NFL Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

How’s it going everyone? Did we have a good week? Or did we suffer a bit? I’m a bit so-so. In my main leagues, I’ve done fairly well, which is great since I pay a small fee to compete in them. But in other leagues, say the Scott Fish Bowl where I went to a live draft event to proudly select Christian McCaffrey third overall (superflex draft), I have yet to notch a win. And to make matters worse, you play against a league mate and the league median score, so I am actually 0-8. It’s my third year playing SFB, and I’ve never had a team this bad. 🤣 

Oh, the joys of fantasy football. Why do I do this to myself every year? Remember, even if you started 1-3 or 0-4, your season is not over. Ok my SFB team might be, it’s got CMC, Mark Andrews, Njoku, Stafford, and TLaw on it, so yeah it’s not good. But YOUR team doesn’t have to be that way. You can still make moves and put together a winning streak. One of my favorite stories was when I was 2-6 in a league a couple of years ago and just kept trying. Squeaked into a playoff spot at 8-6 and won the championship. Just keep at it.

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Waiver Targets

• QB: Justin Fields vs DAL, Sam Darnold vs NYJ, Andy Dalton @ CHI

• RB: Justice Hill @ CIN, Rico Dowdle @ PIT, Alexander Mattison @ DEN, Kareem Hunt and Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs NO

• WR: Wan’Dale Robinson @ SEA, Dontayvion Wicks @ LAR, Josh Downs @ JAX, Xavier Legette @ CHI, Jordan Whittington vs GB

• TE: Tucker Kraft @ LAR, Cade Otton @ ATL, Erick All Jr. vs BAL

◾️ Justin Fields and Sam Darnold have been the surprises of the year. Fields wasn't supposed to start, but an injury to Russell Wilson vaulted him into the starting spot. He has looked good doing it and should have earned the starting spot for yet another week. Darnold is someone I will take the L on, I didn’t think he was going to look this good this long. I stand corrected. Minnesota will have to decide what to do with him moving forward. They have a first-round rookie waiting in the wings, but do they give him the Jordan Love treatment and keep Darnold? Or does Darnold move on?

Dalton faces a Chicago secondary that has done well containing opposing passing games. He’s a streaming option if you need it but not my favorite one.

Justice Hill doesn’t get a lot of volume but he’s a serviceable RB3 when you need a fill in. To achieve any sort of ceiling game he will need a TD or a bunch of receptions, which he can do. Rico Dowdle is emerging as a top option in Dallas: 🤠 

The final three running backs are just stashes or deep flex plays. Alexander Mattison has earned more touches and could be interesting. Kareem Hunt came in and took away any sort of excitement for Samaje Perine and Carson Steele, so that was fun. CEH is a good stash, as he figures, figures to lead the team’s running back room when he returns. It’s a messy situation and one where I would just stash a player and see how things play out before feeling confident to start them.

Wan’Dale Robinson remains my top WR waiver add despite Dontayvion Wicks’s big game. Robinson is the locked-in WR2 for the Giants and has been all year. Wicks feels much more dependent on injury and variance, though with Watson’s injury, both of those things may align and he may be the Packers’ clear WR2. Wicks is a good player, but with the Packers spreading the ball around between him, Doubs, Reed, Kraft, Musgrave, and the running backs, it just feels like he has more target competition than Robinson. 🔵 

I love Josh Downs but I don’t like him as much if Anthony Richardson is the quarterback. If Flacco starts next week, Downs is a great start against Jacksonville. If Richardson plays, then he will still be a decent start but the ceiling may be capped due to Richardson’s accuracy issues. Legette and Whittington are starts only if you need them. Whittington may grow into a larger role in the Rams offense and has been the No.2 WR behind Tutu Atwell. Legette faces a Chicago secondary that has not been easy to move the ball against and I’m ok with picking him up and stashing him,

For the tight ends, pick your poison. 🧀 Tucker Kraft has been running routes and led the Packers in snaps so far this year and looks like their TE1. But much like Wicks, his target share could be hard to predict. Cade Otton has the potential for wind sprints and goose eggs any given week but has 13 catches for 99 yards in the last two weeks and Atlanta is a favorable matchup for tight ends (granted their high “points allowed” is mainly due to Dallas Goedert putting on a show against them). 🏴‍☠️ 

Finally, Erick All has caught four passes in each of the last three weeks. I’d like to see him play a higher percentage of snaps, but the rookie tight end should only grow. He’s a better stash in dynasty at the moment but for redraft if you need a tight end like everyone else, he’s worth a shot. 🐅 

He’s not exactly a tight end to rule them all, but I mean, it’s a solid start and worth keeping an eye on.