Welcome to Waiver Wire (Week 5). This is where we highlight a few players at each position that we want to add this week. As for ownership percentages we will be using Sleeper. For our full weekly rankings list, head to The FFU Weekly Rankings Page or try our Sit/Start Tool Powered by Fantasy Pros. As far as the quarterbacks are concerned, we will be referring to 1QB leagues. That’s the only format where quarterbacks are readily available, if you’re in a superflex league, it’s doubtful any usable quarterbacks are available.
Quarterbacks
Deep League Options (0-25% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesAndy Dalton, Panthers (19% rostered)
Dalton has taken over as starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and has reinvigorated their offense despite a Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. In his two starts, Dalton has a combined 439 passing yards and five touchdowns with only one interception. He currently ranks as QB27, which is impressive when you consider that he has only played in two of the four games thus far. Dalton has finished as a Top 10 quarterback in both of his starts which is impressive for a quarterback that is rostered in only 19% of leagues. If you are one of the many teams struggling with mediocre quarterback play, Dalton is a must-add player this week.
Jacoby Brissett, NE (7% rostered), Tyler Huntley, MIA (6% rostered), Drake Maye, NE (11% rostered), Daniel Jones, NYG (12% rostered), Will Levis, TEN (18% rostered), Taylor Heinicke, LAC (0% rostered), Joe Flacco, IND (2% rostered).
Medium League Options (26-50% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesJustin Fields, Steelers (42% rostered)
Fields is rostered in 42% of leagues despite sitting as QB6 on the season. That is due largely because fantasy managers are uncertain who will be the starter once Russell Wilson is healthy. In four games, Fields has two Top 20 finishes, one Top 12 finish, and a QB1 overall finish in Week 4 to his resume and is a must-start player for however long he remains the Steeler’s starting quarterback. Even if Wilson were healthy and ready to play in Week 5, Fields has likely played well enough to have earned the starting job until he falters.
Deshaun Watson, CLE (26% rostered), Geno Smith, SEA (42% rostered), Matthew Stafford, LAR (43% rostered), Trevor Lawrence, JAC (49% rostered)
Shallow League Options (51-75% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesSam Darnold, Vikings (62% rostered)
Darnold completes a trio of undervalued veteran quarterbacks who are available on some waiver wires. Darnold sits at QB4 as he leads the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings and has been a league-winner to open the first month of the season. Through four games he has finished as QB14, QB4, QB9, and QB7. Not bad for a quarterback who figured to be the second or third-string quarterback before rookie J.J. McCarthy was lost for the season. The reason Darnold is still available in almost 40% of leagues is that he feels like Fool’s Gold and most managers are terrified to start him over a bonafide fantasy quarterback. For now, add him, and fire him up until the run comes to an end and he comes back down to earth.
Justin Herbert, LAC(54% rostered), Caleb Williams, CHI (66% rostered), Aaron Rodgers, NYJ (62% rostered).
Running Backs
Deep League Options (0-25% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesTank Bigsby, Jaguars (18% rostered)
Bigsby hasn’t been a stud for fantasy this season but is slowly eating away at Travis Etienne‘s role in the ground game. In the two games in which Bigsby saw more than five carries, he totaled at least 70 rushing yards. Bigsby has just been far more efficient and productive on the ground than Etienne and is a real problem for Etienne’s fantasy value. As we stand, Bigsby should be considered an elite running back handcuff with decent standalone value, but if he continues to trend upward, he could be a monster in the second half of the year.
Tyrone Tracy Jr, NYG (10% rostered) Trey Sermon, IND (3% rostered), Emmanuel Wilson, GB (24% rostered), Miles Sanders, CAR (6% rostered), Isaac Guerendo, SF (6% rostered), Hunter Luepke, DAL (0% rostered), Dare Ogunbowale, HOU (0% rostered), Cordarrelle Patterson, PIT (6% rostered), Jeremy McNichols, WSH (0% rostered).
Medium Leagues (26-50% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesTyler Allgeier, Falcons (34% rostered)
Allgeier currently ranks as RB43 on the season but is becoming a real thorn in the side of Bijan Robinson. Over the past three games, he has received 9, 7, and 8 carries and has been mildly productive with them. Luckily for Robinson, Allgeier is yet to eat into his receiving work, but this trend is concerning, to say the least. Much like Bigsby, Allgeier should be considered an elite handcuff with some standalone value, it will just be a matter of how much work he steals from Robinson throughout the season.
Antonio Gibson, NE (27% rostered), Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN (35% rostered), Alexander Mattison, LV (44% rostered), Trey Benson, ARI (49% rostered), Rico Dowdle, DAL (47% rostered), Justice Hill, BAL (29% rostered), Roshcon Johnson, CHI (44% rostered), Justice Hill, BAL (22% rostered), Kareem Hunt, KC (38% rostered), Samaje Perine, KC (39% rostered).
Shallow Leagues (51-75% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesChase Brown, Bengals (57% rostered)
Brown is currently the RB28 of the year after being the backup to Zack Moss for most of September. Week 4 saw Brown get his largest workload of the season as he seemingly took over the starting running back role from Moss. He rushed 15 times for 80 yards and two rushing touchdowns and is a must-add if he is on your waiver wire. He is adding in a reasonable two or three receptions per game which makes him a sneaky value pick for RB2. If this trend continues and this starting job is Brown’s he has mountains of potential over the remainder of the season.
Jaylen Warren, PIT (74% rostered), Rico Dowdle, DAL (56% rostered), Cam Akers, HOU (52% rostered), Javonte Williams, DEN (72% rostered), Braelon Allen, NYJ (62% rostered), Bucky Irving, TB (62% rostered).
Wide Receivers
Deep Leagues (0-25% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesJosh Downs, Colts (24% rostered)
Downs saw his most significant playing time in Week 4 after battling injury to start the season. He turned that playing time into eight catches and 82 receiving yards with one touchdown. The Colts offense has struggled mightily and could be losing Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor to injury but that could only open up even more work for Downs, albeit on a significantly worse offense. Michael Pittman has typically been the preferred pass-catcher in this offense, but for now, Downs looks to be the guy.
Demario Douglas, NE (14% rostered), Jalen Nailor, MIN (22% rostered), Calvin Austin, PIT (1% rostered), Lil Jordan Humphrey, DEN (0% rostered), Jalen McMillan, TB (12% rostered), Tre Tucker, LV (19% rostered) Rashod Bateman, BAL (14% rostered), Nelson Agholor, BAL (1% rostered), Tutu Atwell, LAR (17% rostered), Olamide Zaccheaus, WSH (0% rostered), Greg Dortch, ARI (18% rostered), Ja’Lynn Polk, NE (20% rostered), Jordan Whittington, LAR (8% rostered), Dontayvion Wick, GB 18% rostered), Parris Campbell, PHI (0% rostered), Trey Palmer, TB (12% rostered).
Medium Leagues (26-50% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesWan’Dale Robinson, Giants (46% rostered)
Robinson is WR25 this season and almost no one has noticed. This is due in large part to the way he has produced. He has yet to finish higher than WR27 in any week but has also failed to finish lower than WR40 in any week. Robinson may not be the sexiest addition on the waiver wire but he is a reliable weekly WR3 that is available in roughly half of leagues. The Giants are a scary offense to invest in but Robinson has formed a surprisingly productive 1-2 punch with rookie Malik Nabers and should be a solid option moving forward.
Xavier Legette, CAR (39% rostered), Jakobi Meyers, LV (49% rostered), Andrei Iosivas, CIN (37% rostered), Gabe Davis, JAC (40% rostered), Allen Lazard, NYJ (48% rostered), Mike Williams, NYJ (29% rostered).
Shallow Leagues (51-75% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesCourtland Sutton, Broncos (67% rostered)
Sutton got off to a horrible start finishing as WR57 and WR71 in the first two weeks of the season, however over the past two weeks he has improved and has moved up to WR38 and WR22 as the struggling Denver offense has determined he is their only usable weapon. Sutton has nine or more targets in three of the four games this season but has struggled to post yards or touchdowns in this anemic offense. The Broncos aren’t an offense that you want to invest heavily in, but Sutton is a solid WR3 for the rest of the season.
Demarcus Robinson, LAR (63% rostered), Tyler Johnson, LAR (52% rostered), Alec Pierce, IND (53% rostered), DeAndre Hopkins, TEN (65% rostered), Jahan Dotson, PHI (18% rostered), Romeo Doubs, GB (57% rostered), Jerry Jeudy, CLE (65% rostered), Ladd McConkey, LAC (&3% rostered), Tyler Lockett, SEA (67% rostered).
Tight Ends
Deep Leagues (0-25% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesErick All, Bengals (2% rostered)
All have four receptions in each of his last four games, and while that doesn’t seem impressive, it means he is about to challenge for the Top 12 tight end in the rankings. The bar for TE12 is simply that low. The Bengals have struggled and All is yet to do much with his four targets, but that kind of volume puts him in the conversation as a weekly streaming option. I know it sounds scary, but this is where we stand in the tight-end market.
Jordan Akins, CLE (3% rostered), Kylen Granson, IND (0% rostered), Johnny Mundt, MIN (1% rostered), Will Dissly, LAC (0% rostered), Tucker Kraft, GB (8% rostered), Josh Whyle, TEN (0% rostered), Chig Okonkwo, TEN (10% rostered), Tommy Tremble, CAR (0% rostered), Jonnu Smith, MIA (10% rostered), Juwan Johnson, NO (5% rostered), Ja’Tavion Sanders, CAR (7% rostered), Brenton Strange, JAC (16% rostered), Cade Otton, TB (18% rostered), Elijah Higgins, ARI (12% rostered), Blake Whiteheart, CLE (0% rostered), Noah Gray, KC (2% rostered).
Medium Leagues (26-50% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesTaysom Hill, Saints (30% rostered)
In Week 4, Taysom Hill did what Taysom Hill does, he put up a TE1 overall finish without recording a target. Hill’s production of course came as a rusher where he racked up six carries for only 24 yards but added in two rushing touchdowns which is how he managed to finish so high. Those two touchdowns lead all tight ends on the season. This is what Hill does. He puts up 40 points, and then he puts up 4 points, but with the tight end position a barren wasteland, he is becoming a must-start tight end. He has no floor for fantasy, but at this point, what tight end does?
Mike Gesicki, CIN (46% rostered), Colby Parkinson, LAR (33% rostered), Tyler Conklin, NYJ (33% rostered), Noah Fant, SEA (23% rostered).
Shallow Leagues (51-75% Rostered)
Embed from Getty ImagesPat Freiermuth, Steelers (67% rostered)
Freiermuth is somehow available in 1/3 of leagues despite being a Top 5 tight end on the season. The Muth has finished as TE15, TE13, TE17, and TE3 and somehow sits as TE5 overall, which shows you how bad the position is right now. He is averaging four receptions per game and isn’t doing much with them, but again, who is at tight end?
Zach Ertz, WSH (51% rostered), Dalton Schultz, HOU (69% rostered), Hunter Henry, NE (58% rostered).
Thank you for checking out this week’s Waiver Wire column. For our latest content, head over to our YouTube Channel for daily videos.
