Week 4 is in the books and another dizzying week of uncertainties will leave the waiver wire fully open to your choosing. Whether it’s the running backs in Baltimore or the new backfield in Minnesota, one thing is for sure, players are stepping up when given the opportunity (except Donald Brown).

As always, we’re here to help with our waiver wire rankings. Our featured experts have once again ranked this week’s top readily available players (rest of season value). Read on to view the pundits’ consensus advice as well as their thoughts on Teddy Bridgewater, who burst onto the scene Sunday.

Featured Pros

Kyle Wachtel (FootballGuys)

Nathan Miller (Revelation Sports)

Wayne Bretsky (Brestkyball)

Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts)

Dawgmatica (Pyromaniac)

Waiver Wire Rankings (STD Scoring)

Week 5 Waiver Wire Advice

Each expert was asked to share advice about a target or two they like this week along with any other waiver wire suggestions they have. Here’s what the experts had to say.

Q1: Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

Nathan Miller – Revelation Sports

Jerick McKinnon is a top add this week. In a transitioning offense with a rookie QB, McKinnon should be leaned on heavily going forward. Against a terrible ATL defense, the Vikings utilized both McKinnon and starting back Matt Asiata heavily. McKinnon nearly doubled the output of Asiata and brings an additional level of energy to this offense. Expect him to be more involved as the weeks go on while this offense finds a groove with Teddy Bridgewater and company.

Isaiah Crowell is someone I’ve put a lot of stock in during the offseason. Regarded by some as the most talented rookie RB with upside, Crowell has not disappointed with the opportunity given to him. In the absence of starter Ben Tate, Crowell has delivered 5.2 ypc (compared to Terrence West’s 4.3) and scored a TD every 9 carries. He’s had a very limited workload, yes, but his power and elusiveness will make it very hard for the Browns to keep him off the field.

Justin Forsett is the back to own in Baltimore. Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Taliaferro are intriguing, but they’ll be fighting for carries all season (or until one of them is injured). Forsett brings something to this offense that neither of the other two can in the receiving game. He’s a more well-rounded all purpose back that seems to consistently get the job done and has the trust of the coaching staff.

Kyle Wachtel – FootballGuys

The early indications are that none of Carolina’s top-four running backs will be in play for Week 5. Darrin Reaves’ upside may be limited compared to the other running backs available, but with injuries and bye weeks spread across the landscape, he should move up the waiver wire list for those in need of a running back to start in the short term. As the lead back, he should merit 15+ touches in a favorable matchup versus Chicago.

Far from a sexy pickup, Eddie Royal continues to produce and has found a knack for finding the end zone alongside Philip Rivers. With Woodhead out for the season and no other backs that fit his role in the passing game, Royal is a safe bet to see at least 70% of San Diego’s snaps. The New York Jets are on tap next and their stout run defense funnels opposing offenses directly into a secondary that’s among the NFL’s worst. Royal is a WR4 through the rest of the year with increased value in PPR leagues – he’s in the WR3 conversation next weekend.

Zach Greubel – Gridiron Experts

I think Allen Robinson has been a little underrated so far. He’s been targeted 17 times the last two weeks and his seven targets in Week 4 were second most on the team behind tight end Clay Harbor. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be forced to throw the ball this year. Robinson will have a ton of opportunity going forward.

I didn’t feel good about ranking Eddie Royal (11) as high as I did on the waiver wire list. He’s bound to come back down to earth as he did last season. My gut tells me his recent influx of production is a fluke and that he’ll have a similar decline as he did in 2013 when he scored just once in his last seven games after scoring seven times in his first eight games.

Wayne Bretsky – Brestkyball

Of all of the options on this list, Marvin Jones offers the finest combination of skills, track-record and opportunity, making him the primary target off the waiver wire this week. Jones burst onto the fantasy scene last year with a four-score game in Week 8 against the Jets, but had actually put up touchdowns in each of his previous two games heading into his career-best effort. Jones’ final 11 games of 2013 included 97 targets (8.8/game), 42 catches, 593 yards and nine touchdowns. This resulted in a top-25 performance at the wide receiver position for the season while playing opposite of A.J. Green. Though the Bengals have been a notably run-heavy offense early on in 2014, the return of Jones should help the team become more explosive as soon as he is fully integrated back into the mix.

Dawgmatica – Pyromaniac

Fragile Foster is FAR from a lock to stay healthy for the remainder of the 2014 season and quite honestly, I’d be surprised if he gets in four more games. The potential for Alfred Blue to get at LEAST a few more starts this year makes him well worth a waiver wire pickup this week if he’s still available in your league. The Houston Texans came into the season owning the easiest schedule against the run, so if/when Arian goes down for the count, Blue might actually end up a borderline RB1/2 for your team. Grab the youngster NOW.



Q2. Teddy Bridgewater will be a popular add this week. What you think of his ROS outlook and what comparable QBs would you rate him above?

Kyle Wachtel – FootballGuys

Getting your first action versus New Orleans and then your first start versus Atlanta is a friendly welcome to your career and Bridgewater took advantage. Although he has yet to pass for a touchdown, he’s completed 62% of his passes so far at 9.3 yards-per-attempt. He’s also been effective as a runner, with 54 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. With that being said, this will remain a conservative offense and Bridgewater will be a better NFL player than fantasy player this season. He’s only a mid-QB2 in the best match ups over the remainder of the season.

Nathan Miller – Revelation Sports

Teddy Bridgewater showed up in a big way on Sunday, but he had quite a few factors working in his favor. The Vikings played a home game against an abysmal Atlanta Falcon defense that applied little pressure and couldn’t make contact when they managed to push the pocket back. They also failed to convert on potential turnovers and had difficulty in coverage. Bridgewater faces an uphill battle the next four weeks and will likely have some growing pains. I’d make a move for Eli Manning, Carson Palmer, or Joe Flacco (all FA QBs with 50% availability in leagues) before I took a chance on Bridgewater. He’s got that “new car” smell that many owners are willing to bet the bank on. Spend your money wisely.

Wayne Bretsky – Brestkyball

Teddy Bridgewater put together an impressive effort in his first career stat and while he was forced to leave early with an ankle injury, the early reports seem favorable. Teddy completed 19-of-30 passes for 317 yards, and added 5-for-25 with a touchdown in the rushing game. The Vikings offense was effective against a pitiful Falcons defensive unit, but this is a team that will need to lean on the run to have continued success. Bridgewater’s rushing ability will always leave him as a popular plug-and-play fantasy option with a decent floor — and he could be that heading into a matchup with the Packers — but expecting too many 20+ points performances is going to be a tough thing to rely on. Bridgewater will be snapped up en-mass this week on the wire, but there’s a number of other QBs out there in more than 50% of leagues that should be added first, including a Eli Manning, Carson Palmer and even Geno Smith. After his matchup with the Pack, Teddy gets to face Detroit at home and then Buffalo on the road, two matchups that you are going to want to avoid.

Dawgmatica – Pyromaniac

After the dynamic showing he put forth against the Falcons, Teddy Bridgewater will undoubtedly be one of the hotter pickups in fantasy leagues this week, but don’t expect him to be a Top-10 QB every week like he was in Week 4. The remainder of his schedule will prove to be a bit tougher than what he faced in his debut as a starter, but not as tough as it will be for someone like Tom Brady, whom I would probably bench for Bridgewater if I got him on waivers. Another rookie, Blake Bortles, hasn’t done too bad in his game and a half of action either, but I’d still take Bridgewater over him as well, especially with the Jaguars schedule versus the pass being as brutal as it is the rest of the way. A few other big name QBs I would consider benching in favor of Bridgewater on a week-to-week basis are Cam Newton, Tony Romo and Colin Kaepernick. Injuries are going to catch up to Newton and Romo, while Kaepernick and the 49ers just don’t look very good.

Zach Greubel – Gridiron Experts

I like Teddy Bridgewater’s chances for the rest of this season, assuming he stays in good health. The schedule isn’t a cake walk, but it’s nothing to get scared about, and he provides more value to your fantasy lineup than Matt Cassel did. It’s easy to jump the gun after one game however, so it might be best to tread water carefully until he provides some consistency.

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Thanks to this week’s Featured Pros for sharing their advice! You can check out more picks from the pundits as their weekly rankings are unveiled soon.