Welcome back to our weekly installment of the fantasy football watch list, where we try and help you beat your leaguemates to the Week 5 waiver wire. We're taking a look at a handful of players from each position before Week 4 kicks off, speculating on good matchups for the following week and potential growth in opportunity. Daniel Jones was the first name on this list last week, and look at him now.
Last week's list had some other success stories, too -- Gardner Minshew saw his ownership rise again, just as it has in each week since he's been starting, thanks to a strong Thursday Night Football performance. Ronald Jones had a solid game, got picked up some places, but gets a spot on the list again because he still might not be owned enough. We might've been the only place to tout Taylor Gabriel ahead of his three-TD Monday Night Football performance. And, yeah, Week 4 matchup darling Will Dissly was on the watch list ahead of his 6-62-1 Week 3 (which was buoyed by a buzzer-beater TD that didn't matter in the game's outcome).
WEEK 4 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
If you're new to this piece, the premise is simple: Lots of fantasy owners are basically fed up with a particular player on their roster and know they'll be dropping him for the next big thing. Instead of waiting for the waiver period on Tuesday or Wednesday night, why not grab the next big thing early? If you'd have grabbed Daniel Jones or Dissly before Sunday last week, you wouldn't have had to use a high waiver claim to acquire them. So, let's get right into it.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watch List
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 4, looking forward to the players that could be waiver-wire targets in Week 5. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are options you could pick up early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50-percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
WEEK 4 DFS LINEUPS:
DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP | Y! cash | Y! GPP
Week 5 Waiver Wire Watch List: Quarterback
Notable quarterbacks on a Week 5 bye: Matthew Stafford, Josh Rosen
Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (43 percent ownership)
Trubisky dominated the first half of Monday Night Football against a bad Redskins defense, looking a lot more like a No. 2 overall pick than we'd seen in the season's first couple weeks. His flaws aren't gone, but he gets a Washington-esque defense in Week 5 against the Raiders in London. It will be another opportunity for Trubisky to put up good numbers as the Bears defense will probably create turnovers and provide positive field position.
Andy Dalton, Bengals (32)
Dalton gets to face off with the terrible Cardinals' defense at home in Week 5, and Patrick Peterson will still be suspended. That means John Ross should have a good chance to break a long one, Tyler Boyd should be open underneath all game and Dalton could provide a solid performance.
Gardner Minshew II, Jaguars (13)
We're still waiting for the Jags to fall into a game script where Minshew is allowed to throw a higher volume of passes. On the ones he throws, he's been effective. He also adds a rushing element that will probably make him worth having in some lineups during bye weeks: From Weeks 6-9, Jacksonville faces the subpar defenses of the Saints, Bengals, Jets, and Texans.
Kyle Allen, Panthers (11)
Allen's now thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions across two NFL starts, while running for another score, too. Cam Newton (foot) looks like he'll be out longer rather than shorter, and Allen might have another great game throwing the ball against Houston in Week 4. There's nothing to suggest that Allen won't be better than, say, Kirk Cousins or Matthew Stafford in the coming weeks.
Week 5 Waiver Wire Watch List: RB
Notable running backs on a Week 5 bye: Kerryon Johnson, Kenyan Drake, Kalen Ballage
Ronald Jones II, Buccaneers (37)
In Weeks 1 and 3, Ronald Jones carried the ball 27 times combined for 155 yards while adding 59 receiving yards. The reason his ownership isn't higher? In Week 2, Peyton Barber got 23 of the 27 Bucs' RB carries. Another 121-total-yard week like Jones just had will push his ownership above the 50-percent mark. This still could be a frustrating situation, but Jones has the most talent.
Tony Pollard, Cowboys (23)
The two double-digit carry games Pollard has this season could be easily explained by Week 1 being Ezekiel Elliott's first game back from his recent return and Week 3 being the Dolphins. There's still something to be said for a backup being that involved twice, though. Maybe Dallas will continue to give him a few drives a game, making him an interesting bye week fill-in as part of a powerful offense.
Kalen Ballage, Dolphins (17)
We're still of the belief that Ballage isn't very good, and he's done nothing to disprove that. It just feels like Kenyan Drake should get traded sooner than later, and Ballage would be a starter by default at that point. Miami's Week 5 bye means Ballage won't be of use to your roster directly, but it'd be a perfect time for Miami to trade Drake. Aas soon as Drake's traded, there will be a rush to snag Ballage.
Ty Johnson, Lions (2)
This is more of a handcuff play for Kerryon Johnson right now, but the longer Kerryon remains ineffective, the more the Lions could try and sprinkle Ty into the offense. Detroit's Week 5 bye means you can wait a week to consider any movement with Ty Johnson, though.
WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Week 5 Waiver Wire Watch List: WR
Notable wide receivers on a Week 5 bye: Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Danny Amendola, DeVante Parker, Preston Williams
Phillip Dorsett, Patriots (49)
Dorsett has a couple things going for him. When Antonio Brown hasn't been in New England's lineup, he's averaged five catches a game for 74 yards. Dorsett has three touchdowns in those two games, too. On top of that, New England faces a brutal Redskins defense in Week 5. Dorsett's starting percentage should be higher than 49 for Week 5, let alone his ownership percentage.
Golden Tate, Giants (45)
Tate returns from his four-game suspension in Week 5 to make his Giants debut with Daniel Jones. Tate's been a PPR weapon for many years, and he has borderline starting value in standard leagues, too. He should be owned in almost every league, so get to him before other people think about it.
James Washington, Steelers (20)
Diontae Johnson looked like the winner between he and Washington in Week 3 because of the long touchdown he caught. Johnson had one more target than Washington, but Washington was on the field for seven more plays. We still think Washington has the most talent behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, and it has to matter more than zero that he's now playing with his college quarterback. Mason Rudolph needs to get this offense clicking for Washington to really matter, but if he does, Washington will be worth an add.
Taylor Gabriel, Bears (10)
Three touchdowns on Monday Night Football didn't really move Gabriel's needle much, and sure, he's not known for TDs. He did finish with the 41st-best PPR fantasy points per game in 2018, though, and the Bears are giving him similar usage right now. That's certainly worthy of being on PPR rosters (and more than 10 percent of standard league rosters, too). Like we mentioned with Trubisky above, the Week 5 matchup with the Raiders should allow Gabriel to have another good game through the air.
Devin Smith, Cowboys (8)
The shelf life might be short here because Michael Gallup's return probably relegates Smith into a backup role. While he's playing, though, Dak Prescott has averaged more than 20 air yards on the passes he's intended for Smith this season. In a good offense, there's home-run TD potential for Smith each week he starts.
Paul Richardson, Redskins (4)
Richardson's Monday Night Football performance was overshadowed by Gabriel and even somewhat by teammate Terry McLaurin. This is an offense that'll be throwing a lot this season, Richardson's getting consistent snaps, and both Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins will take shots down the field.
Hunter Renfrow, Raiders (4)
The Raiders' release of Ryan Grant probably means that Renfrow will be the second-most utilized WR on Oakland behind Tyrell Williams (and No. 3 target behind Williams and TE Darren Waller). In PPR formats especially, the rookie from Clemson is worth a speculative add. He won't be a good Week 5 play against the Bears, though.
WEEK 4: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts
Week 5 Waiver Wire Watch List: TE
Notable tight ends on a Week 5 bye: T.J. Hockenson, Mike Gesicki
Chris Herndon, Jets (14)
Herndon's still a week away from a suspension return due to his Week 4 bye, but he'll be back in Week 6, probably right when Sam Darnold gets back, too. Herndon would've been our No. 12 fantasy tight end in our preseason rankings if not for the suspension. If you're struggling at the TE position, he's worth a slightly ahead of time add to find some consistency.
Tyler Eifert, Bengals (14)
A Week 5 matchup with the Cardinals, who allow the most fantasy points to tight ends this season, should be a boon for a still-healthy Eifert. *knocks on wood*
Dawson Knox, Bills (9)
Knox has received four targets two straight games. He was considered a project when the Bills took him in the third round out of Ole Miss, but he showed his athleticism on a long catch-and-run to go with a touchdown in Week 3. Tyler Kroft will be back from injury soon, but another good Knox showing or two might make him the most relevant pass-catching tight end in Buffalo.
Nick Vannett, Steelers (1)
Turns out Vannett was acquired because Xavier Grimble had a bad injury, not Vance McDonald. It's still intriguing when a team trades a draft pick midseason for a player. Watch and see how the Steelers use Vannett.
MORE WEEK 4 DFS: Top values | Stacks | Lineup Builder
Week 5 defense streamers and sleepers
Defenses with a Week 5 bye: Detroit, Miami
Cleveland Browns @ 49ers (47)
New Orleans Saints vs. Buccaneers (41)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jets (40)
Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo (29)
Carolina Panthers vs. Jaguars (16)
The defenses on bye aren't good, so no one will be scrambling for a replacement. But if you tried to stream the Giants or Redskins in Week 4, you'll definitely need a new one, and there are plenty of good options. Philadelphia's streaming potential will depend in part on the health of Sam Darnold, but you can pretty much lock and load any of the rest of these.