Woody Marks will rightfully dominate FAAB bidding this week, but he serves as a great reminder of why it is good to be a week early on fantasy running backs.
Marks also led this article last week, and while he likely blew up on the bench for those who grabbed him then, moving him from the bench to the starting lineup does not cost any FAAB dollars.
There probably are not any under the radar backs on Marks' level this week, but there are still a few names worth a look as we try to get ahead of the market.
We also have our first bye week of the season, setting up an interesting week on the waiver wire.
As a reminder, recommended adds are available in at least 60% of ESPN leagues, and the watch list consists of players worth monitoring.
The deep cuts section for running backs and receivers highlights players who are rostered in fewer than 5% of ESPN leagues, for all you “not in my league” degens.
I will not list recommended FAAB percentages for every player because there is a much better resource for researching what you need to bid, thanks to our friends at FAABLab.
Finally, I will not be ranking kickers and defenses because, frankly, I don’t care about them and would like to see them disappear from the game.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s get to it.
Contents
Best Week 5 Wavier Wire Pickups: Quarterback
- Jaxson Dart
- Bryce Young
- Mac Jones
Best Week 5 Wavier Wire Pickups: Running Back
- Woody Marks
- Tyjae Spears
- Michael Carter
- Emari Demercado
- Tyler Allgeier
- Chris Rodriguez
- Kendre Miller
- Kenneth Gainwell
- Sean Tucker
Best Week 5 Wavier Wire Pickups: Wide Receiver
- Malik Washington
- Darius Slayton
- Elic Ayomanor
- Romeo Doubs
- Kendrick Bourne
- Parker Washington
- Christian Kirk
- Isaiah Bond
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Best Week 5 Wavier Wire Pickups: Tight Ends
- Dalton Schultz
- Mason Taylor
- Tommy Tremble
- Darren Waller
- Brenton Strange
Quarterback Waiver Targets, Week 5
1. Jaxson Dart, Giants — Available in 78.9% of ESPN leagues
Dart is not going to be an every week starter in one quarterback leagues, especially after losing Malik Nabers, but we saw why he could be a quality streaming option this year in his first career start. Despite struggling as a passer including several potential red flags — 15% off target rate is less than ideal, especially given his average depth of target — Dart was the QB10 in a tough matchup because he was second among all quarterbacks in rushing fantasy points. He is worth a look again this week in a good matchup against the Saints.
2. Bryce Young, Panthers — Available in 90.1% of ESPN leagues
Outside of his 328 yards spurred by garbage time production against the Cardinals, Young has thrown for 154, 121, and 150 yards in his other three starts. His 5.2 yards per attempt average ranks 31st among 33 qualified quarterbacks. This week, though, he gets a Dolphins defense that has been beaten up by opposing quarterbacks all year and has given up production on the ground to opposing passers.
3. Mac Jones, 49ers — Available in 98.3% of ESPN leagues
Brock Purdy looks truly questionable for Thursday night, potentially opening up another start for Jones. He threw for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns and 284 yards and 1 touchdown in his two starts earlier this year. The Rams have not given up a ton of points to quarterbacks this season, but they also are not an imposing matchup given their issues in the secondary.
Watch List: Geno Smith has been all over the place this season. The Colts defense has done about as expected, giving up good games to Bo Nix and Matthew Stafford while holding down Tua Tagovailoa and Cam Ward. Smith might fit more in that second group…After allowing 318 yards and 3 touchdowns to Justin Herbert in the season opener, the Chiefs defense has tightened up in the last three games. Trevor Lawrence has 1 or fewer passing touchdowns in three games this year…Drake Maye got there on the back of a rushing touchdown last week, but the Panthers have been quietly okay against the pass. Tua Tagovailoa will also be without Tyreek Hill moving forward…Marcus Mariota would once again be worth a look if Jayden Daniels is not able to return this week…The Bucs have given up the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season, but a lot of that has been on the ground. Sam Darnold has 3 rushing attempts all season, and the Seahawks are going to limit his attempts as much as possible…Lamar Jackson is likely to sit this week, but Cooper Rush is not an enticing streaming option…Dillon Gabriel is expected to take over the Browns starting job. That could make him fantasy relevant in the future, especially if the Browns keep throwing, but this week's matchup against the Vikings is not the spot to chase it.
Running Back Waiver Targets, Week 5
1. Woody Marks, Texans — Available in 66.7% of ESPN leagues
Marks led this list last week, and I hope you got him then. He is going to cost a lot more FAAB dollars this time around. Building off our stats from last week, this is Marks' usage thus far this season:
- Week 1: 7 snaps, 3 touches
- Week 2: 13 snaps, 4 touches
- Week 3: 29 snaps, 7 touches
- Week 4: 38 snaps, 21 touches
The most promising thing for Marks is the game script in Week 4. Despite a blowout that would seemingly be a better fit for Nick Chubb, Marks played more snaps and got more carries against the Titans. With Joe Mixon nowhere close to returning — and potentially out for the year based on beat writer reports — Marks is a must add everywhere.
2. Tyjae Spears, Titans — Available in 72.1% of ESPN leagues
Spears is going to return to practice this week, and it sounds like he has a decent shot at suiting up against the Cardinals. As Cam Ward said, the Tennessee offense has been “ass” through four games, and Tony Pollard is currently 44th among qualified running backs in yards per touch and 39th in explosive run rate. The Titans could look to get Spears involved as a way to spark the offense. Ultimately, Spears will likely end up on the wrong side of a committee in one of the worst offenses in the league, which is not great, but there is at least a path to real touches if the Titans decide to see what they have in the younger back. That makes Spears worth a bench stash for now.
3. Michael Carter, Cardinals — Available in 100% of ESPN leagues
4. Emari Demercado, Cardinals — Available in 97.5% of ESPN leagues
There was no buzz about an injury to Trey Benson following Arizona's loss last Thursday, but Benson was not at the first practice of the week for the Cardinals. Arizona does not have to issue an official injury report until Wednesday, so it is tough to know what to do with this situation. Who to target is also a puzzle. Demercado played the final drive and got the touchdown, but he has been more of a passing-down option throughout his career. The Cardinals signed Carter to the official roster on Monday, and he profiles as a better fit for that lead role. Carter would be my target, but there are a lot of moving pieces here.
5. Tyler Allgeier, Falcons — Available in 64.5% of ESPN leagues
Allgeier is like the premium version of the Chris Rodriguez and Kareem Hunt archetype. He is going to get touches every week. If the Falcons can stay in their preferred game script, he is going to get a decent chunk of touches, and he is a threat for the end zone. More than those other two, though, he has big contingency value if something were to happen to Bijan Robinson, making him a much better bench stash than those other two. He is only behind Spears because the Falcons are on bye this week.
6. Chris Rodriguez, Commanders — Available in 95% of ESPN leagues
As I wrote last week, I would rather stash someone like Kendre Miller (below) than Rodriguez on my bench, but if you need someone who is going to get touches this week, Rodriguez at least fits that bill. He led the Washington backfield in snaps in Week 4, though he touched the ball two fewer times than Bill Croskey-Merritt. Rodriguez almost certainly needs a touchdown to hit as a bye-week replacement, but that opportunity is there.
7. Kendre Miller, Saints — Available in 94.4% of ESPN leagues
Miller got some real run in Week 4, and he paid off with 65 rushing yards and a touchdown. For the season, Miller is averaging 4.4 yards per touch to 3.9 for Alvin Kamara, and that difference is 5.0 to 3.4 over the last two games. Kamara is still there, however, easily outsnapped Miller in Week 4, and ran 24 routes to just 3 for Miller in that game. Miller is unlikely to be a real fantasy factor as long as Kamara is ahead of him on the depth chart, but there are multiple avenues to that changing for the rebuilding Saints.
8. Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers — Available in 64.4% of ESPN leagues
Gainwell would be much more interesting if the Steelers had a game this week, but they are on bye. That should give Jaylen Warren enough time to recover from his injury — he was expected to play and warmed up on Sunday morning — which would send Gainwell back to his secondary role. Gainwell did produce when given the chance, though, and Warren's injury may be more severe than we know. That makes Gainwell worth a stash for those with a bench spot available.
9. Sean Tucker, Bucs — Available in 99.5% of ESPN leagues
Bucky Irving is likely fine after seemingly playing through his injury in Week 4, but coach Todd Bowles did mention the running back would head for an MRI this week. That makes this a situation to monitor. Rachaad White is the priority add over Tucker (available in 50% of ESPN leagues), but Tucker is also worth a look in deeper formats until we know about Irving's status.
Watch List: Kareem Hunt falls into that Chris Rodriguez mold. He is going to get touches. He may fall into the end zone. There is value in that if you need someone this week, but there are better bench stashes. One of those better stashes is teammate Brashard Smith, who looks like he could help the Chiefs become more explosive…I think Ollie Gordon is closer to the Hunt side of the spectrum than he is to a true upside stash because Jaylen Wright is a more like-for-like replacement for De'Von Achane…Braelon Allen suffered a knee injury on Monday night that is expected to send him to injured reserve. Isaiah Davis will take over the secondary spot on the depth chart behind Breece Hall…Blake Corum continues to eat into Kyren Williams‘ snap and touch share. It remains worth watching…Ray Davis is a pure handcuff at this point…Rico Dowdle is nearly in a timeshare with Chuba Hubbard. Unfortunately, it is in a bad offense, and Dowdle has not been efficient with his opportunities.
Deep Cuts: DJ Giddens is just a handcuff, but he is a high-upside one…I also don't know why the Patriots keep giving Antonio Gibson touches, but here we are…Zavier Scott is the back to know behind Jordan Mason…I still wonder if we will see Tahj Brooks get some run as the Bengals look for an answer on offense.
Wide Receiver Waiver Targets, Week 5
1. Malik Washington, Dolphins — Available in 97.9% of ESPN leagues
There are players below Washington on this list who have a higher median outcome — Ayomanor and Doubs stand out — but the upside case for Washington puts him in the top spot. The Tyreek Hill injury opens a massive void in Miami's target tree, and Washington has a skill set that can help fill that role. Now, for the cold water. Washington only ran a route on 53.3% of the dropbacks with Hill out of the game on Monday night, and that rate has been 57.1% with Hill out but Jaylen Waddle on the field this season. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (below) could end up running more routes, especially in heavier sets. We also don't know how much touchdown equity Washington can bring. Still, a Hill trade or injury was the upside outcome for Washington this season, and that is what we are looking at here.
2. Darius Slayton, Giants — Available in 96.4% of ESPN leagues
Unsurprisingly, the Giants did not really push the ball down the field in Jaxson Dart‘s first start — he averaged just 6.3 air yards per target — but Dart's college profile suggests he will throw deep often in the NFL once he gets settled in. With Malik Nabers out for the season, Slayton is in a good position to soak up those targets. With Nabers off the field last year, Slayton was second on the team in targets behind Wan'Dale Robinson — also a good add where available — but led the team with 1.82 yards per route run. He went for 8-122-1 and 6-57-0 in his two games without Nabers last season.
3. Elic Ayomanor, Titans — Available in 68.9% of ESPN leagues
Calvin Ridley was apparently dealing with an undisclosed injury last week, but the trend has been toward Ayomanor so far this season, and there is little reason for the going nowhere Titans to shy away from their young receiver. With Ridley only running a route on 41.4% of the dropbacks against the Texans, Ayomanor commanded a 30.4% target share and 52.3% of Tennessee's air yards. That only resulted in 2 catches for 44 yards as the Titans continue to struggle on offense, but Ayomanor might just be the No. 1 receiver for this team.
4. Romeo Doubs, Packers — Available in 63.3% of ESPN leagues
Some dropped Doubs last week, and that did not work out well. But I am in no position to call that out, because I liked Dontayvion Wicks over him following Jayden Reed‘s injury. That was not smart. I apologize. The Packers are on bye this week, which puts a damper on Doubs' waiver value, and we know how up and down this passing game can be. Still, Doubs is going to be on the field and a threat for touchdowns.
5. Kendrick Bourne, 49ers — Available in 99.7% of ESPN leagues
If you just need someone for this week, I would have Bourne ahead of everyone except Ayomanor and Slayton. Jauan Jennings has been working through an injury for several weeks, and Ricky Pearsall is a real question mark with the 49ers playing on Thursday night. The Rams have been a target for receiver production since Ahkello Witherspoon went down.
6. Parker Washington, Jaguars — Available in 99.2% of ESPN leagues
It did not happen in Week 4, with Washington going catchless on 2 targets, but he ran the most routes among Jacksonville's receivers and made a big play on special teams. His route rate will likely crash once Dyami Brown is ready to return, but Washington is going to be on the field until that happens.
7. Christian Kirk, Texans — Available in 68.5% of ESPN leagues
There were some red flags for Kirk in Week 4. His route rate slipped to 62.5%, and his target share dropped to 14.3%. The game script likely played a role in that, though, and he was still targeted on 20% of his routes. Kirk is not an exciting fantasy play, but he should offer targets in deeper leagues, especially PPR formats.
8. Isaiah Bond, Dolphins — Available in 99.6% of ESPN leagues
Cedric Tillman is reportedly going to miss weeks with his injury, and Bond is someone we have been keeping up with in the deep cuts section. He was up to a 71.1% route rate in Week 4, and he has been targeted on 17.5% of his routes so far this season despite joining the team very late. The Browns are ninth in neutral dropback rate this season, though that could come down with the quarterback change. Bond is a high upside stash.
9. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Dolphins — Available in 97.8% of ESPN leagues
As mentioned above with Malik Washington, Westbrook-Ikhine could end up getting a big route bump with Tyreek Hill out. He ran a route on 80% of the dropbacks without Hill on the field on Monday night. Of course, that resulted in just 1 target, and he has been targeted on just 14% of his routes thus far in his career. He did score 9 touchdowns for the Titans last year to keep the lights on, but the most likely outcome is that he runs a lot of empty routes. Still, he is worth a stash and see in deep leagues.
Watch List: Jalen Coker is eligible to return this week, but coach Dave Canales said the receiver remains week to week…I am here for a Marvin Mims breakout, but he still ran a route on just 52.3% of the dropbacks in Week 4. That seems to be where they want him…Jayden Higgins got a touchdown, but he still has not seen his route share grow…I was still bullish on Tyquan Thornton even with Xavier Worthy returning, but his route share cratered in Week 4, though he was able to save things with a touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster also found the end zone and continued to run a lot of routes, though that has an expiration date with Rashee Rice nearing a return…Luther Burden remains a solid stash, but we did not see his route rate jump even after his big game in Week 3…Tory Horton also fits the bill as a high upside stash, but he just needs to run more routes, especially since the Seahawks are second to last in neutral dropback rate.
Deep Cuts: Jalen Tolbert had the better game thanks to a great catch along the sidelines late, but I am still more interested in Kavontae Turpin in deeper leagues…As is the case for a lot of the stashes, Isaac TeSlaa just needs more routes…AD Mitchell had a day to forget, and Alec Pierce will likely return this week. Still, Mitchell has proven he can draw targets when he is on the field…He did not get any targets, but Jalin Hyatt was out there running routes with Malik Nabers out of the game…The Panthers should start to get healthy at receiver soon, but Brycen Tremayne was out there for 90% of the dropbacks in Week 4 and earned 4 targets.
Tight End Waiver Targets, Week 5
1. Dalton Schultz, Texans — Available in 87.5% of ESPN leagues
Listen, folks, I am not happy about this either. If I were just playing the uspide game, I would take a shot on Mason Taylor or Darren Waller. The facts of the case are this, though. Schultz has run a route on 82.4% of Houston's dropbacks over the last two games and has 18.8% of the team's targets over that span. Baltimore's defense is vulnerable and the most injured unit in the league right now. It would be better for Schultz if Lamar Jackson plays and can really push the Houston offense, but the case is there for him this week either way.
2. Mason Taylor, Jets — Available in 96.8% of ESPN leagues
Taylor would be No. 1 here if the Jets had any desire to throw the football at something approaching a league average rate. Instead, they are dead last in pass rate over expected. On the bright side, Taylor looks like the No. 2 target in this passing game, and the matchup against the Cowboys is about as good as it gets. Dallas' offense could also force the Jets into more of a passing game script, opening up more upside for Taylor.
3. Tommy Tremble, Panthers — Available in 99.9% of ESPN leagues
With Ja'Tavion Sanders out, Tremble ran a route on 68.4% of the dropbacks in Week 4 and tied for the team lead with 8 targets. He turned those looks into 5 catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. This week, he has a great matchup against the Dolphins.
4. Darren Waller, Dolphins — Available in 90.2% of ESPN leagues
This feels very point-chase-y after his 2 touchdowns on Monday night, but the Dolphins did lose Tyreek Hill and will need options in the passing game. To throw the downside out there, though, he ran a route on just 37% of their dropbacks in Week 4, and he simply is not going to be targeted on 40% of his routes moving forward. Still, they need targets. He is healthy. The Panthers have allowed over 10 yards per target to tight ends this season.
5. Brenton Strange, Jaguars — Available in 77.4% of ESPN leagues
Strange is a better pickup than Waller if you need a floor at the position this week, but we kind of know who he is at this point. He is going to run routes. He is going to get targets. He probably will get you to 50 yards. Whether that is good enough to be a TE1 will be determined by whether he finds the end zone or not.
Watch List: Chig Okonkwo is being sunk by the Titans offense, and now Gunnar Helm is expected to get more snaps moving forward…Theo Johnson could earn more targets with Malik Nabers out, and he got a touchdown last week…It could be fleeting with Will Dissly set to return at some point in the near future, but Oronde Gadsden saw his route rate spike in Week 4…Taysom Hill was designated to return from injured reserve, though it remains unclear when he will actually return to the field.
