Waiver Wire Week 5

Believe it or not, but we are already a quarter of the way through the NFL season. Week 4 was a rather uneventful week for new waiver wire targets. Thankfully, there were little to no major injuries this week across the league. The Lions and Dolphins are your teams with a bye for Week 5. Before we get into your Week 5 targets, let’s do a quick review on guys you should still be targeting that I mentioned in previous weeks. The following are my week five Waiver Wire picks but first, let’s recap last week…

Waiver Wire Refresher

Both Ronald Jones and AJ Brown were included in my Week 1 article. Ronald Jones seems to be on the verge of stealing the starting job from Peyton Barber with yet another great game. I would be ok dropping up to 50% of your FAAB for Ronald Jones if you’re in need of a running back. AJ Brown re-exploded onto the scene after a pair of slow games, catching three balls for 94 yards and two touchdowns. I would like to see some more consistency out of him before I feel confident enough to run him as a starter in all but the deepest of leagues. Will Dissly caught another touchdown this week and should be your number one priority at tight end. Now onto some new names to the list for this week. As always, these players are owned in less than 60% of leagues.

Jimmy Garoppolo

Quarterback | 34.2% Owned

If you’re streaming quarterbacks in 2019, or you were put in this position from injuries, Jimmy Garoppolo is worth the pickup for week 5. The 49ers are fresh off a bye week and play at home on Monday Night Football against the Cleveland Browns. Garoppolo and company have been flying under the radar this season, but are 3-0 and off to an excellent start.

Mohamed Sanu

Wide Receiver | 35.2% owned

Mr.Consistent himself, Sanu has not dropped below a 78% snap share and has amassed 24 catches throughout the first four games of the year. He led the Falcons in targets this week with 12, catching nine of them for 94 yards. He brings one of the most consistent floors in the game and is somehow available in just about 65% of your leagues. Those of you in deeper leagues should take a look at Sanu, especially with the number of teams on byes that is upcoming.

Mark Walton

Running Back | 0.4% owned

Kenyan Drake is still seeing the majority of the backfield touches, but we have steadily been seeing Mark Walton climbing up the ranks past Kalen Ballage. Ballage has been given every opportunity by this new coaching staff to take the reigns to this backfield but he has failed to do so. With Drake reportedly on the block, Walton’s ascent to number two could prove to be bigger than we think. If Drake is indeed traded, the backfield would almost certainly belong to Walton who has looked light-years better than Ballage. This is one of those stashes that have more long term potential rather than a guy you grab to give you immediate production. Fantasy is a game of chess, you have to always think one move ahead. You could do worse for an end of your roster bench stash in the case Walton gets that opportunity.

Gerald Everett

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Tight End | 1.8% owned

Goff was looking Everett’s way often this Sunday, and for the most part, Everett rewarded him with a solid line of 5-44-1. Everett out-snapped his competition in Tyler Higbee and took advantage of the increased target share. Everett hasn’t seen over an 8% target share all year up until last week where he saw 14.3%. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come, after McVay stated over the offseason that he wanted to involve Everett more this year. In a shallow position like tight end, Everett is worth a shot in the case that this increase in usage continues.

Jordan Howard

Running Back | 56% owned

Howard made this list by the skin of his teeth, as he is available in just about 44% of leagues. Howard enjoyed a monster game, scoring three touchdowns and looking like the best player in that backfield. While there is still some risk of Sanders getting more involved, coming off a game like that, it’s hard to leave Howard on the wire if he is available.

Geronimo Allison

Wide Receiver | 27.2% owned

Turf toe is never something you want to hear when it comes to your star wide receiver. Davante Adams has been diagnosed with just that and it will likely hold him out for at least the next two weeks. Usually, turf toe is a very tough injury to shake and it can tend to linger for weeks. Due to MVS’s usage, Allison looked like the odd man out, which led many fantasy owners to give up on him. Well with Adams looking at a multi-week absence, it’s time to scoop up Allison again as he should slot right back into two receiver sets next to MVS. He should have a shot at low-end WR2 numbers in Adam’s absence.

Quick Hits

Superflexer’s take notice. Word around the street is that Colt McCoy could be the starter for the Redskins this week. Matt Barkley and Chase Daniels are in line for stars this week as well. While nonexistent of these guys will be recommended starts, if you’re in a bind, keep an eye out for them.

Travis Kelce is arguably the best tight end in the league. We now seem to know who his backup is, Deon Yelder. Yelder had two catches for 43 yards and looked pretty decent. Super deep leaguers and those in TE Premium settings could stash him in the event Kelce goes down.

The Chargers receiver situation is one to monitor. Dontrelle Inman was leading the team in yards before he went down with a quad injury. If that proves to be minor and Williams/Benjamin miss again, Inman would be a great one-week rental.

Chris Herndon’s return is right around the corner. If he’s still available, he would be my number two pickup at tight end behind Will Dissly. For the last time, Golden Tate is also set to return this week. Make sure he’s not on your wire.

Pro-Active Pickups

When Kenny Stills (21% ownership) left the game on Sunday with a hamstring injury, the Texans offense sputtered. Stills was a top graded WR of PFF.com entering week 4 and could see a larger role in the coming weeks. Despite joining the team late after being a toss-in player in the Tunsil trade, Stills has been a reliable target for Watson. Trust me on this one, if you have the bench room he could become a sneaky flex starter in a week or two.

(21% ownership) left the game on Sunday with a hamstring injury, the Texans offense sputtered. Stills was a top graded WR of PFF.com entering week 4 and could see a larger role in the coming weeks. Despite joining the team late after being a toss-in player in the Tunsil trade, Stills has been a reliable target for Watson. Trust me on this one, if you have the bench room he could become a sneaky flex starter in a week or two. Steelers Diontae Johnson (6.2% ownership) will likely be a hot pickup after his Monday Night game against the Bengals. But while his numbers are promising, can you really trust him in your starting lineup? For now, he’s worth the roster spot.