Week 4 was a horror show for injuries in the NFL. Players were popping up on injury reports all week, and it felt like half of the top-20 wide receivers had a "Q" next to their name at some point. Thankfully, a good number of them were able to recover in time and take the field.
If you were dealing with injuries to your roster, chances are you had to head to the waiver wire to find a replacement. It's less than ideal, but starter-level production can be found on waivers if you identify strong matchups and players with elevated opportunity within their offense.
Last week we provided names like Jauan Jennings, Sam Darnold, and Kareem Hunt as strong waiver pickups. We'll be looking to provide another batch of candidates as you prepare to file waiver claims this week.
WEEK 5 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 5: Dontayvion Wicks, Kareem Hunt, Josh Downs among best adds.
Unless otherwise noted, only players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues are considered.
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers
A good portion of the fantasy community was enamored with Dontayvion Wicks this offseason. He has all the peripheral metrics of a receiver who can be a legitimate fantasy contributor. The only issue was that he wasn't on the field enough due to Green Bay's vast receiver talent pool. Well, Christian Watson was carted off with an ankle injury this week, opening the door for Wicks to take on an expanded role. Wicks thrived on a larger snap share (76 percent), scoring 24.8 fantasy points. Wicks can reasonably be started at the Flex for as long as Watson is sidelined.
Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Following an injury to Isiah Pacheco, the expectation was that rookie Carson Steele would handle a significant portion of the early-down rushing work in Kansas City. Plans changed after Steele coughed up a fumble on the Chiefs' first drive of Week 4. After the fumble, Steele saw just one more carry while veteran Kareem Hunt saw 14. It seems that Andy Reid is placing his trust in his old friend (Hunt), and he will be the primary ball carrier in KC while Pacheco is sidelined.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
After impressing early in his rookie campaign last year, Josh Downs earned Shane Steichen's trust as the Colts' go-to slot receiver. Downs reclaimed his full-time offensive role in Week 3 after missing the first few games of the year with a high-ankle sprain. He picked up right where he left off, commanding a 25-percent target share in Week 3. Downs had another strong outing in Week 4 with 22.2 PPR points on a 33-percent target share. Colts' quarterback Anthony Richardson also left the game this week with a hip injury. Backup QB Joe Flacco is frankly a better option for the pass catchers in this offense and would boost Downs' fantasy outlook if Richardson misses additional time.
Who are the top quarterback waiver wire targets?
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
At this point, Sam Darnold should be rostered in 100 percent of fantasy leagues. Through three weeks, Darnold was averaging 19.9 PPG and ranked as the QB4. Darnold succeeded during his Week 4 heat check, scoring 20.5 points on the back of three passing touchdowns. Darnold is thriving in Kevin O'Connell's offense and has thrown multiple passing touchdowns in every game this season. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down and absolutely must be added in any league where he's available.
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Fantasy managers were finally treated to a productive day on the ground from Justin Fields. Pittsburgh's new starting quarterback racked up 55 yards and two scores on the ground in the process of scoring 31.98 fantasy points. This was the highest single-game score of any quarterback this season. The only concern with Fields is that he is still in a "quarterback battle" with Russell Wilson. Following the Steelers' first loss of the year, the slack in Fields' rope is getting tighter. Fields should be added by QB-needy teams, but comments from Mike Tomlin regarding the QB situation must be monitored.
Who are the other top running back waiver wire targets?
Trey Sermon, Indianapolis Colts
Colts' starting running back Jonathan Taylor left the game last week in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury. He has been diagnosed with a "mild" high-ankle sprain, but a return timeline has not yet been specified. Taylor is likely to miss one game at a minimum, opening the door for backup Trey Sermon to take on a significant workload. Sermon's weekly outlook without Taylor will put him among the RB2 ranks.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The gap is closing between Bucky Irving and Rachaad White in the Tampa Bay backfield. Irving was on the field for 32 snaps and saw 12 snaps this week, compared to 45 snaps and 13 opportunities for White. One key development was that Irving was on the field for goal line snaps, something that was outside of the scope of his role early this year. Irving played four of eight goal line snaps and punched in a touchdown. If he can push this to close to a 50-50 split while taking goal line work, Irving can certainly have standalone value in this offense.
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Rico Dowdle is narrowly edging out the other running backs in Dallas. He led the backfield in both opportunities and fantasy points last week. At this point, his role is not strong enough to start him with any confidence. Ezekiel Elliott, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke, and even CeeDee Lamb are siphoning backfield touches, diminishing Dowdle's fantasy impact. If anyone is going to emerge as the No. 1 option in this backfield, it's most likely Dowdle, so he is well worth a stash on the bench.
Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders
With Austin Ekeler (concussion) sidelined, Jeremy McNichols was asked to step up and be the complementary back in Washington. McNichols exceeded expectations, compiling 74 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns for a 20.4-point fantasy performance. McNichols is only worth an add in deep leagues in case Ekeler misses a second game.
Who are the other top wide receiver waiver wire targets?
Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants
Through four weeks, Wan'Dale Robinson has become the clear No. 2 in the Giants' offense. He's averaging 9.3 targets per game on a 26-percent target share. They may not be high-value, downfield targets, but this level of volume makes any receiver a quality fantasy option. Robinson and his layup targets provide a very steady floor, and he can be started in the Flex in future weeks.
Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers
The rise of Andy Dalton has done wonders for the fantasy outlook for the weapons in Carolina. Dalton's ascent and Adam Thielen's IR stint have allowed rookie Xavier Legette to take on a greater role within the Panthers' offense. He saw a career-high 10 targets and cored his first NFL touchdown last week on his way to 19.6 PPR points. With the way Andy Dalton is playing, this offense is certainly capable of supporting multiple fantasy-relevant WRs.
Who are the other top tight end waiver wire targets?
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
For much of the offseason, the expectation was that Luke Musgrave would assume TE1 duties after Tucker Kraft suffered a torn pec before training camp. Through four weeks, it's been Kraft operating as the starting tight end. He's played more snaps and run more routes than Musgrave in every game this season. Now that Jordan Love is back under center, Green Bay is no longer using an ultra-run-heavy offense. The return to a balanced game plan benefitted Kraft, who scored 17.3 PPR points in Week 4. Kraft is a solid bench stash for teams with no reliable TE1.
Erick All, Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals' rookie tight end Erick All continues to carve out a larger role in the Cincinnati offense as the weeks ware on. All posted a season-high 61-percent snap share in Week 4 and played more snaps than Mike Gesicki. All was able to draw four targets in his expanded role, turning them into 28 yards for 6.8 fantasy points. He remains a speculative add in leagues with deep benches for the time being. He'll have to be targeted at a higher rate to be impactful on fantasy rosters, but he's trending in the right direction.
Who are the top defense waiver wire targets and streamers?
Miami Dolphins
The Patriots' offense has struggled to sustain drives so far this season. Their offensive woes can be pinned on a variety of causes, too many to pinpoint a singular issue. One thing is for certain, the offensive line play isn't helping. Jacoby Brissett has been pressured on a league-leading 48 percent of his dropbacks. Plays can't develop, and Brissett has defenders draped all over him before he hits the top of his drop. The Miami Dolphins are the next team that has the privilege of facing this offense and are a strong streaming option thanks to this matchup.
Green Bay Packers
Last week, the Rams looked like an offense that is without multiple starters on the offensive line and their two star receivers. They scored just one touchdown and failed to convert on multiple red zone drives. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are almost guaranteed to miss Week 5, meaning the Rams' offense will struggle to live up to their potential once again. The Packers' defense can be picked up as a streamer this week and can be used to target a depleted offense.
