Sammie Coates was targeted early and often in Week 5
News broke that Charles Sims is headed to injured reserve and while the Bucs have a bye next week, Jacquizz Rodgers will surely become more valuable while Doug Martin is still recovering from his hamstring issue. Even if Rodgers doesn’t excite you, there were a few standouts in Week 5 that nobody expected who may have greater contributions in the weeks ahead.
Below, you’ll find a consensus set of waiver wire rankings from the pundits. Find out which players you should consider adding that are likely still available in your league (all players listed have under 50% consensus ownership from Yahoo & ESPN). You’ll also find specific players the experts are high on along with defenses to consider streaming ahead of Week 6. The waiver rankings will also update as more experts chime in.
Get more advice with our Waiver Wire Assistant 
Featured Experts:
Bill Enright – FFChamps
Adam Meyer – Fox Sports
Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros
*Ownership % derived from a consensus of Yahoo & ESPN leagues
Q1. Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.
“Sammie Coates is taking over the role left behind by Martavis Bryant. It’s not Markus Wheaton. It’s certainly NOT Darrius Heyward-Bey. It’s the 2nd year wide receiver who often struggles with drops, but is an absolute athletic freak with BIG play potential as we saw in Week 5. Back-to-back weeks with six catches with 19 targets during that span.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)
“Sammie Coates could have had four touchdowns this week had he not dropped two catchable passes. If that had been the case, people would be paying a $60 FAAB for him. Being on the opposite side of Antonio Brown should afford him further opportunities, with which he should continue to see improvement with. Coates is the only available player that I’d feel confident starting more than half of the games for the rest of the season. I am also especially fond of Karlos Williams, who would be an RB1 in the right offense if the starter goes down.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
“Every year, James Starks‘ name surfaces as a quality running back free agent. Eventually, someone who drafts the starting RB in GB should just hang onto Starks. When Eddie Lacy went down with an ankle injury, Starks filled in. He rushed for 33 yards on 12 carries and caught three passes for 19 yards. The Packers host the Cowboys this week.”
– Adam Meyer (Fox Sports)
Q2. For owners renting a D/ST in Week 5, what readily available option should they target and why?
“Who’s the quarterback for Cleveland? I’m not sure either. So, let’s target the fourth (or is it fifth?) option and get the defense facing him. The Tennessee Titans‘ defense has prevented their opponents from scoring over 17 points in three of the past four games, too.”
– Adam Meyer (Fox Sports)
“The best defense in the NFL (Vikings) is on a bye and you CAN’T drop them, but since you’ll need a replacement check out the Tennessee Titans who get the pleasure of facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. The Titans are coming off a road win against the Dolphins where they sacked Ryan Tannehill six times and picked him off twice. The QB-Less Browns will likely start Charlie Whitehurst or Cody Kessler, either way, it’s looking like a double-digit performance for the Titans at home.”
– Bill Enright (FFChamps)
“Whether the Browns start Cody Kessler, Charlie Whitehurst or Terrelle Pryor at QB, the Tennessee Titans defense has to be the top add of the week. They have been much better than expected and spend a lot of time on offense with the football so they should continue to surprise fantasy owners. The next best option, as usual, is the team opposite of Case Keenum’s Rams. This week it is the Detroit Lions so expect several turnovers forced from them.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
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Thank you to the experts for ranking the top readily available waiver options. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter for more advice.
