Fantasy Football 2017: Waiver wire targets for Week 5
With another crop of injuries taking key players out of action, a look at the five biggest waiver wire targets in fantasy football.
Unfortunately, the one constant of every NFL season is injuries. First and foremost, it stinks to see players be taken out of the game they love for periods of time. It’s the most unfair reality of a physical game. For many fans, though, that feeling of empathy for players is exacerbated by also losing those players on their fantasy football roster.
We’ve already seen a number of crucial injuries this season, most notably for fantasy in Week 1 when David Johnson went down. However, we saw another key running back go down in Week 4 as Minnesota Vikings rookie Dalvin Cook suffered a torn ACL. Obviously, he’s out for the year.
Additional injuries to Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota also occurred in Week 4, but are less serious than Cook’s. Regardless, fantasy football owners are undoubtedly looking for both replacements and potential sleepers.
With that in mind, let’s get into the Fantasy Football waiver wire targets for Week 5. (Note: All players are under 50 percent owned on ESPN.com.)
5. Wendell Smallwood, RB, Eagles (47.2 percent owned)
With Darren Sproles being another player out for a while due to injury, it would appear that Wendell Smallwood is taking over that role for him in the Eagles offense. He had 17 points in PPR scoring this past week, doing a little bit of damage in both the rushing and receiving game. Smallwood had 10 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown and four receptions for 45 yards on Sunday.
Because of his assumed role in the passing game, he has a high floor in PPR leagues. However, if he’s seeing 15 or more touches per game in this new role, he should be added in all formats.
4. Jared Goff, QB, Rams (13.0 percent owned)
Maybe the Cowboys defense isn’t good at all, but Jared Goff and the Rams proved themselves against high level competition for the first time this season. And the results determined that this offense under new head coach Sean McVay is legitimately. Right now, Goff is the No. 10 quarterback in fantasy this season.
Frankly, there’s a chance that he just gets better as he garners more experience throughout the season. Whatever the case, he clearly has a high floor in this offense as a fantasy QB, and the fact that he could potentially have a high ceiling as well makes his ownership percentage a bit befuddling.
3. Devin Funchess, WR, Panthers (24.8 percent owned)
Everyone thought that Kelvin Benjamin would be out for Week 4, so they hyped up Devin Funchess as a pickup for last week. Then came the late-week injury reports, and it became clear that Benjamin actually was going to play. As a result, people changed their course on Funchess. So, naturally, he had a monster day with seven catches, 70 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps the biggest key for Funchess is simply Cam Newton and the offense getting right. That happened in Week 4. If it starts to happen with consistency, he’s a viable WR2/3 option moving forward. It’s a risk, but a calculated one.
2. Latavius Murray, RB, Vikings (17.1 percent owned)
With Cook going down, the Vikings free-agent signing in Murray is the assumed new featured back in the offense. He had just seven carries for 21 yards when relieving the rookie in Week 4, but there’s hope for upside. First off, there’s something to be said for going into the game when you know you’re the starter.
On top of that, though, Murray has never been a yards per carry type of runner. He’s a big guy that’s going to bang and bruise the defense. If the Vikings get in close, he’s most certainly going to get the rock and be able to grab your squad six fantasy points.
1. Deshaun Watson, QB, Texans (29.6 percent owned)
After coming in to get beaten up by the Jaguars in Week 1 and then struggling in Week 2, Deshaun Watson has found his groove already. He had 20 points in Week 3 and then was the No. 1 quarterback in Week 4. Granted, he hasn’t played the best defenses, but Bill O’Brien is letting the rookie sling the thing around the yard right now.
Next up he plays the Chiefs, who aren’t a cake walk, but can be beaten in the passing game. Meanwhile, they play the Browns in Week 6 before going into the bye. If Watson is hot as bye weeks are starting, you should snag him now and get in while you still can.
Others Receiving Votes
Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Bears (2.3 percent owned) – This is quite literally a hunch and nothing else. However, I believe that Trubisky will be a breath of fresh air to the Bears offense and could have sneaky value.
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints (42.5 percent owned) – With Ingram and Peterson not looking great, the rookie has been the best back in New Orleans. His workload is only going up.
Wayne Gallman, RB, Giants (0.8 percent owned) – Gallman made his debut for the Giants in Week 4 and ended up with 11 carries. More importantly, he scored a touchdown and looked like the best back for Big Blue by a mile. Expect an increasing workload here.
Allen Hurns, WR, Jaguars (40.1 percent owned) – Point totals of seven and eight aren’t great, but those are Hurns’ low this season along with an 11- and 20-point game. You never like Bortles, but he does have some connection with Hurns.
Will Fuller, WR, Texans (18.9 percent owned) – Fuller made his return from injury this past week and caught two touchdowns. Don’t expect that to keep up, but do count on Watson taking shots down the field to the speedster. If you want a boom-or-bust option, he’s your guy.
Alex Collins, RB, Ravens (5.9 percent owned) – This is likely a stash, but Collins has looked better than Terrance West and Buck Allen, and seems to have taken over the former’s role. More importantly, he’s been breaking off big runs, taking nine carries for 82 yards in each of the past two weeks.
Ed Dickson, TE, Panthers (7.1 percent owned) – With Olsen out and Carolina finding a groove, Dickson caught three balls for 62 yards on Sunday. Perhaps that’s his baseline if the offense can stay hot.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams (34.9 percent owned) – Kupp is the 35th ranked PPR receiver so far this season, but he’s been inconsistent with two weeks of 17 points and then nine points combined in the other two. Still, this offense is humming and he’s a major player in it.
Aaron Jones, RB, Packers (1.3 percent owned) – With Ty Montgomery injured, that made way for rookie Aaron Jones. He took 13 carries for 49 yards and touchdown. Many liked him coming out and, if Montgomery misses any time, he could have a nice day at least in Week 5 against Dallas’ run defense.
Tyler Kroft, TE, Bengals (0.3 percent owned) – Like clockwork, Tyler Eifert is hurt again. Unlike in most cases, though, Kroft stepped in with a huge week, notching six catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
Kendall Wright, WR, Bears (14.6 percent owned) – With the injuries to Chicago’s receivers, Wright is ostensibly the No. 1 option. He’s just had Mike Glennon throwing to him. As Trubisky comes in, he’s more intriguing.
J.D. McKissic, RB, Seahawks (0.2 percent owned) – Chris Carson is out, C.J. Prosise’s status seems perpetually up in the air, and Eddie Lacy might not be good anymore. Meanwhile, McKissic scored twice on only five touchdowns in Week 4. He’s an intriguing guy to watch.
Andre Ellington, RB, Cardinals (29.9 percent owned) – Ellington hasn’t been great as a rusher, notching 40 yards on 10 carries combined in the past two weeks. However, if you’re in PPR leagues, he also has 14 catches for 155 yards over those two games.
Cameron Brate, TE, Buccaneers (24.0 percent owned) – O.J. Howard is the bigger name and had the long touchdown, but Brate is the more consistent target. He had 13 PPR points in Week 3 and upped it to 18 in Week 4. I think this offense is about to explode, and Brate will have his part in it.