Every week, I will share my favorite waiver wire or free agent pickups in fantasy football. Here is what I have for week five!
He looked good coming in for the injured Anthony Richardson, throwing for 168 yards and 2 TD. He did it against one of the top defenses in the NFL, too, and if he is the week five starter, as I expect him to be, he gets a cushy matchup against a really bad Jacksonville team. This is an important move to make if you have Anthony Richardson.
The Seahawks offense looks very explosive under their new coaching staff, and it’s only going to get better as the season progresses. Smith is available in most 1 QB leagues because he hasn’t thrown more than 1 TD in any game yet this season, so the fantasy numbers don’t stand out. He has 2 games over 320 passing yards, though, and 3 over 285 yards. He threw for 395 in the week 4 loss to the Lions. The TDs will come.
I am trying to be a week or two ahead with this one rather than have to do it when the Patriots make the announcement that he is starting. Right now, you don’t have to spend a claim on him; you can wait until after waivers run and scoop him. Since winning in week one, the Pats offense has been terrible, and although it’s not all on Jacoby Brissett, he isn’t winning them games, so it’s time to see what they have in the third overall pick from this years draft.
The Titans have to go back to him, right? Levis hasn’t been good this season, and the Titans finally won a game with the offense putting up 31 points. He wasn’t even that good, but the offense just seemed more confident with him running things. In 2 QB or Super Flex, you have to look his way.
He had a solid day rushing the football (7 for 90), and Travis Etienne, despite coming back into the game, left with a shoulder injury at one point. With bye weeks starting, it’s important to start loading up on depth, and Bigsby is a prime example of that. If you roster ETN, it’s a must, but even if you don’t, I would look to add Bigsby.
After Carson Steele fumbled early, the Chiefs seemed to lose complete faith in him, and it was Hunt who began to see the heavy workload. He looked much better than Steele or Perine have since the Pacheco injury, and he is a must-add this week for anyone who is lacking at the RB position. Hunt ended the day with 69 rushing yards on 14 carries, and he caught two passes for 16 yards.
No one is taking over the number one RB duties from Brian Robinson Jr. unless there is an injury; however, with Austin Ekeler banged up, McNichols stepped up big in week 4. He carried the ball 8 times for 68 yards and scored 2 TD. With how well the Commanders are playing right now on offense, you want pieces that surround Jayden Daniels, and if something were to happen to B-Rob, McNichols showed that he could handle the job.
He looks so much better than Zamir White does. For a while, it looked like White would be the back on first and second down, with Mattison being the pass-catching back. After yesterday, though, Mattison has earned more carries. White carried the ball a season-high 17 times and managed just 50 yards. White also fumbled in a big moment that led to a Browns defensive TD. Mattison carried the ball only five times but was able to turn that into 60 yards, and the biggest takeaways are that he didn’t fumble and that the Raiders won the game.
He is the clear number two pass catcher in the offense, and with Andy Dalton running things, not Bryce Young, the offense is actually pretty good. Chuba Hubbard, Diontae Johnson, and now Legette have all become legitimate weapons in fantasy lineups. Legette saw 10 targets from Dalton in week 4, catching 6 for 66 yards and his first career TD.
I liked Wicks a lot coming into the season, and I like him even more now that Jordan Love is back and Christian Watson is injured (I’ve heard this before). Wicks saw 13 targets in week 4, which was a team-high, and although he only caught 5 of them, he turned it into 78 yards and 2 TDs.
He is a repeat in my article this week. Besides Kyren Williams, he is the Rams’ top offensive weapon right now. Until both Kupp and Nacua are healthy, Atwell will see targets from Matthew Stafford, and some of those targets will be deep downfield. Even though Atwell has only four catches in each of the past two weeks, he has put up 93 yards and 82 yards receiving. He is averaging 21.8 yards per reception.
With Flacco as the Colts QB, all of the pass catchers get a bump in value. Michael Pittman is the obvious beneficiary, but Downs saw as many targets (9) as Pittman did, had more catches (8) than Pittman did, and scored a TD. If Flacco remains the QB in Indy for even another couple of games, Downs could be an excellent bye-week replacement for you.
He did nothing in week 4, but most of the Chiefs offense did nothing in week 4. With Rashee Rice injured, someone is going to need to step up, and Juju is a guy who has been there and done it before in the NFL and with the Chiefs. I am not comfortable starting him in my lineup just yet, but I also don’t want my league-mates to get him, either. I would try to pick him up this week and see how he fits into the offense.
Although the Jets lost, the one positive aspect of the game was Mike Williams’s increased presence on the field. That led to him leading the team in receiving yards and making some tough contested catches. He also finished the game without an injury designation, which is noteworthy. Making plays will only earn him Aaron Rodgers’s trust. The Jets brought him in to be their number two receiver; perhaps week 4 is the start of that.
Jordan Love has only been the quarterback for two of four games this season, but in those games that Love has played, Kraft has been the clear number-one tight end in the offense. He had his best game of the season so far in the week four loss to the Vikings, catching six passes on nine targets for 53 yards and a TD.
With Rashee Rice injured, it was Gray who saw increased work in the passing game over any of the WRs. Although that might have been matchup-dependent, we can’t ignore his four catches for forty yards. The Chiefs will adjust based on the personnel they have available, and running a lot more two tight end sets can work for them in multiple ways. It can help in pass protection and the running game and give Mahomes another option in the passing game that he trusts.
There have been games where Mike Gesicki outscores him, but All has made four catches in every game he has played so far and is working his way into a bigger role in the offense. He is a deeper league option compared to Kraft and Gray, who should be looked at in all league sizes.
This is more of a streaming option/bye-week replacement than anything else. They stunk against the Titans in week 4, but they face the Patriots this week, and that’s a recipe for success for any defense right now.
