RADIO
Hamid Sandhu looks at the most added and dropped players of the week on Fleaflicker's waiver wire transactions list to help fantasy football owners evaluate player value and who to stream in Week 5.
What a Week 4 we had! We are still on pace to have the most touchdowns in a single year in NFL history (over 1400) and on pace to break the single-season scoring record by 327 points.
The average NFL game is seeing teams produce a combined 725 yards of offense per game which would also be a new record. Teams' 5.6 yards per play average would (you guessed it) be a new NFL record as well.
With that said, it's easier than ever to find a potential scoring option off waivers, if you know where to look. Each week, I will be sharing with you the top adds and drops for the week every Friday from our friends at Fleaflicker, along with a few thoughts about the adds and drops. This can help fantasy owners analyze the trending waiver moves and see whether they will pay off in the long run. Let's get right to it.
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Most Added - Week 5
Tennessee Titans DEF: 5286 adds - 56% owned
Easily one of the better defenses to go up against one of the worst offenses in the league. Great streaming appeal for those teams who like to stream defenses. The Titans will (as I expect) take a sizable lead in this game and force the Bills into more of a passing offense and forcing turnovers. Titans are sixth in the league in points per game at 18.2 points, frankly the Bills will be lucky to make it to 14. Worth rostering for one week.
Mike Davis (RB, SEA): 3728 adds - 27% owned
With Chris Carson out Week 4, Mike Davis got the starting nod and did not disappoint with 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Even though Pete Carroll has said he fully expects Carson to play, he also acknowledged that Davis earned more playing time. On top of this, the backfield is likely to become a committee and the one who stands out early will get most of the looks. I consider Davis nothing more than a speculative add in 14 man leagues at best. In fantasy sports, we usually live in the moment and I feel like this is one of those moments where recency bias has taken control.
T.J. Yeldon (RB, JAX): 3369 adds - 69% owned
I am very surprised this number is not higher considering Fournette has been out due to injury. In his absence, Yeldon scored two touchdowns and totaled 100 yards. He is a must-start for those who added him this week, because if you added him, you had all the intention to start him in Fournette's place.
Vance McDonald (TE, PIT): 3097 adds - 60% owned
McDonald continued his recent hot run and seems to have solidified his position as the starting tight end. McDonald is becoming a weekly low-end TE1. Pick him up wherever you can.
Keke Coutee (WR, HOU): 3096 adds - 30% owned
I am not surprised he is not owned in many leagues even after his blowup game which saw Will Fuller leave due to injury. Coutee responded with 11 receptions and 109 yards. Hard to say he will come close to repeating this with Fuller in the lineup. The only way I see him garnering more looks is if something were to happen to DeAndre Hopkins or Will Fuller. I am keeping him on the waiver wire outside of deepest of leagues (16-team leagues) until he proves his worth over a longer sample.
Nyheim Hines (RB, IND): 2635 adds - 47% owned
We all knew Hines would be involved in the Colts passing game but just look at his usage in the past two weeks; he played 73% and 69% of the team's offensive snaps, which resulted in 16 targets which accounts for 15.7% targets of the teams total pass attempts. Hines' upside is capped with limited or at the least unclear early-down work, but his involvement in the passing game on an offense depleted of talent makes him a must add and frankly I am surprised he isn't added in more leagues and still owned in just 47% of leagues. His ownership could go up even higher after seeing 15 carries and nine passing targets on Thursday Night Football.
Most Dropped - Week 5
Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, TB): 4759 drops - 39% owned
This one is pretty obvious. The Fitzmagic show had to come to an end eventually and boy did it against the Bears. After throwing for over 400 yards in three straights games while accumulating 11 touchdowns, that was not enough to warrant more than a half of bad play before he was benched by the coaching staff. I am surprised not more have dropped him as he is no more than a backup to Jameis Winston. He can be safely dropped everywhere.
Will Dissly (TE, SEA): 3789 drops - 28% owned
The Seahawks placed Dissley on the IR due to a torn patella tendon. In four games this year, he had 14 targets out of which eight were converted into receptions. The volume or snap share just was never there for him to play to his potential. He should be dropped in all leagues.
Tyler Eifert (TE, CIN): 3203 drops - 52% owned
Talk about a guy that cannot catch a break, literally. After finally seeing his snap share rise, along with the number of targets and even catching a touchdown reception, seems like the only thing stopping him was another injury. Guess what? He can be safely dropped in all redraft leagues.
Seattle Seahawks DEF: 2060 drops - 51% owned
I can totally understand why fantasy owners would want to drop the Seahawks defense as they go up against the Chargers potent offense. Even though they have a number of key injuries on defense, they would have still been a non-streaming option. 51% ownership tells me there are fans out there who hold hope that this defense can turn it around despite the loss of Earl Thomas for the season.
O.J. Howard (TE, TB): 1882 drops - 71% owned
With O.J. Howard out two to four weeks with a sprained MCL and the return of Winston spells more Cameron Brate as he loves throwing the ball to him especially in the red zone. Howard was more of a beneficiary of Fitzpatrick. Hopefully I am wrong, though personally I'd rather hold Howard than cut him. It is clear Howard is the better athlete out of the two. Hope the Bucs see it the same way.
Chris Hogan (WR, NE): 1291 drops - 74% owned
Probably one of the most disappointing fantasy wide receivers this year as he was hyped to be a top 10 to 12 overall wide receiver through the first 4 weeks, instead he has not broken six fantasy points outside of the game against the Jaguars (against the best defenses of all teams). He is getting to the point where you may have to make a decision to cut him altogether. A 74% ownership rate is something I expect to keep dropping over the next few weeks, especially after seeing Josh Gordon reach the end zone for the first time as a Pat, while Hogan was responsible for a turnover.
