Top Players to Add in Week 5
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Woody Marks – Readers of this column will see a familiar name at the top of my list this week. Last week, Woody Marks was my favorite long-term hold. I’m happy to announce that the future is now! Marks finally surpassed Nick Chubb in snap count, 40 to 30, and production followed. Chubb’s 13 carries and 2 targets both fell short of Woody’s 17 carries and 5 targets. His 5 targets were a season-high for any Houston running back. Although there is still the looming threat of Joe Mixon returning and muddying up this backfield, Mixon’s return is looking more like an if than a when. There are some concerns, such as the Texans being ranked dead last in PFF’s offensive line rankings, but we follow opportunities in fantasy. Marks is my top RB waiver target.
2. Darius Slayton – I hate to say it, but MetLife’s turf has claimed another victim—this time star second-year wideout Malik Nabers, who is confirmed to have torn his ACL. Nabers had the third most targets across the entire league over the first three weeks. Those targets will need to go somewhere, and while semi-fantasy viable Wan’Dale Robinson is a consideration, I’m looking at Darius Slayton. While Robinson plays the slot, Slayton lines up on the outside, similar to Nabers. I expect Robinson to remain the slot receiver with Slayton getting the promotion to WR1. While Slayton has never set the world on fire fantasy-wise, he did have the highest Offensive PFF grade among all Giants’ wideouts last week. That’s a promising sign for fantasy. Slayton is my top WR waiver target.
3. Kenneth Gainwell – No Jaylen Warren, no problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kenneth Gainwell showed the world he learned a thing or two backing up Saquon Barkley last season. Every week, Warren had been seeing more and more snaps while Gainwell had been seeing fewer and fewer. I expect that to change after Warren missed this week with a knee injury and Gainwell looked like a bona fide star. Kaleb Johnson also saw the most snaps of his season, 11, but they still paled in both quantity and quality to Gainwell’s. Johnson’s 6 carries for 22 yards don’t hold a candle to Gainwell’s 19 carries for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also getting 6 targets and bringing in all of them for 35 yards. Gainwell’s 6 targets tied for the most for a Steelers running back this season. All of this against a Vikings defense, which previously allowed the 10th fewest points to running backs. After Gainwell’s performance across the pond, the Vikings now allow the 17th most to the position! Of course, the Week 5 Bye will give Warren time to recover from any knee issues or other ailments, so Gainwell may not have cemented himself as the RB1 of the team, but he has shown he can be a fantasy RB1 given the opportunity. Gainwell is my favorite stash if you have the bench space.
4. Romeo Doubs – Last week on the Start/Sit podcast, I mentioned Romeo Doubs was my favorite Packer wide receiver in Jayden Reed’s absence. That said, even I couldn’t have predicted a three-touchdown performance! I can’t take credit for the touchdowns, though I did mention that Doubs led all Packers receivers in red zone targets, but I will take credit for Doubs seeing 8 targets last week, the highest any Packer pass-catcher has seen this season. We knew the Cowboys matchup was a good one, especially after they made Russell Wilson look like he was back in his peak Legion of Boom days. Going forward, the Packers have a Bye next week, so we can’t carry this momentum, but we know that with Reed on IR, he’s set to miss at least two more games. Those two weeks, the Packers face the Bengals at home and the Cardinals in Arizona, both favorable matchups. I love Doubs as a bye week filler star for weeks 6 & 7. With Doubs on Bye this coming week, I think you can grab him for a bargain and be set for your future.
5. Chris Rodriguez Jr. – Everyone knows Bill, aka Jacory Corskey-Merritt, as the Commanders’ running back we all want to roster, but I don’t think he’s running away with the job like we all expected him to be. Chris Rodriguez Jr. missed the first two games of the season but has played a steady 35%-38% of the snaps since returning. Despite being outsnapped by Bill, Rodriguez carried the ball the same number of times as Bill. The biggest red flag in Bill’s game is his pass blocking; his PFF grade of 13.3 was among the worst last week. While Rodriguez didn’t post a score with too much improvement, it was higher than Bill’s while also having an Offensive, Passing, and Running grade than Pass Block, leading back Jerermy McNichols. I know what you’re thinking: that’s three different mouths in this backfield, a huge red flag, and one I would try to avoid. However, in deeper leagues with fewer options, I like Rodriguez, who is rostered in 4% of ESPN leagues and 14% of Yahoo leagues, as a potential second-half star and worth a stash in 14-man leagues.
Others Receiving Votes
Brenton Strange, NE (22% ESPN, 28% Yahoo) – This is the first week Hunter Henry and Juwan Johnson exceeded the 50% rostered threshold, and I couldn’t be prouder. That said, let’s look for more tight ends. This time, I’m getting Strange with it, Brenton Stange that is. Strange has had at least 7.5 points in three of the first four weeks. He’s had 7 targets in each of the last two weeks and 5 targets the week before that. While he is still waiting for his first red zone target, his 23 targets are second-highest on the team, only behind Brian Thomas Jr. To find a tight end consistently putting up close to double-digit points without touchdowns is a pleasant surprise. Strange is my top TE waiver target.
Blake Corum, LAR (18% ESPN, 28% Yahoo) – One of my favorite under-the-radar handcuffs this season is Blake Corum. He’s still a high-priority waiver target for me in most leagues. He’s a handcuff that sees meaningful snaps. I can go on and on, but I did that back in Week 2; check it out here.
Jaxson Dart, NYG (18% ESPN, 23% Yahoo) – Turns out Jaxson is worth the Dart throw after all! Jaxson Dart looked incredible in Week 4 against a previously undefeated Chargers team. Dart had two touchdowns, one with his legs and the other in the air. Next week, he faces the Saints, who allow the fifth-most points to signal-callers. Love the matchup for the rookie, and it couldn’t come at a better time with bye weeks beginning.
Spencer Shrader, IND (44% ESPN, 41% Yahoo) – The number one kicker after four(!) weeks is available in 56+% of leagues! If you play with a kicker, scoop him up. Set and forget double-digit points every week. Spencer Shrader continues to be my top kicker waiver target. Happy he’s finally climbing up those rostered numbers, but let’s get moving! Pick up Shrader!
Defense Wins Championships
The Arizona Cardinals (27%) host the Titans. You may be noticing a theme; my top defense is the one facing the Titans. Cam Ward and his offense looked to have taken a step back last week, failing to put up a single score. The Titans continue to allow the 2nd most points to opposing defenses. The Cardinals have the second-most defensive touchdowns and are one of two teams to score a safety, and that’s only if you count the self-safety the Eagles committed against the Bucs last week. The Cardinals are my number one defense this week.
The Indianapolis Colts (27%) host the Raiders. The Raiders give up the 9th most points to opposing defenses. While Alshon Jeanty finally looked unleashed last week, they still couldn’t secure the win against the Bears, in part due to Geno Smith’s three interceptions. The Colts are looking to bounce back after a close loss to the Rams, and I like them to do so against this Raiders offense that is struggling to find its identity.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on IG & Threads, @kuwasemiller on Bluesky)