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Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire pickups and fantasy football sleepers for Week 5. His top free agent options for 14-team fantasy leagues or deeper.
We're almost a quarter way through the NFL season, but it's never time to stop searching for deep league stashes for short or long-term upside. These fantasy football waiver wire pickup suggestions are geared toward leagues with deep benches or 14-plus teams, so obvious pickups like Mike Boone and Tyler Allgeier won't be featured. Instead, we're diving deeper for players who saw a surprising number of targets, newfound opportunities or even running back stashes who moved up the depth chart or could see a massive jump in value if the player in front of them misses time.
In deep leagues, stashing lotto-ticket plays is paramount for future upside. Even players who are currently buried on the depth chart or have seen minimal work thus far could prove to be valuable pieces at some point in the long NFL season. If we can identify deep league sleepers early, it can help you win your league down the road.
Of course, we only have four weeks of games to look at, but these deep league waiver targets are usually cheap to obtain and can be dropped without consequence down the road if they prove to have little value to your roster. Ultimately, all "backup" running backs could become valuable, but we'll at least highlight the guys with the most upside if they became a starter and aren't already on shallow fantasy radars.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets for Week 5
Zach Wilson was far from perfect in his season debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the Jets' offense has looked solid all year with a ton of weapons. Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, and Tyler Conklin are an above-average skill group, at worst, so Wilson could have strong upside in favorable matchups moving forward.
Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco should continue to be on the fantasy radar, despite Clyde Edwards-Helaire looking like a breakout candidate in 2022. CEH has dealt with injuries throughout his young career, and this backfield is still a committee until further notice.
Caleb Huntley figures to share touches with Tyler Allgeier, but most fantasy managers will be on the shiny new rookie while forgetting about Huntley. Huntley handled just as many carries (10) as Allgeier and got the goal line work and scored a touchdown. While Cordarrelle Patterson (knee) is out on IR, both have plenty of value.
Boston Scott was inactive in Week 4, but he's just one Miles Sanders or Kenneth Gainwell injury away from a major role in the dominant Eagles' rushing attack, so he's a solid deep league lotto ticket for late-season upside.
Joshua Kelley and Sony Michel are both getting touches behind Austin Ekeler, and both would be instant RB1 candidates in the context of the Chargers' offense if Ekeler gets banged up. Ekeler finally had a boom week against the Houston Texans, but he's missed a game or two each season since becoming the Chargers' workhorse back. For what it's worth, Michel is probably more likely to handle a large workload if Ekeler does miss time but it'll likely be a committee.
Jordan Mason slides into the RB2 chair with Elijah Mitchell (knee) and Tyrion Davis-Price out, so he's worth stashing in deep leagues. He saw just one carry in the loss to the Denver Broncos and had a limited workload against the Los Angeles Rams, but he looks like the clear backup to Jeff Wilson Jr.
Zamir White would likely dominate the rushing attempts if something were to happen to Josh Jacobs. His PPR upside would be capped thanks to Ameer Abdullah or Brandon Bolden, but in deep leagues, he'd be worth something as a fill-in RB.
Jaylen Warren should remain on the fantasy radar even with Najee Harris being the workhorse back in Pittsburgh. Harris has been largely ineffective, so Warren could see more work moving forward. He'd step into a workhorse role in the case of a Harris injury.
Ty Montgomery was injured in his first game with the New England Patriots, but his earliest return date is Week 6. It's unclear when he'll be back, but he'll have PPR value the moment he steps back into the lineup.
Chuba Hubbard and D'Onta Foreman would likely share touches in the Panthers' offense if Christian McCaffrey, who has already been on the injury report, misses time this season. Their ceilings would be low in an awful offense, but the fantasy RB position is in a rough place right now, so either could have value later on.
Craig Reynolds was a late-season value last year, and with D'Andre Swift already dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries, he was the backup to Jamaal Williams against the Seattle Seahawks. His workload was small and you shouldn't start him yet, but for now, he's worth a flyer in deep leagues.
Samaje Perine is a premier handcuff in a top-tier offense in the NFL, so despite not having standalone value every week, he's a solid bench stash in case of a Joe Mixon injury.
Skyy Moore finally saw some usage for the Kansas City Chiefs, catching two passes for 31 yards. He can't be trusted in lineups just yet, but surely Andy Reid has bigger plans for his second-round rookie wideout down the stretch.
Mack Hollins will likely be unplayable when Hunter Renfrow (concussion) returns to the lineup, but at the very least, he can be considered a "handcuff" wide receiver.
Donovan Peoples-Jones caught five passes for 71 yards against the Atlanta Falcons, putting him back on the fantasy radar. He isn't necessarily worth picking up right now, but keep him for later in the season when Deshaun Watson comes back.
Josh Reynolds served as Jared Goff's No. 1 WR in the absence of Amon-Ra St. Brown (ankle) and D.J. Chark (ankle), but even when those guys are back, he has value in deep leagues until Jameson Williams (knee) comes back and commands snaps.
Richie James caught just one pass against the Chicago Bears, but he caught at least four passes in each of his first three games. His value might crater when Wan'Dale Robinson (knee) comes back, but for now, he has at least some value for fantasy managers looking for receiver depth.
Laviska Shenault Jr. was injured in Week 4 after a big Week 3 performance, but he's not a bad bench flyer in an offensive desperate for explosive plays.
Treylon Burks is going to fall off some fantasy managers' watchlist after suffering a turf toe injury that could place him on injured reserve, but his injury is minor from a long-term perspective, and he's still worth rostering for the chance of a late-season breakout.
Kyle Philips and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine would see extra snaps and targets if Treylon Burks (foot) has to miss time.
Hayden Hurst scored a touchdown in Week 4 after drawing 17 targets through the first three weeks of the season. As the primary pass-catching tight end in a Joe Burrow-led offense, he should be rostered in deeper leagues.
Juwan Johnson is the primary receiving tight end in New Orleans, so he's worth a flyer in the pass-happy, risk-taking offense led by Jameis Winston (when he returns).
Tyler Conklin saw at least seven targets in all three of Joe Flacco's starts and caught three-of-five targets for 52 yards in Zach Wilson's season debut. Among tight ends, he's been one of the more consistent producers, so if he's available in your leagues, he's worth adding.
Mo Alie-Cox won't be a reliable weekly option, but after catching all six of his targets for 85 yards and two touchdowns, he's worth a spot on the deep league fantasy radar.
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