11 Fantasy Football Players to Drop or Hold (Week 5 Waiver Wire)

Let’s take a look at players our analysts consider on the fringe as you weigh your fantasy football waiver wire additions for the week. And check out all of our fantasy football waiver wire advice for Week 5.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice: Drop or Hold?

Drop Recommendations

Droppable

• Malik Nabers (WR – NYG)
• Jonnu Smith (TE – PIT)
• Dylan Sampson (RB – CLE)
• Jerome Ford (RB – CLE)
• Cam Ward (QB – TEN)

Reports indicate that Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers tore his ACL in Week 4 and will miss the rest of the season. His loss is obviously a crushing blow for his fantasy stakeholders.

Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is using an inscrutable three-man tight end rotation that renders all the Pittsburgh tight ends unusable for fantasy. Feel free to drop Jonnu Smith (or, for that matter, Pat Freiermuth).

Browns running backs had 23 carries in Week 4, and Quinshon Judkins accounted for 21 of them. The Cleveland backfield belongs to Judkins. Barring injury, Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford are unplayable, even in deep leagues.

Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, has impressive tools, but the Titans’ offense is a hot mess right now. It’s going to take time (and perhaps a coaching change) for Ward’s raw talent to translate into fantasy value.

Droppable With a Chance of Regret

• Christian Kirk (WR – HOU)
• David Njoku (TE – CLE)
• Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE)

Christian Kirk has turned in games of 3-25-0 and 3-20-0 since returning from a hamstring injury. He’s averaging just 4.1 yards per target. It’s fair to wonder if Kirk is capable of providing Flex-worthiness on a team with a true alpha receiver in Nico Collins and a putrid offensive line that sometimes short-circuits the Houston passing game.

Browns quarterback Joe Flacco has been atrocious in his last three games. At age 40, he might be toast. Behind Flacco are rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The quarterback situation in Cleveland might render all Browns pass-catchers unusable in fantasy. David Njoku put up big numbers while playing with Flacco late in the 2023 season, but that was a different Flacco than the one we’re seeing now. It’s not unreasonable to cut Njoku.

Cedric Tillman could be a worthwhile fantasy asset with the right quarterback. But as noted above, Joe Flacco probably isn’t the right quarterback for the Browns anymore. Tillman also sustained a hamstring injury on Sunday. With the bye weeks arriving, you might not have the luxury of being able to hold Tillman.

Don’t Drop Yet

• Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. – (RB – NYG)
• Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)

Ladd McConkey probably shouldn’t be on this list, because no clear-thinking fantasy manager would consider cutting McConkey despite his slow start. But some of you get angry and impatient and want to rage-cut players. We beg you: Do not rage-cut McConkey. His current numbers don’t match his prodigious talent. Things will get better.

Last week, we included Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the Droppable With a Chance of Regret category. We’ve reconsidered and believe you should try to hold Tracy while he recovers from a dislocated shoulder. Two reasons for that: (1) Cam Skattebo‘s ultra-physical style could jeopardize his health, and (2) the season-ending injury to Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers could mean a target redistribution that benefits Tracy. Keep Tracy on your roster if possible.

Isiah Pacheco has been a colossal disappointment to his investors, but a running back who gets something close to a half share of the running back workload in a pretty good offense can be a useful asset when the bye weeks kick in. Unless you’re absolutely flush at running back, hold Pacheco in case bye weeks and injuries conspire to trip you up.