Waiver Wire Week 5
Today marks the end of the First Quarter of the fantasy season and the start of the Second Quarter. Regardless of if you are 4-0, 3-1, 2-2, 1-3 or 0-4, the Waiver Wire means that your season is not over yet. However this next quarter will define your season. Get to Week Eight at or above .500, and you have a great chance to make the playoffs. Falls 2 games or more back, and you have a mountain to climb. So, as usual, we are here to help as much as possible by getting out our early Waiver Wire column, and our picks for the week.
Quarterback:
Sam Darnold- 7.0% Owned
@PHI next
Week 4: BYE
Darnold is scheduled to be back this week after suffering Mono. Options on the Waiver Wire this week are thin. Therefore, we would recommend if you were in need of someone, and our next pick isn’t available, then Darnold should be that guy. He has shown some flashes as a QB in the NFL and the Eagles are pretty banged up in the secondary. This isn’t a home run grab, but if you are scraping the barrel, he is a better option then Minshew, Allen et al purely from a match-up perspective.
Andy Dalton- 15.8% Owned
ARI next
Week 4:
Murf: We haven’t seen the Bengals on Monday Night Football yet, but Dalton is already the pick of the bunch on offer here on the Waiver Wire. He is facing Arizona, who coming into week 4 had given up 918 yards to QBs and 9 Touchdowns in 3 games, whilst QBs have been averaging 28.9 Fantasy Points per game. Dalton is averaging 43 attempts in his first 3 games. And as we have said previously, if he is going to get that volume, against a poor defense, then it’s worth buying for a week or 2. He is a very safe option for a stream this week on the Waiver Wire.
Stocks: Now this is before Week 4 has finished. And Dalton is still to play on MNF. Dalton doesn’t usually shine in prime time games. In fact, he is woeful, with just 5 wins and 19 losses. Here’s the thing. We are picking Dalton not for his game tonight against the Steelers but for his week 5 matchup against the Cardinals. The Cardinals are currently giving 27.6 fantasy points per game to Quarterbacks. That is a league 4th worst. Couple that with the fact the Bengals are allowing Dalton to throw on average of 43 times per game means Dalton is a decent streaming option against a bad Arizona defence.
Running Backs:
Ito Smith- 8.5% Owned
@HOU next
Week 4: 2 Rushes 11 yards, 2 Rec 20yds 1 Rushing TD
This isn’t a huge pickup, because there is no Wayne Gallman this week on your Waiver Wire. Anyone who is considered a flex starter is pretty much gone from the wire. I mean, you might get lucky and find a stud or someone like Gallman isn’t owned, but if you play in a good league with good owners, the Waiver Wire is thin. As a result, it’s time to find the goalline guys. And this week, Ito Smith is the best Goal-line guy on the Waiver Wire. He also has a role outside of being the man inside the 10, and gets a couple of receptions every week. This is a boom or bust pick, but if you are desperate, then there are worse guys you could target than Ito Smith. After all, he is averaging 5.7 Rushing Yards per Attempt and his touches are consistent.
Jordan Wilkins– 0.8% owned
@KC next
Week 4: 4 Rushes 17 yards, 1 Rec, 11 yards
Not a lot of production from Wilkins in Week 4. However, Marlon Mack was carted off in the second half with an ankle injury. Now there is a chance Mack does make it back for Week Five, making this pickup redundant. But, with ankle injuries requiring some rest, and a bye coming for the Colts the following week, there is every chance Wilkins is a go this week. If he does get the start, he has a very favourable match-up against the Chiefs. And he did have 82 yards on 5 carries against the Titans in Week Two. This is a speculative add, but one that could work in your favour.
Alexander Mattison- 16% owned
@NYG next
Week 4: 2 Rushes, 5 yards, 1 Rec, 8 Yards
With the New York Giants not being able to stop the run at all, it will be no surprise to see the Vikings pound the rock. Dalvin Cook looks to be the real deal but the offensive line is a worry. With the Giants missing four starting linebackers, it will be no shock to see Mattison involved more in this game.
The Vikings look like they have given up throwing the football and will use both Running Backs against a porous Giants defence. We wouldn’t be shocked to see Mattison do to the Giants what Tony Pollard did to the Dolphins in a backup role. With Dalvin Cook’s injury concerns, the Vikings would be wise to rest Cook when they get ahead. The Vikings are averaging 22 rushing attempts away from home. This should be their base number of attempts in this game
Wide Receivers:
Cole Beasley- 20.3% Owned
@TEN next
Week 4: 7 Rec 75 Yards
Amazingly the Bills receivers are very quietly being efficient. Against the elite Patriots Defense, Beasley saw 10 targets and caught 7 of them for 75 yards. This is the second straight week he has seen at least nine targets, and also the third time this season in just four games. This isn’t going to set the world on fire, but if you are in a PPR league and need someone with a relatively nice floor, then Cole Beasley and his 14.5 PPR points last week, should be near the top of your Waiver Wire priority list.
Preston Williams- 13.2% Owned
BYE Next
Week 4: 4 Rec, 46 yards
Preston Williams might be on bye this week, but it shouldn’t stop you being sneaky and sticking a low Waiver Wire priority claim on him or $1 FAAB as people won’t be looking to add him this week. He has had 19 targets in two Josh Rosen starts, leading the Dolphins Receivers in this time, and has been quietly productive with 15 Rec and 201 yards with a TD on the season. Williams should trend upwards, meaning he is worth a stash now if you can.
Geronimo Allison- 27.2% owned
@DAL next
Week 4: 3 Rec 52 Yards TD, 1 Rush, 7 Yards
With Davante Adams possibly missing time due to a toe injury, Allison steps into his cleats. And with MVS operating as the number two in Green Bay, Allison jumps into a better situation as the new two. Green Bay will be reeling from the loss to the Eagles last Thursday and will want to bounce back. They take on a Cowboys team who were kept to a low score by the Saints defence. Kellen Moore has, up until this week, had the Cowboys moving and will want to regain traction with a win. The matchup with Green Bay could be a high scoring affair and turn into a shootout. The Cowboys are giving up an average of 11 FPPG to Wide Receivers and with Adams maybe missing time the targets should be spread around. So with that being the case, expect Allison to benefit.
Tight Ends:
Tyler Eifert- 17.2% Owned
ARI next
Week 4:
Again, similar to Dalton, we have not seen Eifert perform at the time of writing in Week Four. However, similar to what we wrote about Will Dissly last week, Eifert has an absolute dream match-up this week. He is facing the Cardinals, who are the worst in the league against Tight Ends. Because Will Dissly had himself a day on Sunday, and I would expect Eifert to potentially have a bigger one. Eifert has always had the talent. His only question marks are around his injuries. If he can survive tonight, he is the best streaming option this week, bar none.
@TEN Next
Week 4: 3 Rec, 58 yards
Knox followed up a 3 reception, 58 yard day in Week Three by repeating the exact same stat-line against the AFC’s best Defense in the Patriots. He showed he has ability and made a very nice grab on the turn. If he keeps putting in consistent performances, he will be able to exploit favourable match-ups, such as the Titans, and move himself into the TE1 conversation potentially. Therefore, he makes for a fun Waiver Wire add.
Matt Gay- 6.7% Owned
@NO Next
Week 4: 2/2 FGs made, 7/7 XPs
Matt Gay came off the disaster of the missing a Game Winning Field Goal in Week 3 to have a career and Franchise record day in L.A. Gay made all 9 of his kicks, the only Buccaneer in history to make 9 kicks in a game, as the Buccaneers shocked the Rams 55-40. He also showed his power, kicking a 58 yard Field Goal. So, with the Bucs in the SuperDome next week, expect plenty of fireworks and plenty of chances for Gay to kick a double digit fantasy game this week.
D/ST:
Panthers- 29.3% Owned vs JAC
The Panthers Defense showed up again against Houston on Sunday. They finished the day with six sacks, and interception a fumble recovery and only allowing 10 points. In doing so, they shut down DeShaun Watson and restricted him to just 160 yards passing. However, he did manage to score a day saving rushing Touchdown. The Panthers are up against Gardner Minshew and Leonard Fournette, who are coming off a huge comeback win vs the Broncos. Because this Jags defensive front is one you can attack, and there are sure to be some sacks in this game for the Addison and Co. in this game.
Please do interact with us on Twitter @5yardrush and also don’t forget to look at our weekly rankings and also our start/sits column to help you get yourself ahead in your league. You can also listen to the audio version of this column tomorrow night. So please do submit your questions. But until Week 6 Rush Nation, Keep Rushing!
