Week 5 of the NFL season finally saw some of the biggest names in the game come alive and put up some week-winning performances for their fantasy managers. Ja’Marr Chase popped off for 193-yards and two touchdowns, Lamar Jackson threw for for 4 scores and added almost 350 passing yards, and of course, the star of the show – Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back Tank Bigsby as he well and truly delivered on his *checks notes* 19th round draft capital – finishing the week as the RB1 for fantasy. There were some less than savoury performances from Breece Hall, Bijan Robinson and literally everyone involved with the Miami Dolphins – with injuries to Nico Collins, Aaron Jones and De’Von Achane, as well as even more byes ahead – the waiver wire is more important than ever…let’s look at some of this week’s best pick-ups!
Rules for Selection & Order Priority
For a player to be considered to be added, they have to:
- Have an rostered % of 50% or under on ESPN
- Players below are listed by their roster %, not priority. Know your league settings. If there is a high-priority add, you’ll know.
Kirk Cousins (ATL) 45.1% rostered
Captain Kirk skipped right by setting phasers to stun, opting for full obliterate mode as he casually threw for 509-yards in the Falcons’ win over divisional rivals Tampa Bay on Thursday Night Football last week. Unsurprisingly Cousins set a franchise record for single game passing yards, and in the process became only the 22nd QB in NFL history to surpass the 500-yard mark in a matchup. Kirko Chains added 4 touchdowns in the 36-30 victory to finish the week as the QB1, and effectively ended fantasy matchups nice and early for anyone who had the misfortune of facing off against him. We’ve seen Cousins do this countless times over his 13-year career – before getting hurt last season in Minnesota, Kirk was averaging a league-leading 290 YPG…he’s already at 275 through five weeks in 2024. Atlanta travels to Carolina to face another NFC South rival this Sunday – with the Panthers allowing an average of 230-yards and 2 scores to opposing QBs, expect Kirk to have another fine fantasy outing this weekend, and worthy of picking up with the intention to start.
Caleb Williams (CHI) 44.7% rostered
There he is! Through the first four weeks of the season, and with the outrageous start made by Jayden Daniels to his NFL career, many analysts were starting to question if the Chicago Bears had made the correct choice selecting Caleb Williams with the No.1 overall pick back in April…*spoiler alert* – they have. Williams continues to adapt to the pro-ranks, with Sunday’s victory at Soldier Field over Carolina by far his most impressive showing to date. The former USC Trojan was clinical, connecting in the end-zone with D.J. Moore either side of rushing touchdowns from Roschon Johnson and D’Andre Swift – finishing his day with a line of 304-yards and two touchdowns…with zero picks. Keenan Allen continues to heal, and with the Bears finding some success on the ground – we could see the emergence of this potent offense many had prophesied over the off-season.
Also Consider – Jared Goff (45.3%) & Trevor Lawrence (33.3%) rostered
Before we look at running backs, I would just like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who picked up Rico Dowdle in the last week. He has now finally surpassed the 50% threshold – so will no longer feature in this column – that said, he is still only at 52.5%…so go pick him up if he is available!
Tyler Allgeier (ATL) 42.5% rostered
Moving now to somewhat more of a long-term stash (or possibly not), we have the Atlanta Falcons third-year rusher (and still rookie rushing record holder) – Tyler Allgeier. The panic alarms are starting to sound for redraft managers who took Bijan Robinson in the first round – and with due cause. Currently sitting as the overall RB21, Robinson (like many others – I’m looking at you Breece Hall) is not paying back on the investment. Part of the problem is Bijan’s efficiency – on the two occasions he’s had 15+ carries, he’s ran at only 3.8 and 1.9 Y/A – but another, and considerably larger concern for Robinson is the continuing deployment of Tyler Allgeier in the backfield. Let’s get this straight – Allgeier is a good running back. His 5.4 Y/A ranks 10th on the year for backs with 30+ carries, so it’s little wonder Atlanta continues to give him upwards of 30% of carries even with Robinson on the roster. This could be another backfield we see move towards a time-share situation, grab Allgeier now while he’s available – at worst he’s one the most valuable handcuffs in the league and a potential Championship winner.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG) 18.4% rostered
Speaking of bench stashes, I hope you picked up Tyrone Tracy Jr. ahead of Sunday’s matchup…or it’s going to cost you! With the news that Devin Singletary was set to miss the Giants’ trip to Seattle with a groin strain, Tracy was added by savvy fantasy managers with a wait and see approach. Well, we didn’t have to wait long, and boy did we see just what the rookie can do! The rookie out of Purdue was effectively given the keys to the backfield, out-carrying Eric Gray 18-4, putting up 129 scoreless yards with his opportunities. Tracy looked electric, busting off a 27-yard run early in the second quarter, helping set up an early Danny Dimes TD pass. We are yet to get news on Singletary’s status for week 6, but after the rookie’s performance in the north east, perhaps the G-Men won’t be rushing him back too soon. He’s a high-upside, short-term add for your fantasy roster.
Tank Bigsby (JAX) 9.5% rostered
Wow, what a week for Tank Bigsby. Heading into draft season, if we were to talk about some of the safest jobs in backfields across the league, Travis Etienne Jr. in Jacksonville would have been at the very top of my list – but though five weeks, I’m not so sure anymore. Bigsby was selected as a third-rounder in last years NFL Draft and looked set to heavily disrupt Etienne’s workload, and subsequently his value as an elite fantasy option at the position…well, that didn’t quite pan out as we thought, with Etienne seeing 75% of carries in Duval, as well as 80% of RB targets. Fast forward one year however, and the prophecy may be coming true. Tank has seen his share of rushing attempts rise week-on-week – 0%, 13%, 35%, before hitting 65% in Sunday’s game versus Indianapolis…which they actually won. His 13 carries for 101-yards and two touchdowns is an anomaly and not what we should expect on a weekly basis – but this backfield appears to be moving towards a full-on timeshare, and with Tank looking a more efficient runner than Etienne, he is worthy of a bench stash for now.
Also Consider – Trey Sermon (IND) 49.8%, Alexander Mattison (LV) 40.1%, Roschon Johnson (CHI) 11.2% & Jaylen Wright (MIA) 8.0% rostered
I want to preface the wide receiver section by saying things are very lean at the WR position this week. The two choices below are players I would consider spending FAAB on – those in deeper league formats may wish to place bids on the others in consideration, or alternatively attempt to scoop them up as a FA if they go unclaimed.
Josh Downs (IND) 34.9% rostered
Week five saw Colts wide receiver Josh Downs receive double-digit targets for only the third time in his short career, hauling in 75% of his 12 looks for 69 scoreless yards. In back-to-back games with Joe Flacco under center, the sophomore wideout has seen a total of 21 targets – T7th at the position over that spell. Downs’ production is reliant solely on the veteran Flacco remaining as the starter in Indianapolis – so be sure to check-in on Anthony Richardson’s status ahead of placing too big a bid on the Colts’ two-game target monster. The matchup in week 6 couldn’t be worse for Indy’s pass-catchers, squaring off against AFC South rivals Tennessee and their No.1 pass defense in Nashville – but as with Tucker, this is a brutal bye week at the position and times are tough.
Tre Tucker (LV) 17.2% rostered
The sophomore wideout saw his catch percentage hit a season-low on Sunday, but I am unconcerned by this. Tucker continues to operate as the WR2 for the Raiders in the absence of Davante Adams, and although only hauling in 2-of-5 targets for 18-yards in the loss to Denver – I trust him to bounce back with some far more favourable matchups in the coming weeks. Adams looks set to leave Sin City as early as this week – paving the way to greater relevance for all pass-catchers in this Raiders offense. Bowers and Meyers will be the first looks for Minshew and O’Connell, with the second-year wideout not far behind. With KC, Miami, Minnesota and the Rams all on byes this week – Tucker could be a fringe WR3 against the Steelers.
Also Consider – Jalen Tolbert (DAL) 7.6%, Juju Smith-Schuster (KC) 4.3% & Darius Slayton (NYG) 4.2% rostered.
Zach Ertz (WAS) 48.2% rostered
I took Zach Ertz with my final pick in a 14-team re-draft league and was mocked for doing so…who’s laughing now? Well, still my league mates as despite being the leading scorer I sit a disheartening 3-2…but it’s certainly not Zach Ertz’s fault. The veteran saw a season-high 8 targets against the Browns on Sunday evening, unfortunately the twelfth-year pro could only corral two of them for 10-yards…but the work is still there. Jayden Daniels will almost certainly look to scramble when under pressure – but when he can’t, Ertz will be there for a short dump off. Like Conklin, he has a relatively safe floor – just don’t expect huge weekly upside. The Commanders travel to Baltimore in week 6 – only the Chiefs have allowed more yards to the position, making Ertz fine play on the road.
Tyler Conklin (NYJ) 37.2% rostered
Aaron Rodgers attempted 54 passes in a wet and miserable London on Sunday afternoon, targeting Conklin on 9 of those, with the veteran tight end managing to hold on to 6 for 55 scoreless yards. Don’t expect Rodgers to chuck it 50+ times on too many occasions this season – but against the Bills and their awful pass defense in prime time, we may see the 40-year old sling it about once again – particularly if Buffalo can sort out their offense and go out to an early lead. Conklin is a reliable and safe option at the position – in a year where Tucker Kraft and Isiah Likely are both top-5 TEs off the back of one great performance each…Conklin is as good an option as anyone.
Also Consider – Colby Parkinson (LAR) 48.1% & Cade Otton (TB) 16.7% rostered
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
