Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups (2020 Fantasy Football)

I got some bad news for anyone seeking a waiver-wire savior to resuscitate a team on life support. The options aren’t particularly tempting heading into Week 5.

That’s not the case if Joshua Kelley (55% rostered) remains available, as Austin Ekeler could miss multiple weeks after suffering a hamstring injury Sunday. For everyone else, it’s a difficult time to require a sudden free-agent spark to make up for a deteriorating roster and incoming bye weeks. Of course, gamers also can’t rule out the possibility of additional COVID cases causing more postponements and scheduling chaos throughout the season.

Before hastily dropping a struggling top talent, now’s a good time to remember that you don’t have to make pick-ups every week. That’s not the case for many managers, though, as the Packers and Lions will each take an early breather. At least there are some solid quarterback streamers for those forced to replace Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. Managers missing Aaron Jones, on the other hand, hopefully have a decent alternative on the bench. The top adds may demand more patience to suss out their long-term roles.

Note: Rostered percentages provided via Yahoo leagues.

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Top 5 Waiver Targets of Week 4

Damien Harris (RB – NE): 30% Rostered
Just as the Patriots lost Sony Michel to a quad injury, they welcomed back Harris for his first appearance of 2020. The second-year rusher, who received just four carries as a rookie, turned 17 handoffs into 100 yards during an unplanned Monday night showcase. Although Michel was out, Harris still had to fend off Rex Burkhead and a returning James White for those opportunities. He may not give all of those reps back to Michel anytime soon.

Justin Jackson (RB – LAC): 6% Rostered
Ekeler appears IR bound with a significant hamstring injury that could cost him several weeks. Kelley will likely receive top billing in the Chargers’ backfield, but the rookie is only averaging 3.3 yards per run following a rough performance (nine rushes for seven yards) at Tampa Bay. Jackson, meanwhile, has averaged 2.3 yards after contact with an 81.3% catch rate over his career. He’ll likely factor into a committee at the minimum.

Tee Higgins (WR – CIN): 33% Rostered
While A.J. Green produced three yards on his five targets, Higgins caught four of seven targets for 77 yards in Week 4’s victory over the Jaguars. The rookie even added a 13-yard run, giving him 29.5 half-PPR points in the past two games.

Higgins is now Cincinnati’s second-most reliable fantasy receiver behind Tyler Boyd.

D’Ernest Johnson (RB – CLE): 3% Rostered
The Browns placed Nick Chubb on the IR with an MCL injury after he exited Week 4’s game early. Once the news hit, everyone strained their necks watching Kareem Hunt’s stock shoot to the moon. While Hunt is now a near RB1, especially with other studs injured and under-performing, Cleveland’s backfield may not be a one-man show. In Chubb’s absence, Johnson recorded 95 yards on 13 carries.

Before getting too carried away, the Browns spent most of the second half trying (and nearly failing) to run out the clock on a multi-touchdown lead over the Cowboys. The undrafted free agent and AAF star simply might have got dropped into the perfect game script. Yet options are severely limited at running back, and no team has run the rock more than Cleveland this season. Take a flier just in case Johnson assumes most of Chubb’s vacated carries.

Robert Tonyan (TE – GB): 27%
Fantasy managers have spent years chasing Green Bay tight ends, only for them to accomplish little alongside Aaron Rodgers. Tonyan, however, is looking like an exception. He’s found the end zone in each of the last three games, including three on Monday Night Football. Although the targets remain limited, they could also rise with the Packers hurting at wide receiver. Just remember that the Packers have a Week 5 bye, so you’ll need to have extra bench spots at your disposal to claim Tonyan now.

Notable Players 35-50% Rostered

Arizona Cardinals D/ST: 50%
Denver’s defense failed to dominate the Jets and delight fantasy streamers, producing no takeaways in a surprisingly high-scoring 37-28 victory. The Broncos did, however, tally six sacks. The Jets have given up 12 sacks on the season, and the Cardinals have 11 despite coming up empty at Carolina. That’s at least a few points fantasy managers can reasonably project. Despite a productive Week 4, Gang Green still ties their Meadowlands roommates for last in total yards, and those Giants are the only squad to register fewer points per game.

Chase Edmonds (RB – ARI): 35%
In a golden matchup against Carolina, Kenyan Drake exited another disappointing performance early with 35 yards. He reportedly just had the wind knocked out of him, which suggests he may not need to miss time. It’s worth stashing Edmonds anyway, as he has seen between 30-40% of Arizona’s snaps every game. He has more touchdowns (two) than Drake (one), who has frustratingly been a non-factor in the passing game. Edmonds, on the other hand, has 17 targets. Week 5 presents another advantageous spot for a running back against the Jets, so Edmonds would vault to RB2 status without Drake. Beyond that, the Cardinals could partake in a handful of shootouts against the Cowboys, Seahawks, Dolphins, and Bills. At the rate he’s going, a healthy Drake could lose more reps to Edmonds as the season progresses.

Notable Players 10-35% Rostered

Mo Alie-Cox (TE – IND): 32%
The bad news? Cox’s snaps, targets, and receptions have decreased in each of the last two games. Luckily, he’s nevertheless found the end zone in consecutive contests after breaking out for 111 yards in Week 2. His low usage beyond the end zone is befuddling, as Jack Doyle has also received just one target in two games since returning from the shelf. This hampers his value despite the touchdown production, but Alie-Cox could still blossom into a legitimate weekly starter if given the right role. His 14.9 yards per target and 17.6 yards per catch top all tight ends. He’s at least a reasonable bye-week replacement for T.J. Hockenson.

Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN): 29% 
Here’s what I wrote about Cousins last week: “After [Week 4], however, he faces the Seahawks and Falcons, the two worst defense in terms of passing yards and fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Because of those matchups, expect to see him here next week regardless of this weekend’s outcome.” Yep. Despite the lack of passing volume, he’s a reasonable streamer — but still a better QB2 with more upside than usual — as rookie Justin Jefferson emerges into a significant downfield threat.

Tre’Quan Smith (WR – NO): 27%
Smith has graced the waiver-wire column before, but I left him off last week with the possibility of Michael Thomas returning. Let’s not make that mistake again. Thomas missed his third game with an ankle injury, and Smith stepped up to score two touchdowns. He has produced 182 receiving yards in those three bouts while playing 92% of the Saints’ offensive snaps. Grab Smith just in case Thomas isn’t ready to return to action, but be ready to move on if the star wideout plays.

Laviska Shenault Jr. (WR – JAC): 24%
One of many dynamic rookie wide receivers, Shenault exploded for a career-high 86 receiving yards — along with an extra five-yard run — in Week 4. His 20 targets tie Chris Conley for second for Jacksonville, but he’s also picked up a few extra points with nine rushes. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, no receiver created more separation than the 22-year-old in Week 4, entering Monday night. Shenault is a game-breaking talent poised to establish himself as Jacksonville’s No. 2 receiver behind D.J. Chark.

Tony Pollard (RB – DAL): 22%
Last season, Pollard totaled 75 touches in Dallas’ seven double-digit victories. While he still finished most of those blowouts without a whimper, Ezekiel Elliott’s understudy exceeded 125 total yards while also finding the end zone in two of those contests. The Cowboys opened as nine-point favorites to throttle the 0-4 Giants at home, and that line should rise before Sunday. Pollard could work wonders as a desperation heave for managers hurting at running back.

Teddy Bridgewater (QB – CAR): 19%
Before the Falcons face Cousins, they host Bridgewater and the Panthers in Week 5. Carolina’s quarterback had his season’s best fantasy showing Sunday, pairing 276 passing yards and two touchdowns with 32 rushing yards and another score. He’s now averaging 18.0 fantasy points per contest with a 73.0% completion rate, 97.4 quarterback rating, and 8.1 yards per pass attempt. Consider Bridgewater a strong streamer against an abysmal Atlanta secondary.

Scotty Miller (WR – TB): 16%
If not for hip and groin injuries rendering him a game-time decision, Miller might have made a popular Week 4 sleeper. Active with Chris Godwin sidelined for the first of potentially multiple weeks, Miller secured five of seven targets for 83 yards and a touchdown.

That replicates Week 3’s yardage tally, and the second-year pro went for 79 total yards with Mike Evans largely serving as a decoy in Week 1. He’s proven a capable deep threat, reeling in a reception of over 35 yards in all three of those games while recording a 17.7-yard average depth of target this season. Now that Tom Brady is starting to percolate in Tampa Bay, Miller warrants WR3/4 consideration as long as Godwin is sidelined.

Cleveland Browns D/ST: 12%
The Browns have hemorrhaged 115 points in the past three games, but their defense has nonetheless finished in the green by producing three sacks each time. They’ve also tallied four interceptions (three off Dwayne Haskins) and, while likely not predictive, have recovered six fumbles this season. Myles Garrett and Co. make a high upside play against the interception-prone Phillip Rivers.

Notable Players <10% Rostered

Zach Pascal (WR – IND): 4%
With Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman Jr. both out, Pascal matched a once-again quiet T.Y. Hilton in snaps (54) while setting team-highs in targets (eight) and receiving yards (58). The 25-year-old could continue to see plenty of looks from Rivers in upcoming matchups against the Browns, Bengals, and Lions.

Drew Sample (TE – CIN): 3%
Sample has seen just one target in two of four games, but he’s also reached 45 yards in the other two. In those games, he received seven of 14 targets inside the end zone. The 24-year-old tight end has played 64 snaps in consecutive contests, so there’s a path to him establishing relevancy in Cincinnati’s offense.

Tim Patrick (WR – DEN): 2%
Patrick has found pay dirt in consecutive games, but his true breakout party occurred last Thursday night. He caught six of seven targets for 113 yards and was Pro Football Focus’s fifth-highest rated wide receiver of Week 4 prior to Monday night. Now that Noah Fant and KJ Hamler could both join Courtland Sutton on the inactive report, Patrick remains in line for a handful of targets regardless of Denver’s quarterback.

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