October 3, 2017

Deeper waiver wire sleepers and pickups to add for Week 5 of the NFL season. Justin Carter finds lightly owned players for fantasy football owners to target.

Waking up early the past two weeks for the London games has left me too drained from football to watch the Sunday night games all the way to the end--once the Seahawks opened the floodgates, I went to sleep. In theory, I like the idea of twelve-plus hours of football, but there's a reason I've never been able to concentrate on a full day of college games either. Football games all day can sometimes just get too overwhelming. The mind can't sustain a constant level of high alertness about the same subject for that long. It's why, as a college instructor, I prefer teaching 50-minute classes to 80-minute classes--in the longer class period, I run out of steam. That doesn't have much to do with waiver wire targets, but food for thought never hurts the brain.

The deep market isn't as strong this week at some positions--namely the quarterbacks--but a spate of injuries means that there's value at other spots. (Also, a note: it sucks so much to see players getting injured, especially ones who contribute to your fantasy teams. That does not mean you should tweet at them and ask when they can come back because you really need them Week 7 while your other running backs are both on bye. These players are compensated for their labor on the field, for helping the teams that pay them win football games. Until you hand them a few million, they have zero obligation to worry about your team.)

Let's look at deeper waiver wire targets and sleepers for Week 5, players whose ownership is currently under 20% and are likely available in many of your leagues. Note: All ownership percentages are for Yahoo leagues.

Deeper Waiver Wire Targets for Week 5

Note: I'm not going to blurb players who I've already mentioned in previous weeks, but I will note that the following players from last week are still under 20% owned and still worth a look: Blake Bortles, Alex Collins, Elijah McGuire.

Mitch Trubisky (QB, Chicago Bears) - 2% owned

The pickings are beyond slim for the quarterbacks with an ownership low enough for this column, but there’s one name worth mentioning: Bears rookie Mitchell Trubisky. Mike Glennon has been bad and it now appears that Week 5 will be the time that the Bears make a change. Trubisky doesn’t have many weapons around him in Chicago, but he has the most upside of any quarterback eligible for this list. If you’re desperate, Trubisky could be a good choice in deeper formats.

Latavius Murray (RB, Minnesota Vikings) - 15% owned

With Dalvin Cook done for the year, expect Murray to receive the bulk of the Vikings carries (with Jerick McKinnon seeing the field in passing situations). Murray wasn’t the most consistent player last season in Oakland, but he’s a big back who can do damage near the goal line. He won’t put up numbers that resemble what Cook was doing, but he’ll have a good shot at getting a touchdown every week, especially if Sam Bradford ever returns.

Aaron Jones (RB, Green Bay Packers) - 11% owned

Jones was going to headline a lot of waiver columns after Thursday, when it looked like he would be the only healthy running back on the Packers roster. Even with Ty Montgomery appearing to be less hurt than expected, Jones is worth a look because he ran well against the Bears, finishing with 49 yards and a touchdown. Jones showed that he can be an important piece for Green Bay if they need him.

J.D. McKissic (RB, Seattle Seahawks) - 3% owned

It looks like Chris Carson is done for the year and that Thomas Rawls has officially worn out his welcome with the Seahawks. Eddie Lacy should see the bulk of Seattle's carries, but keep an eye on McKissic--he showed on Sunday night that he can contribute as both a runner and a receiver--scoring touchdowns both ways. He's got good speed and is in a situation where basically any promise means he could take on a big role.

Wayne Gallman (RB, New York Giants) - 2% owned

Honestly, Gallman gets a boost here for the simple fact that he is not Paul Perkins. Gallman saw his first NFL action on Sunday and he immediately looked like New York’s best running back, running for 42 yards on 11 carries and adding a receiving touchdown. He should maintain a role in this offense even when Orleans Darkwa returns from his back injury. If Darkwa isn’t able to go in Week 5, the Giants better start Gallman over Perkins. There’s zero reason not to.

Jaron Brown (WR, Arizona Cardinals) - 5% owned

Jaron Brown led the Cardinals in targets, receptions, and yards in Week 4. With John Brown back in the lineup, no one was expecting much of Jaron, but he easily looked like the Cardinals best receiver—not counting how Larry Fitzgerald looked on his game-winning touchdown. As long as Carson Palmer continues to throw the ball, Brown should see chances. He’s the receiver to own right now in Arizona.

Adam Humphries (WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 0% owned

I thought about listing Humphries last week but assumed his production was a fluke, but after a second week in a row in which he hauled in six catches it might be time to wonder if Humphries is turning into Jameis Winston’s second-favorite target. DeSean Jackson has been a disappointment in two of his three games this season. This week, Tampa plays a New England team whose defense has struggled in 2017, which could make Humphries an intriguing play.

Aldrick Robinson (WR, San Francisco 49ers) - 0% owned

There are times when you see a statistic and you immediately go to another site to confirm that statistic. Robinson’s 12 targets in Week 4 are one of those stats. I don’t have high hopes for Robinson, but he might be worth a look in a deeper league to see if those targets continue, though it’s worth noting he only caught three of them. Still, if I’m scraping the bottom of the waiver wire then I’m looking for one of two things: big play potential (nope) and volume (possibly!). It’s also worth noting that another 49ers receiver with 0% ownership saw double-digit targets—Trent Taylor with 10 targets. I’m not going to list two San Francisco receivers here, but it’s at least worth noting how much the 49ers threw the football and which players they threw to.

O.J. Howard (TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 18% owned

Howard, the much hyped rookie out of Alabama, scored his first NFL touchdown on Sunday. He was targeted a career-high four times. He has big play potential. Rookie tight ends aren’t known for consistency, but Howard should start to carve out a larger share of the Tampa Bay offense.

Tyler Kroft (TE, Cincinnati Bengals) - 1% owned

This is entirely dependent on what happens with Tyler Eifert. If Eifert returns next week, Kroft has no value. If Eifert is still out, Kroft is a solid streaming option at tight end after a six-catch 68-yard game this week. Kroft found the end zone twice, which is obviously not sustainable but—there are many worse streamers.

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