Happy October 3rd to everyone, and happy week 5 of NFL and fantasy football. Mike here, welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season.
Week 4 is officially over, and a fresh week of fantasy football is on the horizon. Let’s go get another W and show your league you aren’t to be taken lightly. Last night we got to see what we have already seen now 3 times; the Giants get beat badly by 18+ points. Giants looked bad all around, but their O line was just downright terrible allowing 11 sacks. Daniel Jones had 2 INTs and 2 fumbles but only lost 1 of the fumbles. Sacks and turnovers are too much to overcome as they lost 24-3. Seattle has a BYE this upcoming week while the 1-3 Giants have to travel to the Dolphins in Miami who are 3-1 and already have a 70 piece on their resume.
Week 5’s TNF game is a matchup between the winless Chicago Bears and the 2-2 Washington Commanders. The line is in favor of Washington by 7 points. The over/under is currently set at 44.5. I don’t see the Bears escaping Washington with a win but with Justin Fields rushing ability it’s never out of the question. Chicago is allowing the league 2nd most points per game with a big 34 points per game. Not going to cut it when they average only 18 points per game and the Commanders average over 22. The players I like in this game for fantasy include Justin Fields, DJ Moore, Sam Howell, Brian Robinson, and scary Terry McLaurin.
Go out and make some moves and prepare for fantasy postseason greatness. Injuries are inevitable so here’s another chance to hit the waiver wire and get impactful players. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger and inch your way to that league trophy and an offseason of bragging rights.
Below are my top waiver wire priorities this week. Go get those available players to help your chances at a championship. Good luck this week and remember to check back every week to stay informed on who you could target off of waivers.
TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK
Jameson Williams – Detroit Lions
Williams is eligible to return and play in week 5 for the Detroit lions. The Detroit Lions that are 3-1 and averaging 26.5 points per game this season which is top 10 in the league. Williams could be another piece in the high-octane offense with Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, and Sam LaPorta. That’s a loaded offense. Williams is worth the add because he has shown promise and had amazing college stats at Alabama. I could see Williams getting eased into the offense, but I would add Jameson now if you have the roster space.
Quarterbacks
CJ Stroud – Houston Texans
The rookie CJ is making a splash to start his career in the NFL. Starting QB in Houston and has them at sitting at 2-2 on a 2-game win streak. He now has at least 280 passing yards and 2 passing TDs in 3 consecutive starts. Stroud could be a great pick up to add to your team or even start for your team if your QB isn’t cutting it (looking at you Joe Burrow). The Texans get the Falcons and Saints next followed by their BYE week. I’m still picking him up if he is available.
Sam Howell – Washington Commanders
Sam Howell has his team at 2-2 but nearly 3-1 after he lost to the Eagles in a dramatic OT game. Howell used his rushing abilities and picked up 40 yards on the ground in week 4 and threw for 290+ yards for the 2nd time this season. If you eliminate the Bills game from his game log, he would be a lot more appealing, but it was hopefully just a hiccup for the 2nd year man. Bears, Falcons, and Giants are his next 3 opponents which is pretty good for his fantasy outlook. Howell is utilizing his pass catching weapons effectively.
Running Backs
Jaleel McLaughlin – Denver Broncos
McLaughlin is an undrafted rookie that made a splash in week 4. Javonte Williams suffered a hip injury, but that isn’t supposed to sideline him long if at all. Samaje Perine has done nothing very useful in fantasy football for us unless you are full PPR and a few catches makes all the difference, but Jaleel is showing a lot of promise. Jaleel had no carries in week 1 and every week the amount has grown and in week 4 he rushed 7 times which was most on the team. 72 rushing yards, 32 receiving yards, and a receiving TD. That’s fantasy production. Keep an eye on William’s status but I’m scooping up McLaughlin while I can.
Jaylen Warren – Pittsburgh Steelers
I’m back with Warren again because he continues to show why he is worth the waiver wire pick up. Warren has 22 targets and 18 catches in 4 games as the Steelers #2 RB on the depth chart. Warren hasn’t had double digit carries yet with Najee Harris taking a lot of the hand offs. But if you are in a PPR league and are struggling for any type of production this is a great option. It will be interesting to see if Mitch Trubisky helps or hurts his fantasy production.
Wide Receivers
Michael Wilson – Arizona Cardinals
Rookie Wilson had a breakout game in week 4 against the 49ers in a a big loss. He finished the game with 7 receptions on 7 targets for 76 rushing yards and 2 receiving TDs. Kyle Murray could return as soon as week 6 and if he gets chemistry going with Wilson it might be an even better outlook for the young WR. Since week 2 Wilson has caught every target throw his way and accrued 218 receiving yards in those 3 games. Wilson is worth the add.
Tyler Boyd – Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins fractured one of his ribs in week 4 that could have some impact moving forward. He hasn’t ruled himself out of week 5, but risking playing with that and further injuring yourself can be detrimental. Boyd is the 3rd head in the 3 headed attack that is the Bengals WR core. Boyd should be leaned on more even if it’s just for just a week. The Bengals need a get right game and it’s a good opportunity to do that in week 5 against the Cardinals. Joe burrow let’s get it together because Boyd is hungry.
Jameson Williams – Detroit Lions
SEE PRIORITY OF THE WEEK TOWARD TOP OF PAGE
Tight Ends
Tyler Higbee – LA Rams
Tyler Higbee had 11 targets in week 5 and converted them into 5 receptions for 64 yards. He had 5 receptions for 71 yards the week prior. The 11 targets in week 4 were the most targets for any TE in the NFL in that week. Higbee could and most likely taken in your fantasy league but if not, he is worth the add as he is borderline top 10 TE in fantasy through 4 weeks.
Jake Ferguson – Dallas Cowboys
Welcome back Jake to the waiver wire article. If he wasn’t tempting to add last week, he certainly is more tempting this week. He finished week 4 catching all 7 of his targets for 77 yards in a blowout victory over the Patriots. He is getting the volume we want and seems to be getting better each week. Dak has targeted only CeeDee Lamb more times than Ferguson. Jake is 3rd on the team in receiving yards and 2nd in receptions. Next up is the 49ers which will be interesting for sure.