October 4, 2016

Ben Ruppert's 2016 fantasy football tiered rankings for Week Five wide receivers (WR) - waiver wire pickups, adds & sleepers for PPR and non-PPR. These are NFL WRs to target.

What’s up everyone! Welcome back for your Week 5 fantasy football waiver wire WR options. This week we have a number of options that have emerged, several of whom are likely available in your league and could help out your WR situation.

Below you will find some deeper waiver wire grabs heading into Week 5. Check out my entries from Week 4 as well. If players like Tyrell Williams or Will Fuller are still out there, PICK THEM UP FIRST.

These are deeper options who will likely be available in many leagues. If you are forced to pick between two players, find me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21, and I will be more than happy to help you out!

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about more Week 5 waiver wire recommendations, for all other positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Week 5 Waiver Wire - Wide Receivers (WR)

The Shallow End (Under 50% Owned)

Chris Hogan, WR, NE – 44% owned on Fleaflicker

Chris Hogan was brought in this offseason to help bolster a WR corps in need of another weapon. So far Hogan has been a disappointment, capped off by his zero catch performance against his former team, the Bills, last week. However, there are some things working in Hogan’s favor. Last week he was in on 93% of the teams snaps in Week 4, and leads all Patriots receivers in snap percentage at 81.2%. He has seen his snaps rise each week from 77.5%, up to 92.9% last week. Hogan is a good blocking WR also, which will help keep him on the field more often than not.

Another huge plus for Hogan is the return of Tom Brady in Week 5. Over the past two weeks Jacoby Brissett has been running the show, and almost completely ignoring some of his most dangerous targets. Chris Hogan has been targeted five times over the past two weeks, and he has only looked the way of Rob Gronkowski three times over 46 pass attempts. Things will undoubtedly get better for the entire offense with Brady back at the helm, so this is the last chance to buy low on some Patriots weapons before their value spikes with competent QB play. If anyone has dropped Hogan, pick him up and hold him on your bench until we see how the chemistry between him and Brady develops.

Anquan Boldin, WR, DET – 42% owned on Fleaflicker

With Marvin Jones dominating and Golden Tate slipping, Anquon Boldin is carving himself a spot as the WR2 to own in Detroit. Tate was benched during the game on Sunday after running the wrong route, leading to a costly interception. Tate played on only 36-of-63 snaps last week, compared to 54-of-63 for Boldin. Boldin even received the most targets on the team in Week 4 with eight on the day. The Lions have been one of the most pass-happy teams to begin the season, so expect plenty of work for these receivers as the year goes on.

The only thing working against Boldin so far is that he has the lowest average depth of target (aDOT) in the entire league, and that didn’t change this Sunday. Boldin caught 6-of-8 targets for 31 yards, with all of his catches coming right around the line of scrimmage. He makes for a good PPR add averaging six targets per game, making a solid bye week fill-in player with the potential for more if he continues to out-snap Tate.

Sammie Coates, WR, PIT – 33% owned on Fleaflicker

The return of Markus Wheaton was thought to bring the end of Sammie Coates in this Steelers offense. However, even with his return Coates is still finding a way to make an impact in this offense alongside Antonio Brown. Last week Coates secured 6-of-8 targets for 79 yards, while playing in 33-of-59 snaps, 12 more than Wheaton received. Coates specializes in the long ball, with five of his 13 catches this season going for over 20 yards. He averages 21.69 yards per reception, which places him fourth overall in the league.

He has yet to find the endzone, but it is only a matter of time before Coates rips one off for a score. If he continues to operate as Ben Roethlisberger’s second favorite option behind Antonio Brown, Coates will be a huge bargain add right now, especially given his availablility in 66% of leagues. There certainly will be the occasional bust game from Coates given his low catch totals so far, however the ones he does get are for huge gains. He is a boom-or-bust add, which would be good to have as a fourth or fifth fantasy WR option.

Eddie Royal, WR, CHI – 24% owned on Fleaflicker

Brian Hoyer has certainly made one WR look very good in this offense, and unfortunately for many that receiver isn’t Alshon Jeffery. Eddie Royal had a dominant showing in Week 4, catching all seven of his targets for 111 yards and a TD in the Bears win over the Lions. Royal is fully healthy after dealing with injuries throughout 2015, and has been operating as the slot man in this offense. On top of being an excellent slot man, he has also been the best WR on the team in red zone catch percentage at 75% (3-of-4). He seems to have found himself in a good spot with QB Brian Hoyer.

Kevin White left Sunday’s game in the third quarter after suffering and ankle injury. He received an MRI on Monday after being in “quite a bit of pain” according to ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson. If he misses any time, there will be even more targets to go around for the other Bears receivers. Royal should be relatively consistent all season, but big games like this will only happen once in a while. Royal will be a great pickup especially in PPR leagues, caching mostly short-to-intermediate passes.

More Options: Jamison Crowder, WAS (46% owned), Quincy Enunwa, NYJ (41%), Steve Smith Sr., BAL (41%), Cole Beasley (24%)

The Deep End (Under 15% Owned)

Robert Woods, WR, BUF - 14% owned on Fleaflicker

Robert Woods was called upon by the Bills to take over as their WR1 with Sammy Watkins potentially out for the season. He performed well last week, catching 7-of-10 targets for 89 yards in the Bills win over the Patriots. The Bills planned for New England to take LeSean McCoy out of the game, so they ran a gameplan that saw Tyrod Taylor throw the ball 39 times, his second most attempts as a member of the Bills. Don’t expect that many attempts to go around every week, but as long as Woods is the top option, he will be relatively consistent catching 5-to-7 passes a game for 50-or-60 yards and a chance for a score.

Chris Conley, WR, KC – 9% owned on Fleaflicker

Conley has operated as the number two option behind Jeremy Maclin all season with the Chiefs, and had his best game of the season in Week 4. Conley caught 6-of-7 targets for 70 yards in the blowout loss to the Steelers. Before this game Conley had averaged only three receptions for 34 yards per game. What made this game different was that Alex Smith was forced to throw 50 times after getting in an early hole. Smith is averaging 42 pass attempts per game so far this season, after only averaging 29 per game last season. He is on the team in targets behind Maclin with 23 through four weeks. Conley isn’t someone you want to have to rely on; he is an option for much deeper leagues.

Seth Roberts, WR, OAK – 7% owned on Fleaflicker

Seth Roberts is the third option in a passing offense behind Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Operating in the slot this season, Roberts has averaged three receptions for 21 yards per game. He had made the most of his 10 catches this season, finding the endzone with two of them. Carr loves to look Roberts way in the redzone; he leads the Raiders in redzone targets with five. Roberts makes for a risky play in standard leagues, but the TD upside he presents gives him an advantage over other players owned at this level in fantasy. If you’re looking for someone to take a flyer on, Roberts is a good option.

Brian Quick, WR, LA – 5% owned on Fleaflicker

One week after scoring the first receiving TD for the Rams this season on a 44-yard pass, Quick was at it again this Sunday. He caught two passes for 69 yards and two scores, one of which came on a long 65-yard reception. Quick is quickly becoming the preferred deep-ball option in this offense, with Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt also mixing in. Quick won’t pile up many catches, but the ones he does get he can take to the house.

Dontrelle Inman, WR, SD – 4% owned on Fleaflicker

Dontelle Inman had a surprising week in Week 4, coming seemingly out of nowhere to catch seven-of-11 passes for 120 yards and a TD. The 120 yards broke his previous career high of 88. When Keenan Allen went down it was expected that Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams would gain the most fantasy value, but it was Inman this week who was able to break through. Inman has had good games in the past only to fade away the next week, but this offense is missing some key offensive weapons. Rivers trusts Inman to make catches, making him a great flyer to take in deep leagues.

More Options: Marqise Lee, JAX (11% owned), Marquise Goodwin, BUF (10%), Jaelen Strong, HOU (11%), Jeremy Kerley, SF (7%), Brice Butler, DAL (3%)

That’s all for this week folks, hope you get everyone you claim! For all your WR waiver wire questions, read these articles each week and get at me on twitter @Ben_Ruppert_21. I am more than happy to lend a hand to hungry fantasy owners!