Mohamed Sanu (WR, ATL) - Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

October 1, 2019

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver (WR) Mohamed Sanu is a fantasy football waiver wire pickup to target as a free agent addition for Week 5 of the 2019 NFL season.

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OWNED IN: 27% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Everybody likes a good, interesting, new, sexy player on draft day. That is why fantasy GMs all around the nation picked Calvin Ridley over Mohamed Sanu. And that is why I will keep loving my oldies year after year because I know they'll provide at any given time. Perhaps Ridley's name alone just got all your attention and that was reason enough to fade Sanu without paying attention to his stats from 2018: 838 yards on 66 receptions with four touchdowns. Had it not been for the touchdowns, Ridley and Sanu would have had virtually equal seasons.

I know, I know. Everything counts, and touchdowns are worth a lot in fantasy leagues. But 10 touchdowns are not that sustainable if you get them as a rookie. It is showing in 2019. First of all, Sanu's experience has made him lead the way in snaps this season in both amount and percentage (yes, over Julio Jones too). Only Jones has been targeted more times than Sanu (37 to 31) and has more yards (317 to 239). And it looks like Sanu's battle for supremacy against Ridley is becoming a yearly tradition, as Sanu has 48.1 fantasy points through Week 4 compared to Ridley's 48.7.

The difference, as always, is in the price and what the players return from it. Ridley's owned in 94% of leagues and his owners drafted to play as a WR2 most probably. Sanu, on the other hand, is only in one-quarter of the leagues and he probably wasn't even drafted at all before the season started. Bad move, for sure. Right now both players are producing the same (and Ridley has been helped by scoring two touchdowns), but Ridley is disappointing owners while Sanu has become a no. 1 waiver wire target.

No matter what or what not is in your roster, you should seriously consider adding Sanu. There are just no players in the league with highest floors at such availability. Barring a Week 2 dud (5.6 points), Sanu has always racked up 10.7 or more fantasy points. He faces Houston next (eighth-worst defense against WR) and has a pretty favorable schedule after his Week 9 bye. I'm writing with a long-term view because I consider Sanu both a must-add and a must-play almost weekly at the Flex position if not as your WR3 if the matchup calls for it in every league.