Week 5 Waiver Targets

By: Tony Kneepkens (@tonytk44)

These are the top players to consider adding from waivers this week. Unless otherwise noted, all players below are available in greater than 50% of Yahoo leagues (as of Sunday evening). Priorities and FAAB recommendations are meant to differentiate between some of the options available and are assuming 12-team, single-QB, fantasy formats.

It’s the second week in a row with a high-priority RB to consider adding from waivers and now we have an exciting young QB with a possible rushing-oriented fantasy profile to consider as well. There are several players who might be afforded more opportunities in the wake of injuries to star WRs Malik Nabers and Tyreek Hill, as well as several familiar RB names to consider as we head into the first week of byes.

Week 5 teams on bye: Bears, Falcons, Packers, Steelers

QB Pickup of the Week

Jaxson Dart, NYG, Week 5 at NO

• Dart added some life to the Giants’ offense in his first career start, passing for 111 yards and a TD and adding a fantasy-friendly 10-54-1 rushing line in the teams’ first victory of the season. New York, unfortunately, lost second-year superstar WR Malik Nabers for the season to a knee injury in the win.

• Medium-priority add. The team had already announced Dart as their starter for the rest of the season but it was encouraging to see him perform well and look like a difference-maker with his legs. He’s the best widely-available QB pickup for me this week and I have no problem plugging him into my lineup at the Saints, if necessary.

• 5 - 15% of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority QBs to consider ::

• J.J. McCarthy (MIN) - He is no lock to play this week in a brutal matchup in Europe against the Browns, then the Vikings are on bye in Week 6. McCarthy has some rushing upside and incredible receiving options to pass to. Other than Dart, he’s my favorite widely available option if you’re looking for QB upside to cover a bye or play matchups later in the season.

• Bryce Young (CAR) - After Dart, Young would be the target for managers needing short-term QB help with home games against the generous Dolphins and Cowboys defenses coming up the next two weeks.

RB Pickups

Woody Marks, HOU, Week 5 at BAL

• Marks, a rookie fourth-round draft pick, had a breakout performance in Week 4 with 119 scrimmage yards. He had a rushing TD and caught another TD. He had more rushing attempts and targets last week than he had in the first three games combined and was afforded 22 of the teams’ 37 RB opportunities (59%) in their blowout win over the Titans. Veteran RB Nick Chubb has handled a pretty steady role all season, settling in with low-double-digit touches in four straight weeks. 

• High-priority add. Marks is an ascending rookie who has been one of the team’s few bright spots on offense this year. Woody may have already passed his veteran teammate on the depth chart. Even if Chubb maintains a slight majority of the work, it would seem logical for Marks to handle plenty of the valuable two-minute and receiving back snaps moving forward, with upside for more work than that if Chubb struggles or misses time.

• 20 - 40% of FAAB.

Blake Corum, LAR, Week 5 vs SF (TNF)

• Corum handled nine of 22 RB carries and half of the teams’ eight RB targets in their Week 4 win over the Colts. He has been afforded an increasing number of RB opportunities in each game of the season (2 > 5 > 8 > 13) as the team’s primary backup to starting RB Kyren Williams.

• Medium-priority add. Corum remains my favorite of the widely available backup/handcuff RB options to stash on benches. The team appears comfortable utilizing him in any game scenario and he would likely be afforded one of the best RB roles in the league if Williams were to miss any games.

• 10 - 20% of FAAB.

Ollie Gordon II, MIA, Week 5 at CAR

• Ollie has a legitimate role, including short-yardage and goal line situations, for the Dolphins to complement their star third-year RB DeVon Achane. He remains on waivers in the majority of leagues despite scoring a TD in Week 3 in a game he handled 43% of the teams’ RB carries.

• Medium-priority add. Miami has been pretty intentional about featuring another RB alongside Achane and Ollie looks like a natural complement. Gordon is a great bench stash for his combination of an existing role and contingent upside as a primary backup RB.

• 5 - 15% of FAAB.

Kendre Miller, NO, Week 5 vs NYG

• Miller turned a season-high 11 carries into 65 yards and a TD in the Saints’ loss to the Bills. The third-year back has seen his touches increase each game of the season and looked awesome at times this past week, most notably on his tackle-breaking 18-yard TD run.

• Medium-priority add. Despite playing in his third season, Miller is younger than a handful of RBs drafted in this year’s class (Harvey, Tuten, Skattebo, Marks, JCM, to name a handful). The young RB appears to be gaining the trust of his new coaching staff and fits what we’re looking for in a fantasy bench-stash. He has an existing role and huge contingent upside on a fast-paced, if low-scoring, Saints offense.

• 5 - 15% of FAAB.

Tyjae Spears, TEN, Week 5 at AZ

• Spears is set to begin practicing after his ankle sprain and could be activated from short-term IR as soon as this week. Tony Pollard has 68 of the team’s 73 RB carries this year for a 261-1 line and 3.8 yards per carry. 

• Low-to-medium priority add. Pollard is honestly performing admirably on an otherwise terrible offense but Spears will still be a welcome addition to a team starving for playmakers. He can be stashed in the hopes that Cam Ward and the passing offense start to find some success as the season progresses.

• 10% or less of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority RB adds to consider ::

• Kenneth Gainwell (PIT) - Had a career day with 134 scrimmage yards and a pair of TDs. He played in all situations with teammate Jaylen Warren inactive. He would have been higher on the list of RBs if the Steelers weren’t headed on bye.

• Justice Hill (BAL) - Was third on the team with six targets while playing from behind against the Chiefs, catching five for 41 yards and a TD. Hill added three carries for 76 yards, with 71 of them coming on a long TD run late in the blowout loss. An option for managers in deeper PPR formats.

• Brashard Smith (KC) - The rookie back had a career high four carries but more importantly caught his first career passes (3-27 on four targets) in their win over the Ravens. It’s an ugly three-man backfield for fantasy purposes but Smith always seemed to profile as a pass-catching type, so last week’s usage was encouraging. Another deeper PPR option.

• Emanuel Wilson (GB) - Handled eight carries and three catches for 81 scrimmage yards in the Packers’ tie on SNF. Worth a stash in deeper leagues as starter Josh Jacobs’ primary backup heading into GB’s bye week.

WR Pickups

Malik Washington, MIA, Week 5 at CAR

• Washington was already getting a mix of targets and rushing attempts each week operating as the Dolphins’ clear No. 3 WR. He could now see an expanded role in star WR Tyreek Hill’s absence after Hill’s serious leg injury on Monday Night Football.

• Medium-priority add. Washington’s skill set is probably more similar to DeVon Achane’s than Tyreek’s but he should still see an uptick in targets and could mix in for some more rushing work each week. He’s an explosive player with a creative playcaller, and I’ll be looking to add some shares to see how the Miami passing offense shakes out moving forward without Hill.

• 15 - 25% of FAAB.

Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton, NYG, Week 5 at NO

• Robinson and Slayton had four targets each from QB Jaxson Dart on his 20 passing attempts against the Chargers. Slayton led the team with a 3-44 line. Robinson went 2-6 on his looks from Dart, and added an eight-yard catch from Russell Wilson in the veteran’s brief cameo.

• Medium-priority adds. Robinson is already rostered in half of leagues after his Week 2 blowup and is probably the favorite to lead the Nabers-less Giants in targets. Slayton should see higher-variance looks further down the field, which gives him a higher ceiling if/when Dart starts passing for 250+ yard instead of the 111 he generated in his debut.

• Robinson 10 - 20% of FAAB

• Slayton 10% or less of FAAB

Romeo Doubs, GB, Week 5 on bye

• Doubs had a career day in the Packers’ silly 40-40 tie in Dallas on SNF with a 6-58-3 stat line. He led the team with eight targets Week 4 and he’s second on the team to TE Tucker Kraft in catches and yards on the year.

• Medium-priority add. Doubs has had two usable PPR weeks, a dud, and last week’s blow-up through four weeks. He’s playing a ton of snaps for a Packers team taking some deep shots down field and can provide fantasy managers with bye-week coverage at receiver after returning from GB’s own bye in Week 5.

• 5 - 15% of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority WR adds to consider ::

• Troy Franklin (DEN) - Franklin was a high-priority waiver recommendation after his breakout game in Week 2 but was dropped in the majority of leagues after his dud in Week 3. His role didn’t change, I still like stashing him on my benches.

• Isaiah Bond (CLE) - Led the Browns with 58 receiving yards last week, catching half of his six targets with Cedric Tillman leaving with a hamstring injury. Tillman is set to miss some time.

• Elic Ayomanor (TEN) - Has been written up in this column every week. The rookie remains the top receiving option for a passing game that is struggling immensely. Stashing him is a bet that the Titans figure out how to start moving the ball effectively at some point this year.

• Luther Burden III (CHI) - Had two catches of minus-4 yards after his 101-yard breakout in Week 3. I still like stashing the talented rookie to see how his role progresses throughout the season.

TE Pickups

Darren Waller, MIA, Week 5 at CAR

• Waller made his season debut for Miami on MNF and caught a pair of TDs, including an acrobatic, toe-tapping, catch in the back of the end zone. He should have every opportunity to catch passes for the Tyreek-less Dolphins as long as he stays healthy himself.

• Medium-priority add. This could be borderline high-priority relative to the wasteland that is TE. Waller hasn’t played football in over a year and took a month of maintenance to finally play in a game, but it’s hard to argue how good he looked in his return.

• 5 - 15% of FAAB.

Brenton Strange, JAX, Week 5 vs KC

• Strange continues to lead an underwhelming Jaguars passing offense in catches and yards on the year. He’s had 4+ targets in every game and has caught six of seven targets in back-to-back weeks while being on the field nearly every snap.

• Low-to-medium priority add. Strange has a safe enough floor in PPR to be trusted to cover bye weeks or fill in as a short-term starter but needs Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the passing offense to improve to be trusted much beyond that.

• 10% or less of FAAB.

Theo Johnson, NYG, Week 5 at NO

• Johnson’s five targets from Dart last week led the team in the rookie QB’s first career start. He caught three passes for 17 yards, including a short TD catch on a play schemed specifically to him near the goal line.

• Low-priority add. The Giants should be doing everything they can to identify keepers on offense around their rookie QB this year, and Johnson looks like a natural candidate, to me, to take on a larger passing game role in Nabers’ absence.

• 3% or less of FAAB.

Some additional lower-priority TE adds to consider ::

• Chig Okonkwo (TEN) - Leads the lowly Titans passing offense with 13 catches on the year.

• Isaiah Likely (BAL) - Made his season last week but didn’t receive a target. He loses almost all of his fantasy luster if his MVP-caliber QB Lamar Jackson is set to miss time.

DEFENSE (Top Pickups for Week 5)

1. Cardinals (home vs Titans)

2. Giants (at Saints)

3. Browns (against the Vikings in England)

4. Saints (home vs Giants)