Waiver Wire Rankings: Week 5
3 min readWaiver Wire Rankings: Week 5
Week 4 is now behind us. Last week’s top Waiver Target, Devon Achane, had another monster week posting another 27.00 fantasy points. This week’s Waiver Wire does not have that type of impact player. However, there are plenty of players who can provide value for the upcoming weeks. Before we get into that, let’s take a look at some key injuries from Week 4 and their potential impact.
| Player | Position | Team | Injury | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deshaun Watson | QB | CLE | Shoulder | Week to Week |
| Kenny Pickett | QB | PIT | Knee | Expected Back Week 7 |
| Javonte Willams | RB | DEN | Hip | Day to Day |
| Rico Dowdle | RB | DAL | Hip | Day to Day |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | BAL | Ankle | Day to Day |
| Tee Higgins | WR | CIN | Ribs | Week to Week |
| Mike Evans | WR | TB | Hamstring | Expected Back Week 6 |
| Jonathan Mingo | WR | CAR | Concussion | Day to Day |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | PIT | Hamstring | Day to Day |
| Juwan Johnson | TE | NO | Calf | Day to Day |
| Donald Parham | TE | LAC | Wrist | Day to Day |
Now that we know who could miss some time, let’s see how this impacts this week’s Waiver Wire Rankings.
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM | POSITION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN | RB1 |
| 2 | Jameson Williams | DET | WR1 |
| 3 | Gus Edwards | BAL | RB2 |
| 4 | Luke Musgrave | GB | TE1 |
| 5 | Jake Ferguson | DAL | TE2 |
| 6 | CJ Stroud | HOU | QB1 |
| 7 | Romeo Doubs | GB | WR2 |
| 8 | Justice Hill | BAL | RB3 |
| 9 | Jayden Reed | GB | WR3 |
| 10 | Tyler Boyd | CIN | WR4 |
| 11 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | RB4 |
| 12 | Josh Palmer | LAC | WR5 |
| 13 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | RB5 |
| 14 | Josh Downs | IND | WR6 |
| 15 | Cole Kmet | CHI | TE3 |
| 16 | Jerick McKinnon | KC | RB6 |
| 17 | Melvin Gordon | BAL | RB7 |
| 18 | Keaton Mitchell | BAL | RB8 |
| 19 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | RB9 |
| 20 | Odell Beckham Jr. | BAL | WR7 |
| 21 | Curtis Samuel | WAS | WR8 |
| 22 | Michael Wilson | ARZ | WR9 |
| 23 | Khalil Herbert | CHI | RB10 |
| 24 | Jonnu Smith | ATL | TE4 |
| 25 | Joshua Dobbs | ARZ | QB2 |
QUARTERBACK
There’s not much to get excited about when it comes to Quarterback this week. The one must-add is CJ Stroud. He looks like a top-tier QB in the making. If he’s available, grab him ASAP. Josh Dobbs has put up some solid fantasy numbers and could be useful if you’re in a pinch. With Kenny Pickett potentially missing time, Mitch Trubisky can help you in Superflex leagues.
RUNNING BACK
Running Back is always a priority when looking through your waiver wire. This week is no different. Now.. Jaleel McLaughlin is most website’s top waiver add this week, but I don’t recommend going crazy over him. Javonte Williams is considered day-to-day and may not miss any games. However, if he does and McLaughlin plays well, this could turn into a committee.
Instead, I would be targeting players such as Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and Tyjae Spears. Let everyone else fight over the hot name of the week, and you go get some solid RBs that will contribute right away.
Another player I recommend grabbing now is Keaton Mitchell. He could be the starting running back in Baltimore a month from now. Low risk high reward.
WIDE RECEIVER
There are several Wide Receivers that should help you moving forward. One of my favorite grabs is Jameson Williams. He shouldn’t be available in Dynasty Leagues, but he should be in redraft. Josh Reynolds was very productive the first couple of weeks. Now that Williams is eligible to play, I expect him to make an impact immediately. Grab him if you can. Another great pickup this week is Tyler Boyd. It looks as if Tee Higgins is going to miss some time. That means Boyd is the number two target in that offense for the time being. You can plug him into your lineup this week.
Josh Downs had a so-so week but continues to get targets. If he’s available, I’d look to scoop him up as well. Odell Beckham Jr. is expected back soon and will be a top target for Lamar Jackson.
I like Michael Wilson as well. He’s slowly taking over as the WR2 in Arizona. It may be time to sell Rondale Moore if you can.
TIGHT END
There are some nice tight ends on waiver wires everywhere. Luke Musgrave and Jake Ferguson are must-adds if available. On the other hand, don't go crazy over Cole Kmet. Chasing points can certainly hurt your FAAB, so be careful when it comes to Kmet.
I hate to say this, but all Kyle Pitts owners should probably grab Jonnu Smith if you have no better options. He's averaging 8.20 fantasy points per game compared to Kyle Pitts' embarrasing 5.70.
Bob Miller founded Dynasty Pros in 2018 after spending several years writing and ranking for various websites. With playing fantasy football for over 25 years, he is very experienced in a variety of different formats including Dynasty, Redraft, IDP, Devy, & Best Ball. Bob is especially passionate about IDP, as he has developed the Dynasty Pros IDP Scoring System that is used by thousands of IDP Leagues today. His sole mission is to help people win a Fantasy League Championship.
