Each week, it is critical to scope out your league’s waiver wire to look for the best players to help your fantasy roster. The fantasy football managers who pay attention and pick up players at the right time can have a huge advantage when it comes to winning their league. The difference between bidding on waivers and FAAB is that with FAAB, winning the player is purely based on outbidding the other players in the league. However, it’s extremely important to be judicious with your FAAB budget throughout the season, considering it may need to last 14-17 weeks, assuming you end up making the fantasy championship.
Here is a list of players who you should keep on your watch list with projected FAAB amounts. For purposes of this article, the assumption is that your league uses $1000 FAAB.
Also, players are removed from this list after 1-2 weeks with the expectation that the rest of your league mates have picked them up (eg: Cam Skattebo)
QB:
New for Week 5:
Russell Wilson, Giants–There are strong rumors that Russ is going to be traded prior to the trade deadline to give him another chance to start. If he ends up in a place like Cincinnati, then it’s a huge win. Purely speculative. FAAB: $5-10
From Previous Weeks:
Bryce Young, Panthers–Young is still incredibly up and down. The good news is that he’s cheaper since his play has gone down. FAAB: $5-10
Jaxson Dart, Giants– Dart got the start against Los Angeles and might save Daboll’s job. There will be plenty of growing pains, so be careful. FAAB: $50-60
Jake Browning, Bengals–Think of Browning like you would Jameis Winston. He’s going to sling it around, likely throw for close to 300 yards, get 2-3 TDs, and have 2-3 INTs. FAAB: $20-30 if you have Burrow, $10-15 if you don’t
Sam Darnold, Seahawks–Darnold is still focusing on JSN to the dismay of all his other receivers, but he’s entrenched as the starter, and the team looks improved. FAAB: $20-25
Carson Wentz, Vikings–Will be starting likely through Minnesota’s BYE week as McCarthy recovers from an ankle injury. FAAB: $8-10
Geno Smith, Raiders–New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly opened up the offense, and Smith has absolutely earned a spot in Superflex formats. FAAB: $10-15
Matthew Stafford, Rams–Stafford is never the kind of guy who’s going to get 3 or 4 touchdown passes per game, but he has two sensational receivers, and he usually throws somewhere between 260 and 300 yards and at least one touchdown per week, making him as steady as they come. FAAB: $10-15
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars–Lawrence needs to figure out his relationship with Brian Thomas Jr ASAP to get to the next level. FAAB: $20-25
RB:
New for Week 5:
Kendre Miller, Saints–Dennis Allen absolutely hated Miller, but new head coach Kellen Moore feels differently. Miller is showing some of the skills he had in college and is looking like the clear RB2 in New Orleans. If Kamara gets traded, he could be a must-add. FAAB: $50-60
Jaydon Blue, Cowboys–Miles Sanders left the Packers game with an ankle injury. Dallas might want to see if Blue can be their change of pace back. FAAB: $15-20
Emmanuel Wilson, Packers–He looked terrific when Jacobs left the game with a knee issue. Would add for sure if you have Jacobs. FAAB: $20-25
Justice Hill, Ravens–Something seems to be wrong with not only Derrick Henry but the entire Ravens roster. Hill is the RB they look to when they are playing from behind. Better in PPR formats. FAAB: $25-30
Sean Tucker, Bucs–Bucky Irving took an MRI on Monday. If the news is bad, fire up Tucker ASAP! FAAB: $100-200 depending on Irving news
Isaiah Davis, Jets–Braelon Allen left the Miami game with a knee injury. If he is out for any length of time, Davis is the obvious backup and has some receiving ability. FAAB: $3-5
From Previous Weeks:
Trey Benson, Cardinals– Sadly, James Conner is out for the season. Benson was the team’s early-round pick in 2024, and he was already starting to get about 50% of the carries this season. FAAB: $250-300
Ollie Gordon, Dolphins– He is still third on the depth chart behind Achane and Wright, so there’s no clear path to immediate touches. FAAB: $25-30
Hassan Haskins, Chargers– Najee Harris is out for the season with an Achilles tendon injury so Haskins will likely be the replacement back when Hampton needs a breather. FAAB: $5-10
Emeri Demercado, Cardinals– Demercado is firmly entrenched in the third-down receiving back role for Arizona. He has some mild upside in PPR formats. FAAB: $5-10
Brashard Smith, Chiefs– The Chiefs can’t be happy with what they’ve been seeing from Pacheco, so look for Smith to be more involved in the coming weeks. Matt Nagy is designing plays for him as I write this! FAAB: $10-15
Chris Rodriguez, Commanders–With Ekeler out for the season, Rodriguez will be part of the committee in Washington. He could steal a few touchdowns over the course of the year. FAAB: $5-10
Blake Corum, Rams– Karen Williams is still firmly entrenched as the RB1 for Los Angeles, but Corum has gotten more opportunities this season and has shown a lot of juice when given the chance. FAAB: $10-15 (double it if you have Kyren Williams)
Woody Marks, Texans– Marks looks every bit like a good young receiving back for Houston. He exploded in Week 4 and now is going to cost 10x as much as last week. FAAB: $350-400
Kyle Monangai, Bears–Ben Johnson has stated that he wants to get him more carries. FAAB: $30-50
Kareem Hunt, Chiefs–Isiah Pacheco is looking slower and slower. Hunt is the RB2 for now and is worth a dart throw. FAAB: $10-15
Jeremy McNichols, Commanders–With Ekeler out for the season it should be McNichols who steps into the 3rd down receiving RB role. FAAB: $10-15
Tyjae Spears, Titans–He’s scheduled to return from IR this week. FAAB: $30-35
DJ Giddens, Colts–Giddens is the clear RB2 in Indianapolis, and if anything happens to Jonathan Taylor, he would be worth rostering. Definitely worth a dollar or two to stash. FAAB: $20-25
Tahj Brooks, Bengals–It is clear after watching training camp that Brooks is the backup to Chase Brown and should be treated as such. FAAB: $15-20
WR:
New for Week 5:
Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants–He’s most likely gone in your league, but if he’s not, he is the new WR1 for New York. FAAB: $200-225
Darius Slayton, Giants–It was confirmed on Monday that Malik Nabers is out with a torn ACL. Slayton was re-signed by the Giants in the off-season and has playmaking ability. The bigger question is whether Brian Daboll will let Jaxson Dart air it out enough. FAAB: $150-200
Malik Washington, Dolphins–With Tyreek Hill likely out for the season, Washington should assume a starting role in Miami. FAAB: $100-125
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Dolphins–Should move into the WR3 spot now with Hill out. He has always had a nose for the end zone. FAAB: $25-30
Jalin Hyatt, Giants–The Giants took him in the 3rd round years ago, and he is a speedy playmaker much like Adonai Mitchell. He might only see a few targets a game, but he will definitely see plenty more snaps with Nabers out. FAAB: $50-60
Isaiah Bond, Browns–Cedric Tillman is expected to be out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, so Bond will step in as the WR2. He was a terrific player at the University of Texas and will steadily improve after missing most of training camp. FAAB: $30-40
Luke McCaffrey, Commanders–Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown are dealing with injuries and will likely be questionable for a while. McCaffrey has steadily improved and seems to have Dan Quinn’s trust. FAAB: $25-30
Kendrick Bourne, 49ers–Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are both banged up, leaving Bourne as the receiver who will likely fill in if either player is out. He had a horrific drop against Jacksonville, but is normally a reliable receiver. FAAB: $10-15
Greg Dortch, Cardinals–Zay Jones is injured, and Kyler Murray loves going to him on third downs. FAAB: 3-5
Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys–With Lamb out, someone needs to step up, and Tolbert is the best of the lot in Dallas. FAAB: $20-25
Roman Wilson, Steelers–Calvin Austin left the game with a shoulder injury and might miss time. Wilson has dealt with injuries from the time he was drafted, but there is still some ability there to uncover. FAAB: $3-5
Jimmy Horn, Jr., Panthers–Keep an eye on Horn, who might start to see snaps with so many injuries in Carolina. He was uncoverable in training camp, but that may or may not translate into game snaps. FAAB: $1-2
From Previous Weeks:
Luther Burden, Bears– Bears head coach Ben Johnson has said that they need to scheme more plays for Burden. This could be the start of big things to come for this talented young rookie. FAAB: $80-90
Sterling Shepard, Bucs–Shepard will be the third receiver in Tampa’s offense until Evans returns. FAAB: $40-45
Adonai Mitchell, Colts– Mitchell’s immaturity cost the Colts 2 TDs in Week 4. He’s got tons of ability if he can keep his head on straight. FAAB: $10-15
Tre Tucker, Raiders– He is a very fast receiver and a good complement to Jakobi Meyers but don’t overpay for previous weeks’ statistics. FAAB: $50-55
Parker Washington, Jaguars–There obviously is something wrong with Brian Thomas, Jr., and it’s going to shake out soon. He’s either hurt or annoyed at the play calling or both. Always better to be a week early than a week late if the Thomas news is troublesome. FAAB: Washington $20-25
Tory Horton, Seahawks–He was the talk of training camp before he got injured in a preseason game. Keep Horton on the radar. FAAB: $10-15
Jalen Coker, Panthers–Coker is well worth a stash as the team loves his upside and they are dealing with a number of injuries FAAB: $10-12
Kayshon Boutte, Patriots—Boutte showed a good connection with Drake Maye last season and he excels against man coverage. He is a good receiver to stash based on the defensive matchups if your roster is able to be flexible enough to carry him. FAAB: $35-40
Elic Ayomanor, Titans–Keep an eye on Ayomanor as he seems to have a good connection with Cam Ward and the Titans should be trailing in most games making him a solid receiver to have stashed on the bench. FAAB: $25-30
Troy Franklin, Broncos–This is Franklin’s second season, and many people may forget that he was Bo Nix’s favorite target back when they played together at the University of Oregon. Franklin supposedly has put on some more muscle and looked bigger and stronger in training camp and the team just traded away last year’s 3rd receiver with the idea of giving that role to Franklin. FAAB: $45-50
Isaac TeSlaa, Lions—TeSlaa won the WR3 position in training camp as the Lions moved on from Tim Patrick who was traded to Jacksonville. TeSlaa has an interesting combination of size and speed but he’s still raw as a prospect. If you are rostering St. Brown and/or Williams he could be a very good person to keep on your bench just in case. FAAB: $20-25
TE:
New for Week 5:
Harold Fannin, Browns–I am relisting him after Tillman’s injury, as he should get more snaps and targets. FAAB: $60-80
Darren Waller, Dolphins–Waller is finally back for Miami and had 2 TDs against the Jets. It would be a nice addition to any team with tight end issues. FAAB: $10-15
Davis Allen, Rams–The Rams love throwing to their tight end in the red zone, and rookie Terrance Ferguson doesn’t have the trust of the coaching staff yet. FAAB: $5-10
Mike Gesicki, Bengals–Noah Fant is out with a concussion. FAAB: $1-3
From Previous Weeks:
Isaiah Likely, Ravens–Likely may have a sizable role as the Ravens seem to be lacking production from Mark Andrews and they need a consistent weapon for Lamar Jackson. FAAB: $25-30
Cole Kmet, Bears– Caleb Williams looks for him a decent amount. FAAB: $10-15
Oronde Gadsden, Chargers– Gadsden had his first opportunity and looked pretty good for the Chargers. He was an exceptional receiving tight end at Syracuse and could easily become the starter at some point during the season. FAAB: $15-20
Tommy Tremble, Panthers–Ja’Tavion Sanders left the game with an injury and will be out for multiple weeks. The Panthers like him, but he’s nothing more than a stash in a deep league. FAAB: $3-5
Mason Taylor, Jets– With the Jets lacking any serious number two receiver, Taylor has stepped up. He’s likely better with Tyrod Taylor as the quarterback than he is with Justin Fields but either way, he should be good for two or three receptions a week moving forward. FAAB: $10-15
A.J. Barner, Seahawks–Barner is a big time blocking tight end with surprisingly decent skills as a receiver. Elijah Arroyo is going to be a good player eventually but Barner is the TE1 in Seattle. FAAB: $5-10
