Another week of the NFL is the books and another week of great results from the Waiver Wire Wishlist comes with it. Week 4 was good for us on the waiver wire forefront with a multitude of top five, ten and 20 performances across the board. If you were one using this article to stream quarterbacks, you would be smiling ear-to-ear. The same can be said for the wide receiver position as three of our suggestions finished in the top 20 of all receivers. We’ll continue on and see what the waiver wire has to offer us for Week 5!
Each week, I will develop a list of must add targets for fantasy football leagues. My goal is to keep each suggestion under 40-percent owned in Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. At least one of my suggestions will be owned in less than 10-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. I will also strive to have at least one player per position (QB, WR, RB and TE.)
Baring the results of Monday Night Football, Justin Fields finished the week at the QB1 in all of fantasy football. He did his damage on the ground, rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 312 passing yards through the air. Sam Darnold continued his top five quarterback play this week with a 21.5 fantasy point performance, throwing for three touchdowns and 275 yards against the Packers. Bucky Irving and Rico Dowdle put together double-digit performances out of the runningback position. The wide receivers is where we really shined. Josh Downs led the way with Joe Flacco filling in for the injured Anthony Richardson. Downs caught eight-of-nine targets for 82 yards and a score for 22.2 fantasy points. Wan’Dale Robinson saw an insane 14 targets on Thursday Night Football, catching 11 of them for 71 yards enroute to 18.1 fantasy points. Xavier Legette rounds out our stellar waiver wire performances with a 19.6 fantasy point performance on the back of six receptions on ten targets for 66 yards and a score.
Week 4 Results
Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings) - 21.5 Points
Justin Fields (Pittsburgh Steelers) - 32 Points
Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 12.5 Points
Rico Dowdle (Dallas Cowboys) - 13.1 Points
Braelon Allen (New York Jets) - 5.6 Points
Alexander Mattison (Las Vegas Raiders) - 6 Points
Jauan Jennings (San Francisco 49ers) - 11.8 Points
Darnell Mooney (Atlanta Falcons) - 8.6 Points
Mike Williams (New York Jets) - 10.7 Points
DeMario Douglas (New England Patriots) - 4.3 Points
Josh Downs (Indianapolis Colts) - 22.2 Points
Wan’Dale Robinson (New York Giants) - 18.1 Points
Xavier Legette (Carolina Panthers) - 19.6 Points
Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears) - 6.4 Points
Tyler Conklin (New York Jets) - 5.7 Points
Week 5 Byes
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Chargers
Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans
Week 5 Suggestions
Quarterbacks
Justin Fields (Chicago Bears) - Owned in 32% of Yahoo and 34% of ESPN Leagues
Justin Fields has been known as a fantasy football cheat code for years during his time spent with the Chicago Bears. That same form has seemed to return as he threw for 312 yards and a touchdown while adding 55 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 4 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. With the way the Steelers and Fields are playing, the team will continue on with Fields who gets a plus matchup at home against the Dallas Cowboys this week who have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. If you’re a Jalen Hurts owner, this is the ideal bye week streamer for you as well.
Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) - Owned in 44% of Yahoo and 29.1% of ESPN Leagues
As of the time of writing this, the Seahawks have yet to play their Week 4 game on Monday Night Football. Either way, Smith has looked dynamic in this Ryan Grubb offense through the first three weeks of the season. He’s thrown for 787 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown on the ground through the first three weeks of the season. Those looking for a streaming option, Smith gets a plus matchup with the New York Giants at home this week.
Tyler Huntley (Miami Dolphins) - Owned in 4% of Yahoo and 2.5% of ESPN Leagues
For those in deeper leagues looking for a streaming option, Huntley may be the answer. Now, of course, he hasn’t played his Monday Night Football game in his first start for the Miami Dolphins as of the time of writing this, but we’ve seen huntley be dynamic filling in for Lamar Jackson in Baltimore in the past. This Miami team is still filled with weapons and he’ll get the struggling Patriots in Week 5.
Runningbacks
Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville Jaguars) - Owned in 11% of Yahoo and 6.4% of ESPN Leagues
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 0-4 to start their 2024 season and need to find a spark on offense. That may come in the form of Bigsby. Bigsby saw an increased roll due to Travis Etienne battling a shoulder injury during the Jaguars’ Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans. Bisgby ran the ball just seven times for 90 yards. The downfall to Bisgby is that he won’t be involved in the passing games. Etienne isn’t going anywhere but the backfield is going to trend more towards a split moving forward. However, as injuries continue to pile up and with bye weeks upon us, Bigsby is entering must add territory in fantasy football.
Kareem Hunt (Kansas City Chiefs) - Owned in 36% of Yahoo and 21.4% of ESPN Leagues
Despite my analysis of Hunt this past week, he had a decent game for the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. He ran the ball 14 times for 69 yards and caught two-of-three targets for 16 yards. The simple analysis here is that he looks to be the main back for the Chiefs during Isiah Pacheco’s absence and that alone makes him a must add.
Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons) - Owned in 24% of Yahoo and 41.7% of ESPN Leagues
The runningback waiver wire is actually fruitful this week. Allgier continues to be a pain in the sides of the Bijan Robinson owners. In Week 4, Allgier out-carried Robinson and out rushed him 60 yards to Robinson’s 28. Robinson saw just one more touch than Allgeier but it’s obvious the Falcons want to keep the former 1,000 yard rusher involved. He’s seen double-digit opportunities in two-of-his-last-three games.
Justice Hill (Baltimore Ravens) - Owned in 14% of Yahoo and 9.7% of ESPN Leagues
Hill was the Baltimore Ravens’ top receiver in their Week 4 thrashing of the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills. He caught all six of his targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. This is the second game of the season where he has seen at least six targets. Hill’s receiving ability keeps him relevant but the consistency in which he does it keeps him off must-add territory but if the Ravens’ take-away from this game is to stay run-heavy, Hill’s consistency will increase.
Trey Sermon (Indianapolis Colts) - Owned in 1% of Yahoo and 0.8% of ESPN Leagues
Jonathan Taylor was sidelined with an ankle injury in the third quarter of the Indianapolis Colts’ Week 4 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sermon saw just five touches to finish the game and was inefficient with them, rushing for just eight yards. However, if Taylor is to miss time moving forward, Sermon would see an increased workload for the Colts.
Roschon Johnson (Chicago Bears) - Owned in 27% of Yahoo and 13.4% of ESPN Leagues
Prior to the Chicago Bears’ Week 4 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, I was screaming for them to have Johnson take over the backfield for the struggling D’Andre Swift. However, Swift had his best game of the season instead. However, Johnson has now seen 20 touches over the last two weeks. I’m still not convinced Swift is the answer so look for Johnson to eat into his touches.
Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns) - Owned in 77% of Yahoo and 77.8% of ESPN Leagues
This isn’t an official suggestion of the series as he doesn’t fit our perimeters but it’s worth noting that Chubb’s practice window has now opened and he’s eligible to return to game action when the Browns see fit. He’s still available in nearly a fourth of all leagues. Add him now.
Wide Receivers
Wan’Dale Robinson (New York Giants) - Owned in 26% of Yahoo and 27.1% of ESPN Leagues
Another week and another time for me including Robinson in this series. As if what he’s done to this point isn’t enough, he saw an insane 14 targets in the New York Giants’ Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He caught 11 passes for 71 yards. Again, volume is key and he has now seen over 12 targets in two games and over eight in three of them to start the season. With Malik Nabers (concussion) likely out for at least next week against the Seattle Seahawks, the plethora of underneath passes to Robinson will once again be high in Week 5.
Josh Downs (Indianapolis Colts) - Owned in 20% of Yahoo and 8.8% of ESPN Leagues
In Downs’ second game of the season and seemingly fully healthy, he caught eight-of-nine targets for 82 yards and a score. This Downs’ role, although filled by Alec Pierce through the first two games of the season, has been fruitful every week for the Colts. Even if Anthony Richardson is to miss time after leaving Sunday’s loss to the Steelers with a shoulder injury, I’d argue at this point, Downs would be better off with Joe Flacco throwing the ball.
Xavier Legette (Carolina Panthers) - Owned in 14% of Yahoo and 25% of ESPN Leagues
At this point, we can just copy and paste my wide receiver suggestions from last week. Legette took over the injured Adam Thielen’s receiving duties in the Panthers’ Week 4 loss to the Bengals. He caught six-of-ten targets for 66 yards and a score. Thielen remains on the IR so Leggette will continue on as the Panther’s top receiving option, at least in the short term.
Dontayvion Wicks (Green Bay Packers) - Owned in 14% of Yahoo and 9.5% of ESPN Leagues
Christian Watson left Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings with an ankle injury which saw Wicks have an increased role. He saw 13 targets, catching five of them for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers’ receiving room is too crowded for me to crown Wicks a must-add target this week and the fact that he has been a non-factor for two of the Packers’s four games, but 13 targets and two touchdowns cannot be ignored.
Tutu Atwell (Los Angeles Rams) - Owned in 8% of Yahoo and 6.9% of ESPN Leagues
We’ve been waiting for someone to emerge as the top receiving option in Los Angeles with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp both on the IR. For a bit we thought it would be Demarcus Robinson but in the end, it ended up being Atwell. Atwell caught four-of-six targets for 82 yards in the Rams’ Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears. He has seen at least five targets in each of his last two outings and has recorded 93 and 82 receiving yards in those two games respectively.
Mike Williams (New York Jets) - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 44.2% of ESPN Leagues
Mike Williams appears to be fully healthy after coming back from a knee injury and is playing regular snaps for the Aaron Rodgers led offense. He’s seen at least four targets in each of the Jets’ last two games. He caught four-of-five passes for 67 yards in the Jets’ Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos. He’s only going to see more snaps and more targets moving forward.
Tre Tucker (Las Vegas Raiders) - Owned in 9% of Yahoo and 10.2% of ESPN Leagues
With DeVante Adams sidelined, Tucker emerged as the Raiders’ WR2 behind Jakobi Meyers. He caught five-of-six targets for 41 yards and added a rushing touchdown on a trick play during the Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 4 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Looking back to Week 3, he also caught seven-of-nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown with Adams on the field. It’s unsure what his role will be moving forward with Adams on the field but if the past two weeks suggest anything, he’ll be involved.
Tight End
Cade Otton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - Owned in 15% of Yahoo and 6.2% of ESPN Leagues
Otton has now seen eight and nine targets respectively across his last two outings. In those two games he caught 13 passes for 99 yards. Those two big games came against two very good defenses against the tight end in Denver and Philadelphia. With the position being so light, anyone seeing 17 targets across a two week span needs to be rostered.
Tucker Kraft (Green Bay Packers) - Owned in 4% of Yahoo and 4.5% of ESPN Leagues
Kraft has been trending in the right direction to start the season and he just had his best game of the year in Week 4. He caught six-of-nine targets for 53 yards and a score. He gets a plus matchup with the Los Angeles Rams this week who have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to opposing tight ends to start the season.
Comments