With so many players on bye in Week 5, fantasy football owners will be forced to scan the waiver wire for even the most vaguely fantasy-relevant players and dig for options who could provide replacement value.
NFL Week 5 byes double in number from Week 4 as the Panthers, Dolphins, Vikings and Jets get an opportunity to rest and reset. The Titans and Patriots now return from their byes. Let's take a look at some potential fantasy waiver-wire replacement options for those bye-week players.
MORE: Week 5 fantasy football rankings:
Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Defenses | Kickers
Best fantasy QB pickups for Bye Week 5
Byes: Cam Newton, Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater, Ryan Fitzpatrick
The Bears' Jay Cutler was 8-for-8 against the Cardinals before he threw a pick and finished the play injured, knocking him out from mid-Week 2 through Sunday, when he returned against the Raiders. Cutler helped Chicago give Green Bay a challenge Week 1 and put together a solid 281-yard, two-score game with one interception on Sunday to show the Bears don't have a dumpster fire offense.
He's a fine bye-week scoop-and-start as Cutler faces a Chiefs defense that had allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks even before Andy Dalton diced them on Sunday.
MORE: Fantasy football waiver wire for Week 5
Best fantasy RB pickups for Bye Week 5
Byes: Jonathan Stewart, Lamar Miller, Adrian Peterson, Chris Ivory
No Browns player received more targets than rookie RB Duke Johnson on Sunday. He had 10, going for nine catches, 85 yards and score. Throw in eight rushing attempts — including a goal-line carry when the game was on the line — and it appears the Browns are fully ready to use their third-round weapon. Given the struggles of Cleveland's defense and the scarcity of real threats on offense, Johnson is set to get fed in Week 5 and beyond.
Best fantasy WR pickups for Bye Week 5
Byes: Ted Ginn Jr., Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker, Rishard Matthews, Mike Wallace, Charles Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker
Steelers WR Martavis Bryant returns from suspension after four long weeks on fantasy benches, though he could be available in smaller leaguers where the Big Ben injury saw him dropped. Michael Vick played surprisingly well on Thursday with the conservative directive he was given by the coaching staff, and may earn the right to stretch the defense a bit more now that Bryant returns, as the two connected deep in the preseason. Markus Wheaton has not demanded a bigger share of targets, with just 156 yards and no scores in Bryant's absence. Update: Martavis Bryant is out for Monday night reportedly due to an knee injury in practice.
Best fantasy TE pickups for Bye Week 5
Byes: Greg Olsen, Jordan Cameron, Kyle Rudolph
The Colts' Coby Fleener only had 16.4-percent ownership in ESPN standard leagues entering Week 4, but appears to have the eye of Matt Hasselbeck, who could start again this Thursday in place of the injured Andrew Luck.
Hasselbeck means a smaller fantasy pie for this entire offense, but he did give Fleener 11 targets Sunday, second on the team, for 83 yards and a score. If Luck does play Thursday while recovering from the shoulder injury, it could mean fewer nine routes than usual and more short-to-intermediate, which could play into Fleener's favor.
Editor's note: The Sporting News Football Championship is here! Hosted by FanDuel, this exclusive event will feature 10 weeks of qualifiers, culminating in a FREE Week 11 Final with $20,000 in prizes. Sign up now!