Welcome to Week 5, folks! The first bye weeks have rolled in like a plot twist in your favorite movie, and four teams are hitting the pause button! This could be leaving noticeable gaps in your fantasy rosters where some top-tier talent used to be. As the NFL season marches on, the waiver wire becomes your best friend or maybe even your secret weapon! Especially for those fantasy managers trying to navigate the treacherous waters of injuries and bye weeks.
Each week is a fresh opportunity to scoop up emerging talent, capitalize on injuries, and maybe even rescue a few underperformers from the depths of despair. The waiver wire is like a treasure map, and savvy managers can unearth hidden gems that could turn the tide of their fantasy fortunes.
In this article, we’ll dive into the top waiver wire adds for Week 5, spotlighting key players ready to elevate your fantasy lineup and help you tackle the challenges ahead. Whether you’re patching up an injury, beefing up your depth, or just preparing for those bye week holes, these strategic additions could be the difference between basking in victory or sulking in defeat. So gear up and let’s dig deep to uncover those fantasy gold nuggets!
*For a player to make this WAIVER list, they must be rostered in LESS than 50% of 1QB, Full PPR Sleeper Leagues.*
WEEK 4 BYES
- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
- L.A. CHARGERS
- TENNESSEE TITANS
- DETROIT LIONS
QUARTERBACKS
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
{IF SAM DARNOLD IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR LEAGUE, HE NEEDS TO BE ADDED. 62% ROSTERED ON SLEEPER.}
- JUSTIN FIELDS (Steelers)
Rostered: (42% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Cowboys, Raiders, Jets
(22-34 Completions, 312 Yards, 1 TD; 10 Carries, 55 Yards, 2 TDs)
{Fields finished as the QB2 in week 5. It’s time to start thinking about him as a starter going forward. At least for the next 4 weeks. We talked about him in last weeks Waiver Wire Article. We hope you picked him up last week. He will be a top pick up this week.} - ANDY DALTON (Panthers)
Rostered: (18% in Sleeper Leagues)(68% in SUPERFLEX LEAGUES)
Next 3 Opponents: Bears, Falcons, Commanders
(25-40 Completions, 220 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 3 Carries, 9 Yards)
{Dalton Surprisingly has been a great change of pace for Carolina. He’s definitely not afraid of hucking the ball. 37 attempts in week 3 and 40 this week. Andy and his receivers will start to fully get in sync soon enough. Great Superflex play.} - JOE FLACCO (Colts)
Rostered: (3% in Sleeper Leagues)(27% in SUPERFLEX LEAGUES)
Next 3 Opponents: Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins
(16-26 Completions, 168 Yards, 2 TD;2 Carries, 3 Yards on 80% of snaps)
{Flacco is a really good stash candidate. Especially in Superflex leagues. Anthony Richardson got banged up in week 4 and had to come out of the game with a hip injury. Something to keep an eye on as Richardson was hurt last year. Flacco immediately fills in if Anthony were to go down again and the schedule the next three weeks is cake. Better to have him than not, especially as if you roster Richardson as your starting quarterback.}
RUNNING BACKS
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
- JUSTICE HILL (Ravens)
Rostered: (28% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Bengals, Commanders, Buccaneers
(4 Carries, 18Yards; 6 Targets, 6 Catches, 78 Yards, 1 TD)
{Derrick Henry has been absolutely explosive, the reason you want Hill is, he’s been super efficient as a receiver. If he’s out there on waivers you should be trying to get him on your roster.} - KAREEM HUNT (Chiefs)
Rostered: (37% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Saints, BYE, 49ers
(14 Carries, 69 Yards, 3 Targets, 2 Catches, 16 Yards)
{Kareem Hunt has taken over this backfield. Once he signed with the Chiefs it was inevitable he was going to be the guy. Hopefully ya’ll didn’t spend a lot of FAAB or use your priority on someone like Carson Steele. If he’s available, I’d definitely be jumping on an opportunity to get a guy who put up 4.93 yards per carry in his first week back.} - TANK BIGSBY (Jaguars)
Rostered: (18% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Patriots, Denver, Vikings
(7 Carries, 90 Yards on 29% of snapshare with injured Etienne. 12.86 YPC)
{Travis Etienne is dealing with a shoulder injury which made him very inefficient in week 4. If you are a manager that rosters Etienne and is in need of some insurance, or just someone looking for RB depth, Tank needs to be on your roster.}
STASH OR DEEP LEAGUE GRABS
- JEREMY MCNICHOLS Commanders (0% Rostered) Jeremy looked to be an immediate fill in for Austin Ekeler. He finished the day with 74 all purpose yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. McNichols gets a tougher matchup next week, but he’s worth a stash in deeper leagues.
- TYLER ALLGIER Falcons (34% Rostered) Tyler is starting to get more looks and more carries. It’s definitely interesting seeing him get one more carry than Bijan in week 4. Maybe they are just trying to keep their star running back healthy, but who knows. Allgier could be a good trade bargaining chip.
- CLYDE-EDWARDS HELAIRE Chiefs (9% Rostered) CEH will be coming off the PUP list here in week 5. He’s a good stash if Kareem doesn’t pan out.
WIDE RECEIVERS
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
- DONTAYVION WICKS (Packers)
Rostered: (18% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Rams, Cardinals, Texans
(13 Targets, 7 Catches, 78 Yards, 2 TDs)
{Whenever Christian Watson gets hurt, Dontayvion comes through in a big way. He needs to be rostered in all leagues. Watson injury didn’t look good and Jordan seems to like this kid in key situations.} - JOSH DOWNS (Colts)
Rostered: (29% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins
(9 Targets, 8 Catches, 82 Yards, 1 TD)
{This was Downs second week back from injury and he sure does look BACK! His schedule over the next three weeks is amazing. If Flacco gets the go, I’d feel safe firing him up as a starter! Make sure you get him on your team.} - WAN’DALE ROBINSON (Steelers)
Rostered: (45% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Seahawks, Bengals, Eagles
(14 Targets, 11 Catches, 71 Yards)
{He got 12 targets in Week 1, 8 targets in Week 3 and 14 targets in Week 4. Regardless of how mediocre Daniel Jones has been, He’s throwing the ball a ton. In PPR leagues Wan’dale is an absolute must pick up. Love the schedule he has coming up.} - XAVIER LEGETTE (Panthers)
Rostered: (38% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Bears, Falcons, Commanders
(10 Targets, 6 Catches, 66 Yards, 1 TD; 2 Carries 10 Yards)
{Tough schedule coming up. But if he’s available, I’d be stashing him. While Thielen is injured, Legette will be the number 2 receiver on the Panthers.} - TRE TUCKER (Bengals)
Rostered: (19% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Broncos, Steelers, Rams
(6 Targets, 5 Catches, 41 Yards; 1 Carry, 3 Yards, 1 TD)
{This kid is the real deal. We talked about stashing him in last weeks article. He has a tough next two weeks but gets a nice matchup in week 7. STASH HIM IF YOU CAN. We don’t know how long Devante Adams will be sidelined with the Hamstring Injury.}
STASH OR DEEP LEAGUE GRABS
- OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS Commanders (0% Rostered) This is for deep leagues only. 6 targets 6 catches for 85 yards. super outlier game for him, but something to monitor.
- TUTU ATWEL Rams (16% Rostered) Tutu is technically the wide receiver one on the team while Kupp and Puka are out. Deep League waiver add.
- JORDAN WITTINGTON Rams (8% Rostered) Jordan got a team high targets this week. I’m sure he’s enjoying the opportunity to have this expanded role. Deep League waiver add.
TIGHT ENDS
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
- TUCKER KRAFT (Packers)
Rostered: (8% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Rams, Cardinals, Texans
(9 Targets, 6 Catches, 53 yards, 1 TD)
{With Christian Watson being injured, Tucker should continue to see an uptick in targets. Before Christian got injured this past week, Kraft was averaging only 3 targets a week. Kraft is a MUST ADD, PICK HIM UP!} - CADE OTTON(Buccaneers)
Rostered: (18% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Falcons, Saints, Ravens
(9 Targets, 6 Catches, 52 yards)
{Cade has really found his place in this Buccaneers offense. The last two weeks he’s had 8 targets and 9 targets. He has some tougher matchups coming up, but tight ends are slim pickens and it don’t hurt to take a swing on “targets” if you are struggling at the position.} - TYLER CONKLIN (Jets)
Rostered: (36% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Vikings, Bills, Steelers
(8 Targets, 4 Catches, 17 Yards)
{Conklin has some tough matchups coming up, but he’s geting a lot of targets. Targets equal opportunity.}
KICKERS
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
- GREG JOSEPH (Giants)
Rostered: (0% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Seahawks, Bengals, Eagles
(5 for 5 on FGs Made, One 29 & Less FGs, One 30-39 FG, Two 40-49 FGs, One 50+ FG)
{Greg was the only player on his team to score last week. It could continue to be like that against the Seahawks.} - JOEY SLYE (Patriots)
Rostered: (0% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next Opponent: Dolphins, Texans, Jaguars
(1 for 1 on XPs, 2 for 2 on FGs Made, Two 50+ FGs)
{Joey gets an excellent matchup against the Dolphin this week. Miami just allowed 24 kicking points to Nick Folk last week. Kickers on bad offenses vs Miami might be a cheat code.}
D/ST
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
{IF VIKINGS D/ST IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR LEAGUE, THEY NEED TO BE ADDED. 55% ROSTERED ON SLEEPER. #1 DEFENSE THROUGH WEEEK 4.}
- COLTS (Indianapolis)
Rostered: (6% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins
(4 Sacks, 24 Points Allowed, 2 Forced Fumble, 2 Fumble Recovery, 5 TKLs for Loss)
{Colts have such an easy schedule coming up. If you’re defense is on bye this week, I’d definitely be picking up the Colts D/ST.} - BRONCOS (Denver)
Rostered: (4% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Raiders, Chargers, Saints
(5 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery, 9 Points Allowed, 8 TKLs for Loss)
{Broncos need to be added! They’ve been a very hardnose defense. Not to mention the schedule they have coming up is legit amazing.} - BILLS (Buffalo)
Rostered: (37% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next Opponent: Texans, Jets, Titans
(They get to face Houston this week which should turn out better than last week vs the Ravens. After that, they face the Jets and Tennessee. They are a great stash.)
Individual Defensive Players (IDP)
ALL PLAYERS ARE IN ORDER BY SUGGESTED WAIVER PRIORITY
{All stats are from the prior week.}
- E.J. SPEED (Colts) LB
Rostered: (22% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins
(13 Tackles) - DORIAN WILLIAMS (Bills) LB
Rostered: (8% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Texans, Jets, Titans
(12 Tackles & 1 Forced Fumble) - QUAY WALKER (Packers) LB
Rostered: (25% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Rams, Cardinals, Texans
(8 Tackles & 1 Sack) - CAMERON HEYWARD (Steelers) DL
Rostered: (7% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Cowboys, Raiders, Jets
(6 Tackles & 1 Forced Fumble) - ZACH ALLEN (Broncos) DL
Rostered: (7% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Texans, Colts, Bears
(5 Tackles) - RILEY MOSS (Broncos) DB
Rostered: (1% in Sleeper Leagues)
Next 3 Opponents: Raiders, Chargers, Saints
(8 tackles & 1 Fumble Recovery)
One thing I always try to instill in Fantasy Football Managers, navigating the waiver wire is a crucial aspect of fantasy football that can significantly influence your team’s performance throughout the season. By staying informed about player trends, injuries, and matchups, you can make strategic additions that enhance your roster and increase your chances of success. Remember, the key to winning in fantasy football often lies in being proactive and making the right moves at the right time.
As you gear up for the next week, don’t just sit there like a deer in headlights, check out the players we’ve spotlighted and make those savvy adds that could send your team soaring. Remember, fortune favors the bold (and the well-informed)! So, good luck out there, and may your waiver wire decisions lead you straight to fantasy glory!
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR WAIVER CLAIMS!
The Sports Affiliation 