Let’s take a look at players our analysts consider on the fringe as you weigh your waiver wire additions for the Week 5.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Players to Drop & Hold (Week 5)
Droppable
Mike Gesicki simply isn’t playing enough snaps or running enough routes. He had a 4-41-1 day in Week 2 but has had just 4-30-0 in his other three games combined.
Mark Ingram shared work with Latavius Murray in Week 4 after Alvin Kamara was declared out with a ribs injury. Since even a Kamara injury isn’t enough to give Ingram fantasy value, he’s dead weight on rosters.
The Bills ostensibly drafted James Cook to be their pass-catching back, but now Josh Akken is simply throwing to starting RB Devin Singletary, who has 13 receptions on 16 targets over the last two weeks. Cook played two snaps in Week 4.
After being shut out in his first two games, Cole Kmet has 5-56-0 on six targets in his last two games. The Bears simply aren’t throwing enough to animate Kmet’s fantasy value.
The Kenny Pickett era has begun. Hold this clipboard, please, Mitchell Trubisky.
The Greg Dortch party was fun while it lasted, but with Rondale Moore back from a hamstring injury in Week 4, Dortch played only about one-third of the Cardinals’ offensive snaps and had one catch for six yards.
Droppable with a chance of regret
After putting up 7-114-0 in his Week 1 Saints debut, Jarvis Landry has had 8-54-0 in the three games since. Landry has a long and successful track record, but Chris Olave appears to be on his way to stardom, and Michael Thomas has shown that he can still command a big target share. That doesn’t leave much meat on the bone for Landry.
Joshua Palmer drew one target in Week 4 and had a 25-yard catch. He’s played a bigger role in other games this season, but Palmer’s role will shrivel as soon as Keenan Allen is back from a hamstring injury, which might be this week.
Rondale Moore made his season debut in Week 4 after missing the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury. He had 3-11-0 on five targets, along with one carry for a 4-yard loss. In other words, it was more of the same low-value opportunities. So much for the notion that Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury would use Rondale in a more optimal way.
Don’t drop yet
Chase Edmonds‘ snap share has shrunk with each successive week and fell to 28% in Week 4. He’s scored three touchdowns in his last two games, but obviously that sort of success isn’t sustainable on a low snap share. So, why are we holding? Because the player to whom Edmonds is losing snaps, Raheem Mostert, has been extremely brittle in recent years. If Mostert were to go down, Edmonds and his three-down skill set could become quite valuable.
Claypool has 11-79-0 receiving through four games. Diontae Johnson has an established track record, and George Pickens is an impressive-looking rookie. The outlook doesn’t appear bright for Claypool. But hold him another week or two to see what the Pittsburgh passing game looks like with rookie QB Kenny Pickett at the controls.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
