Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Advice

Another week of fantasy football is in the books so let’s turn our attention to Week 5 of the NFL season where we find the Jaguars, Chiefs, Saints and Seahawks all on byes which likely leave many owners scrambling to the waiver wire for replacements.  So without further ado, here are the top players to add heading into Week 5 of the fantasy football season.

-FAAB bids based off of $100 budget

Quarterback

Carson Wentz, PHI- Wentz will be coming off a bye in Week 5 to face a Lions defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.  Couple that with the fact that Wentz in Week 3 had his best game as a professional as he threw for 301 yards and two scores against the Steelers I would say he should be the top added quarterback this week.  Wentz is currently owned in about 35 percent of standard leagues so if you find yourself in need of a bye week replacement then I suggest the rookie from Philly.

FAAB Bid $10-$15

Brian Hoyer, CHI- Hoyer has been incredibly effective as a member of the Bears having completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 697 yards and four touchdowns.  Bears head coach John Fox made comments on Monday that some felt indicated that Hoyer could remain as the Bears starter even when Jay Cutler’s injured thumb is healed enough for him to return to action.  Hoyer has had a few shots to start in the NFL but found his most success as a starter last year with the Texans where he completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions over 11 games.  In Week 5 the Bears will travel to Indianapolis to face a Colts defense that allowed two touchdowns to Blake Bortles in Week 4 and have already allowed two games of more than 320 yards passing this season.  Hoyer is currently owned in less than five percent of standard leagues so he is definitely sitting on the waiver wire for you to grab.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Joe Flacco, BAL- Flacco enters week five owned in about 30 percent of standard leagues but with four teams on a bye he figures to see his ownership climb as owners look for a replacement.  In Week 5 Flacco draws a favorable home matchup against a Redskins team that has allowed five passing touchdowns over the first four weeks of the season and typically struggle on the road.  The Ravens offense has plenty of weapons in the passing game and Steve Smith Sr. is looking like he is back to 100 percent health which has lead to Joe Flacco targeting him with every chance he gets. Flacco should be a solid play in Week 5 against Washington.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Running Back

Bilal Powell, NYJ- With news following Sunday’s game that the Matt Forte was seen getting carted to the x-ray room there should be plenty of fantasy owner scrambling to add Powell heading into Week 5.  Powell is currently owned in under 40 percent of standard leagues and is a great PPR play after having caught 12 passes for 95 yards over the last two weeks.  In Week 5 the Jets will face off against a Steelers defense that has struggled this season against opposing running backs and could make Powell a solid option if Forte finds himself out of the lineup.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Terrance West, BAL- Kenneth Dixon has been the popular sleeper back to add in recent weeks but as I mentioned in last week’s article people should not sleep on Terrence West just yet.  Heading into Week 4 he had been out producing Justin Forsett yet was sharing the workload which limited his overall upside and then the news came down that Forsett was going to be inactive on Sunday which paved the way for West to see the majority of the touches and he rumbled his way to 113 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against the Raiders.  This type of effort likely lead to the release of Forsett on Tuesday and should have earned him enough confidence from the coaching staff to let him lead the way in Week 5 against a Redskins defense that hasn’t stopped anybody on the ground this season.  West is currently owned in 45 percent of standard leagues but that total should quickly be on the rise heading into Week 5.

FAAB Bid-$5-$10

James White, NE- White’s ownership in standard leagues is still around 20 percent after watching LeGarrette Blount rumble over opposing defenses for the first three weeks of the season while New England deployed backup QB’s Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brisset in the wake of Tom Brady’s suspension.  Fortunately for White the Patriots will have Tom Brady back at quarterback heading into Week 5 against the Browns and this will significantly boost the New England passing attack.  Brady has never shied away from throwing to capable receiving backs like White and as along as Dion Lewis is still on IR he should see his fair share of looks.  In Week 4 against the Bills White caught five passes for 50 yards and in PPR formats now is a great time to add him as multiple teams find themselves on a bye.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Wide Receiver

Robert Woods, BUF- With the Bills placing Sammy Watkins on IR the focus will turn to Woods as the team’s new No.1 receiver.  Woods is currently owned in just about 10 percent of standard leagues so he should be floating around your leagues waiver wire.  Against New England in Week 4 Woods caught 7-of-10 targets for 89 yards and has now been targeted 18 times over the past two weeks by Tyrod Taylor.  Woods has been a solid No.2 receiving option in Buffalo and he has likely been limited himself due to poor quarterback play over recent years but if he is going to see this type of volume in the passing attack he is worth adding.

FAAB Bid- $10-$15

Eddie Royal, CHI- With Kevin White suffering in Week 4 Eddie Royal stepped up in a big way by catching all seven targets for 111 yards and a touchdown.  Royal is averaging just over five targets a game this season for 60 yards and has already scored two touchdowns.  Fantasyplayers should be very familiar with Mr. Royal as he often finds himself putting up a few big games each year which have owners scrambling to pick him up but ultimately his real value is in PPR formats as he is unlikely to put up many points if he doesn’t find the end zone.

FAAB Bid- $5-$10

Marqise Lee- Lee has really found himself involved in the Jaguars passing game in recent weeks having received target totals of seven, seven and six while averaging nearly five catches a contest.  While the overall production from Lee hasn’t been anything too special it’s the fact that he is seeing this volume of targets in a pass heavy Jaguars offense is where his real value lies.  Lee is worth a look in PPR formats if you find yourself in deeper formats and in need of a bye week replacement.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Tight End

Hunter Henry, SD- Henry was a popular add heading into Week 4 and he did little to hurt his value and now becomes a must add heading into Week 5 after he caught 4-of-7 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown.  It’s a known fact that Philip Rivers likes to target his tight ends and Henry has now seen 12 targets over the past two weeks.  Henry is still only owned in 25 percent of standard leagues and with four teams on a bye in Week 5 that number should sky rocket.  The Chargers in Week 5 will face off against a Raiders defense that has struggled mightily against the pass this season and should bode well for Henry’s value.

FAAB Bid $5-$10

Cameron Brate, TB- Brate’s ownership is currently under 10 percent in standard leagues but after his Week 4 performance he has now caught 10 passes on 18 targets for 113 yards over the last two weeks.  The Buccaneers offensive is heavily reliant on the throwing arm of Jameis Winston while Doug Martin is injured and with the Buccaneers struggling to find a consistent No.2 receiving options behind Mike Evans a player like Brate at a shallow position such as tight end is worth snagging.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5

Charles Clay, BUF- The Bills new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn told reporters he would like to see Clay more involved in the team’s passing attack and in Week 4 that request came through as Clay caught five passes on seven targets for 47 yards.  While numbers are a bit pedestrian they were a big upgrade from his zero target performances against the Cardinals just a week earlier.  With Sammy Watkins placed on IR the Bills will be looking for other receiving options and it’s likely that Robert Woods and Charles Clay lead the way in that department.  Clay has proven capable of being a productive tight end in this league before with his most notable season coming back in 2013 where he caught 69 passes for 759 yards and six touchdowns as a member of the Dolphins.

FAAB Bid- $0-$5