. Add that with his previous weeks, and his 25-31 catches for 236 yards and 4 TD’s make him the 4^th most productive TE this year. Now something can be said for his insane game being a fluke, which quite frankly, it was. But something great came out of it: Donnell has made himself Eli Manning’s main red zone target. His other TD, Week 1 against Detroit, was a 1 yard catch. At 6’6 and 265 pounds, there is reason Eli has so much trust in him inside the 20.

Considering Donnell has gone from 0% owned in Fleaflicker leagues to now 65%, you really have nothing to lose in giving him a shot. Donnell needs to be owned in all leagues and is worth starting as a low end TE1 the rest of the season.

Jerick McKinnon (RB, MIN) - 3,467 Adds

So it’s easy to say not to add a guy AFTER the bad game, but that’s my fault for not having this out sooner. In fact, just a few days ago, Matt Asiata was the #5 guy on this list. Just because a top running back is out, doesn’t exactly mean the backups are worth adding. In this case, Adrian Peterson is likely done for the year, making McKinnon and Asiata immediately more relevant. Week 4 was nice for McKinnon with 152 total yards on 18 carries and a 17 yard catch. Before this though, his 2.1 points over three weeks wasn’t anything noteworthy at all. Asiata is going to be the one getting all of the reps, meaning even though McKinnon has some value, he shouldn’t be started in any leagues unless you’re desperate.

Eli Manning (QB, NYG) - 2,765 Adds

I live in NYC, and have plenty of friends that are Giants fans. So if I have learned one thing, it is that Eli Manning is the greatest quarterback of all time. In all fairness, Manning is having a great year so far. Obviously all the benefits from Donnell’s great game apply to the guy throwing him the ball. Along with the 3 TD’s Donnell caught, he threw another one to Daniel Fells and even ran one into the end zone himself. Adding that to his 300 passing yards and an interception that was no fault of his own left him with an insane 33.10 fantasy points and 41 in 6-pt TD formats. His 19.12 fantasy points per game through 4 weeks are the 31^st in all of fantasy, way above his projected rank of 153. He has also been the 7^th most productive fantasy QB this year, ahead of the likes of Brees, Kaepernick and Flacco. His 5 INT’s aren’t too great, but in all fairness you only lost 2 points for a pick, and he isn’t in any danger of being benched with his great start.

For those dealing with Tom Brady, Manning is a great add and start. He is still available in 30% of fantasy leagues, and is at least worth adding and holding onto in case something happens to your starter.

Well there you have it. A case can be made to add any and all of the players on this list. However, there is generally a reason these five were not drafted in most leagues. There is obviously a risk in starting every player, and these waiver wire adds might be a risk for your teams and not worth starting until you know for sure what you are getting out of them. Make sure to share your thoughts and comments below, or leave any questions you have for me about these players, or any fantasy football questions in general. Good luck in Week 5 RotoBallers.