Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups, Week 5: Replacements for David Montgomery, Joe Mixon

Fantasy football rankings for waiver wire pickups in Week 5 as managers look for replacements for David Montgomery, Joe Mixon and more. 

There were some monster fantasy football performances throughout this past week but also some big injuries. Most notably, Bears running back David Montgomery and Bengals running back Joe Mixon went down in their respective games while in the midst of nice seasons. Montgomery is expected to miss 4-5 weeks. Mixon is being called week-to-week but that’s what head coach Zac Taylor said last year when the back missed 10 weeks.

Fantasy football managers will either now need to replace those valuable cogs on the roster or just pick up their backups and benefit from them going from the waiver wire to being incredibly valuable.

Beyond the Montgomery and Mixon replacements, though, we also have some other valuable waiver wire adds that could help you while it’s still early in the fantasy football season. All told, we’ve ranked our top six targets heading into Week 5.

Note: All roster percentages, rankings and stats are via ESPN Fantasy.

Fantasy football waiver wire targets for Week 5

Damien Williams, RB, Bears (15 percent rostered) – Keep an eye on Williams as he did leave Week 4 with a thigh bruise (and pick up Khalil Herbert if the veteran’s status is in question) but Williams has huge value with Montgomery out. He’s a proven veteran who offers pass-catching upside, notching eight carries for 55 yards and a score along with two catches for 15 yards when he came in. He could win you some weeks with his upside.

Samaje Perine, RB, Bengals (2.5 percent rostered) – I’m certainly less enthused by Perine than Williams but the loss of Mixon opens the door for the veteran who is familiar with the Bengals offense and should have no issue earning the faith of the coaching staff. If you are in need of volume at running back, he should be a decent offense.

Sam Darnold, QB, Panthers (27 percent rostered) – Do you think situation matters for quarterbacks? Through four weeks, Sam Darnold is the QB5 in fantasy football. He’s not scored fewer than 18.9 points in any week and, though his rushing touchdowns (a stat where he shockingly leads the league right now) are sure to come down. Still, he’s been too good to still be available in nearly three-quarters of leagues.

Dalton Schultz, TE, Cowboys (30.7 percent rostered) – Even the most favorable preseason projections for Schultz likely didn’t have him as the TE3 in PPR leagues after four weeks. But he’s been lighting up teams over the past two games with 12 catches for 138 yards and three touchdowns. Is that likely to subside? Definitely — but he also has six or more targets in three of four games, highlighting that he’ll continue to play a huge role in one of the NFL’s best offenses.

Darnell Mooney, WR, Bears (46.1 percent rostered) – Simply by being the No. 2 pass-catcher, many fantasy football managers have long had an eye on Mooney. While solid through the first two weeks, a dud in Week 3 was followed with a monster game in Week 4. He and Justin Fields have a clear connection and, as long as the rookie starts (which should be the rest of the year but, you know, Matt Nagy things), Mooney is going to have big value.

A.J. Green, WR, Cardinals (36.2 percent rostered) – It’s time for another round of which Cardinals receiver do you want. Everyone on this roster has flashed to this point as they are chucking it all over. But Green is shockingly the team’s leading receiver with a 15-248-2 line to start his tenure in Arizona. With six targets in every game this year, he should continue to have a strong floor, which makes him worthwhile.