Fantasy: Waiver Wire - Week 5

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Each week, theScore's fantasy editors will run down the top waiver wire pickups with a focus on the coming week and rest of the season.

Quarterback

Mike Glennon, Buccaneers

at Saints, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Pickings are slim at quarterback this week. Blake Bortles and perhaps even Teddy Bridgewater (if he's healthy enough to play on Thursday night) are your best options, but they're owned in many leagues. Mike Glennon is the best fallback. Glennon passed for 302 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and, more importantly, he showed enough poise and leadership to virtually guarantee he remains the Buccaneers' starter once Josh McCown gets healthy. The Buccaneers' offense is significantly less dangerous with Mike Evans sidelined with a groin injury, but the return of Doug Martin adds some value in the passing game. 

Running Back

Jerick McKinnon, Vikings

at Packers, Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET

The Vikings finally trusted their third-round pick enough to give him double-digit carries and McKinnon rewarded his coaches with 152 total yards. The talented rookie's first carry went for 55 yards and included two sublime cuts that showcased his immense upside. Even more encouraging is that McKinnon held his own in pass protection. Not so encouraging? Starter Matt Asiata got the goal-line carries and scored three short touchdowns, including one after McKinnon was downed inches from the goal line. Asiata will retain a prominent role in the immediate future, but McKinnon should continue to carve out a significant role for himself. It will eventually become clear that the rookie is the future of the Vikings' running game (assuming Adrian Peterson never returns). If McKinnon is still available in your league, make him your highest priority this week. He has season-changer potential. 

Justin Forsett, Ravens

at Colts, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Forsett was a popular waiver wire add earlier this season, but he's been dropped in many leagues. He ran as the Ravens' starter in Week 4 and looked very good, accumulating 97 yards and a touchdown on 17 touches. Rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro is pushing for a 50-50 split, but he's still raw and limited in the passing game. Bernard Pierce seems to be completely out of the mix. For now, Forsett is the Ravens running back to own. 

Darrin Reaves, Panthers

vs. Bears, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Injuries to DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert have thrust the undrafted Reaves into a starting role whether he's ready or not. Fozzy Whittaker might take some of the pressure off, but Reaves will likely be given the opportunity to run away with the job until Williams and Stewart return. Don't expect Reaves to emerge as the next superstar – the Panthers' offensive line is nowhere near good enough to produce a fantasy RB1 or even an RB2 – but he has FLEX upside in a pinch. 

Branden Oliver, Chargers

vs. Jets, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET

Donald Brown was completely ineffective in his first game as the Chargers' unquestioned feature back, producing just 19 yards on 10 carries against the horrible Jaguars defense. He added a little value in the passing game, catching four passes for 35 yards, but there's no reason the Chargers shouldn't look for more from their backfield. That's where UDFA Oliver comes in. In a small sample size, he's looked like a slightly more dangerous player than Brown. Against the Jaguars, Oliver took his nine carries for 23 yards and added 33 yards on four catches. The Jets are a brutal matchup for running backs, so both Oliver and Brown should remain on fantasy benches next week. An enticing matchup with the Raiders is on the schedule after that, however. Stash Oliver and hope he breaks out in Week 6.

Wide Receiver

Eddie Royal, Chargers

vs. Jets, Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET

Eddie Royal is back for his annual appearance on waiver wire lists. This year, it follows a two-touchdown performance against the Jaguars. Last year, Royal scored five touchdowns in the first two weeks of the season and then only two more in the next 12 weeks. It's hard to explain why Royal scores touchdowns in spurts, but it's not a bad idea to ride him while he's hot. Just be ready to bail at the first sign of a slowdown. 

Allen Robinson, Jaguars

vs. Steelers, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Robinson didn't score in Week 4, nor did he exceed 40 yards receiving. What he did was give us another glimpse at his talent, making it harder to deny that he's the Jaguars' best offensive weapon. With Cecil Shorts aggravating a hamstring injury and expected to miss Week 5, Robinson's time to shine could be now. Blake Bortles looks like he's ready to take the Jaguars offense to new levels, so everything might be set up perfectly for the rookie duo to go on a run together. 

Jarius Wright, Vikings

at Packers, Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET

How does one make sense of Jarius Wright's eight-catch, 132-yard performance in Week 4? It came out of nowhere; Wright caught just three passes for 37 yards in the season's first three weeks. Is Wright's success a product of Teddy Bridgewater's first start or is it a fluke? Proceed as if it's more likely an aberration than a sign of things to come. Cordarrelle Patterson will be more involved in the offense moving forward, taking away some (or all) of the screen passes thrown to Wright in Week 4. 

Tight End

Clay Harbor, Jaguars

vs. Steelers, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Another player with the potential to be energized by Bortles, Harbor caught eight passes for 69 yards in Week 4. With Marcedes Lewis on IR-recall until Week 11, Harbor will continue serving as the Jaguars' primary pass-catching tight end – and perhaps Bortles' security blanket. 

Owen Daniels, Ravens

at Colts, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

Daniels caught four passes for 43 yards in Week 4. That's probably what an average week will look like for him, but he carries more touchdown upside than other tight ends in his tier because of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak's proclivity to target the tight end in the red zone.