Week 5 is here — and so are bye weeks (and a London game!). As if we didn't have enough injuries to worry about, right? We saw key players go down in Week 4, but we also have to now focus on essential fantasy football starters who get the week off (and the list is a doozy).

On bye: 

  • Detroit Lions
  • Los Angeles Chargers
  • Philadelphia Eagles
  • Tennessee Titans

The Lions and Eagles will hit fantasy managers a little harder, but hopefully you can find a decent pickup on the waiver wire this week. As always, the names are in order of priority and all players listed are below 40% rostered. Good luck!

INJURY ROUNDUP

Colts: Anthony Richardson (hip), Jonathan Taylor (ankle)

Packers: Christian Watson (ankle)

Saints: Taysom Hill (abdomen)

Steelers: Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle)

Chiefs: Rashee Rice (knee)

Titans: Will Levis (shoulder)

WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR WEEK 5

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Packers (14% rostered)

We never want to see injuries, but Christian Watson exited with an ankle injury during Sunday's game. Once he was out, wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks stepped up in a huge way. This is THE waiver wire add of the week. Wicks had an 80% route participation rate, 35% air-yards share and 24% target share, which led the team. 

He finished with five receptions on 13 targets for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Coming into the season, fantasy players were cautious about drafting Wicks because of how many weapons this Packers team has, but now is the time to get him on your team. We'll see how long Watson is out, but don't expect Wicks to give this new role up without a fight.

Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers (14% rostered)

Adam Thielen was placed on IR with a hamstring injury last week and will miss at least the next four games. Rookie receiver Xavier Legette stepped up in his absence and finished Sunday's game against the Bengals with an 88% route participation, 25% target share and 30% air yards share. Legette caught six of his 10 targets for 66 yards and one touchdown, while adding two rushes for 10 yards. 

(Note: You can see air yards, route participation, Utilization Score, and more in our Utilization Report)

With bye weeks upon us this is the perfect receiver to target on the waiver wire (if you miss out on Dontayvion Wicks). 

Justin Fields, QB, Steelers (32% rostered)

Justin Fields has made the most of his opportunity with the Steelers since Russell Wilson went down with an injury. Head Coach Mike Tomlin may have said it was a sloppy effort against the Colts on Sunday, but Fields delivered in the fantasy box score. 

Fields completed 22 of 34 passes for a season-high 312 yards and a touchdown. Plus we can't forget his action on the ground! He notched 55 yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns. If you have a quarterback with the rushing upside like Fields it is really hard to not see them as a top-10 quarterback option and that's what we got with Fields in a spike week against the Colts. They take on the Cowboys, Raiders and Jets in their next three matchups. 

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Giants (26% rostered)

Yeah, Malik Nabers is great and all, but if you missed out on him.. could I interest you in one Wan'Dale Robinson? 

He is the WR2 in this Giants offense and has put up 13.1 and 18.1 fantasy points over the last two weeks. 

In his Week 4 matchup against the Cowboys, Robinson had an 83% route participation, 41% targets per route run and a 37% target share. Aaaand 11 receptions for 71 yards! We love to see that kind of volume. This is the perfect receiver to plug into your lineups during bye weeks — he offers you pretty good upside if everything plays out right. The Giants take on a tougher Seahawks defense coming up but then they face the Bengals, Eagles and Steelers.

Andy Dalton, QB, Panthers (14% rostered)

Listen, it's tough out there on the waiver wire. Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts and (yes I need to mention this) Will Levis will all be on bye in Week 5, so we need to go through some quarterbacks people might need.

Andy Dalton threw for 220 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against his former team (the Bengals) for 15.7 fantasy points. Diontae Johnson had a few unfortunate drops which could have helped Dalton to a better day (more on that in Ian's Sheesh Report), but overall he is elevating the players around him. The Panthers take on the Bears, Falcons, Commanders and Broncos in their next four matchups. 

Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs (36% rostered)

Kareem Hunt was activated to the Chiefs' 53-man roster earlier last week and warmed the hearts of Chiefs fans and fantasy managers alike. He had 14 carries for 69 yards and added a couple receptions for 10.5 fantasy points. Carson Steele and Samaje Perine were still in the mix — Perine found the end zone, but Steele lost a fumble early in the game and did not play a snap in the second quarter. 

Are the two things related? We're going to see in Week 5. This still seems like it will be a committee approach, but with the Rashee Rice injury we may see the team lean on their running backs a little more. Hunt should be rostered 

Trey Sermon, RB, Colts (1% rostered)

Ian Rapoport reported that Jonathan Taylor was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, but added that it’s “believed to be a pretty mild version.” A mild high-ankle sprain sounds like an oxymoron, but let's roll with it. We'll see what Taylor's availability will look like as the week unfolds, but with any injury we have to highlight the next man up — and that would be Trey Sermon.

The Colts take on the Jaguars in Week 5 and that defense has held three of four lead running backs to 3.5 yards per carry or less, according to PFF. Sermon should see double-digit carries if Taylor is unable to go, so that alone makes him a worthwhile add on the waiver wire. 

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars (12% rostered)

Let's be honest, Tank Bigsby looked like the better running back in Jacksonville on Sunday. two of his seven carries went for 10+ yards and he had two carries inside the 5-yard line, compared to Travis Etienne's zero. This has been trending toward a split backfield since maybe the offseason? The team went out of their way to say how good Bigsby looked coming into this season and they really were not wrong. This isn't good for Etienne managers, because not only has he looked bad, but this offense as a whole has not been good, either. 

Bigsby had seven carries for 90 yards and nine fantasy points, but Etienne was pulled for a little bit during this game before returning — it was announced that he sustained a shoulder injury and it's definitely something to monitor. 

Roschon Johnson, RB, Bears (27% rostered)

Well, D'Andre Swift sure didn't like the idea of Roschon Johnson getting more of a role in this offense! Swift had, by far, his best game with the Bears and put up 29.5 fantasy points, but let's not forget about Johnson! He took over on third downs and two-minute drills, which led him to seven carries for 26 yards and one touchdown.

He is still worth an add, even though we saw Swift give a phenomenal performance. Johnson is the clear RB2 and that counts for something.

Jordan Whittington (3% rostered) / Tutu Atwell (8% rostered), WR, Rams

Jordan Whittington had the game this week that we expected to see in Week 3. What's the saying? We're never wrong, just early! He had a 97% route participation, 28% target share and should be startable in some of those larger leagues in Week 5. 

Tutu Atwell had a 21% target share and 91% route participation. I know it's not a sexy option but Atwell brings that big-play ability, so he is definitely one of the top two options right now in this passing attack. The Rams take on the Packers before their Week 6 bye, so just make a mental note that you will only be able to use these two for a week before you'll need to bench them.

Reports on Sunday pointed to Cooper Kupp missing the next two weeks with his ankle injury, with hopes that he could return after the bye. It's also looking like Puka Nacua won't be back on the field until around Week 8 as he recovers from his PCL strain. 

Ja'Lynn Polk, Patriots (15% rostered)

A little birdie told me some inside information — Ja'Lynn Polk will get an upgrade in the Utilization Report heading into Week 5. Please note that this insider information is actually available to EVERYONE for free, on our YouTube channel, each and every Sunday — make sure to catch Ian Hartitz and Dwain McFarland right before kickoff of Sunday Night Football. 

Polk had an 87% route participation and because of how lackluster this offense has looked, we may see rookie quarterback Drake Maye sooner rather than later. This is way more of a stash play than someone you can plug into lineups with bye weeks starting, but the door is open for Polk to be a contributing member to fantasy football lineups, just be patient. He's right now more of a WR5. 

Justin Watson (1% rostered) / JuJu Smith-Schuster (0% rostered) / any Chiefs pass catcher who will give us fantasy points

I mean, the injury gods really hate us, huh? Rashee Rice is undergoing further tests to determine how bad his injury is, but it did not look good on Sunday. We already mentioned the running back situation for the Chiefs and I think Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy are obvious players who will step up, but we are in deep leagues! We know those guys aren't available!

JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson were the primary receivers alongside Worthy after Rice went down. Maybe we see the 2022 version of Smith-Schuster? This whole situation for the Chiefs is a mess, but if there's anyone who can get this team through it… it's Andy Reid. Put a flier out on Watson and Smith-Schuster, but just know it could be very volatile before the Chiefs go on bye in Week 6.

Emanuel Wilson (14% rostered)

Listen, Emanuel Wilson is not going away. Over the last two games here are the splits:

  • Josh Jacobs: 56% of the snaps, 41% of the rushing attempts, 47% route participation
  • Emanuel Wilson: 41% of the snaps, 35% of the rushing attempts, 26% route participation

Could this be a 1A/1B situation? We have seen the Packers and Matt LeFleur do this in the past — they want to rotate players. No running back under LaFleur has gotten more than 61% of the season's rushing attempts. Wilson should be on our radar because he is playing well and we should see him continue to chip away at a role which makes him worth rostering in fantasy football.

Noah Brown, WR, Commanders (1% rostered)

He had the second-highest route participation at 72% and also came away with a 13% target share. This is more of a deep play for everyone in those bigger leagues. 

Alright, thanks everyon --

Oh you want some tight ends? Are you sure? Maybe we should just sit in the sadness that these tight end fantasy performances are bringing us. But alright, since you asked:

Tucker Kraft, Packers, TE (4% rostered)

Tucker Kraft had his best outing of the season and had six catches for 53 yards and a touchdown, which led to 17.3 fantasy points. He had an 86% route participation and 14% target share, but definitely benefited from the return of quarterback Jordan Love. If you are streaming tight ends, then you really like the matchup the Packers have against the Rams in Week 5. 

Can we just have consistent tight end fantasy points, please? Is that too much to ask for?

Good luck everyone!! May your bids all be winning ones!