Fantasy: Waiver Wire - Week 5

Every Monday during the season, theScore's Justin Boone runs down the recommended waiver-wire pickups.

Roster percentages are based on Yahoo leagues. Free-Agent Budget (FAB) amounts are based on a $100 salary cap. Only players rostered in less than 50% of leagues are considered.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields, Steelers

With two games left to be played Monday night, Fields is the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback on the week thanks to 312 passing yards and one passing touchdown, as well as 10 carries for 55 yards and two rushing scores.

This will be Fields' second straight top-12 fantasy QB finish after he was the QB11 in Week 3.

Next up for Fields are the banged-up defenses of the Cowboys and Raiders, which puts him in the low-end QB1 conversation moving forward.

Sam Darnold is just over the 50% rostered mark but should be rostered in all leagues.

Streaming options: Geno Smith vs. NYG (44% rostered), Deshaun Watson at WSH (22% rostered)

Risky streaming options: Andy Dalton at CHI (14% rostered), Daniel Jones at SEA (8% rostered), Derek Carr at KC (47% rostered)

Desperation streaming options: Bo Nix vs. LV (11% rostered), Jacoby Brissett vs. MIA (2% rostered), Gardner Minshew at DEN (6% rostered)

Daniel Jones vs. DAL (6% rostered), Gardner Minshew vs. CLE (8% rostered), Bo Nix at NYJ (11% rostered), Deshaun Watson at LV (24% rostered), Will Levis at MIA (12% rostered), Jacoby Brissett at SF (2% rostered)

Desperation streaming options (if starter is out): Joe Flacco at JAX (1% rostered), Tyler Huntley at NE (4% rostered)

Bye-week stashes: Justin Herbert (49% rostered), Will Levis (11% rostered)

High-upside stashes: Drake Maye (3% rostered), Jameis Winston (1% rostered)

Running backs

Kareem Hunt, Chiefs

When Carson Steele fumbled early in Week 4, the Chiefs elected to go to a familiar face and let Hunt serve as the lead back the rest of the way.

The 29-year-old handled 45% of the offensive snaps, turning 14 carries into 69 yards while adding another 16 yards on two receptions.

Though Hunt didn't find the end zone in the game, there's little doubt touchdowns will come if he stays in this role - which isn't guaranteed. Steele could get involved again next week, or Clyde Edwards-Helaire (who's eligible to come off the NFI list this week) may factor in.

Given how Hunt performed, I expect him to maintain the starting job for now. And with Isiah Pacheco not expected back anytime soon, that would put Hunt in the low-end RB2 fantasy mix for the next month.

Bucky Irving, Braelon Allen, and Rico Dowdle are just over the 50% rostered mark but should be rostered in all leagues.

High-upside backups like Trey Benson (31% rostered), Blake Corum (26% rostered), and Ray Davis (11% rostered) should be rostered in most leagues.

RB2 options (if starter is out): Tyler Allgeier vs. TB (23% rostered), Trey Sermon at JAX (1% rostered)

RB3/flex options: Tank Bigbsy vs. IND (11% rostered), Roschon Johnson vs. CAR (27% rostered)

Flex options: Jaleel McLaughlin vs. LV (22% rostered), Emanuel Wilson at LAR (14% rostered), Alexander Mattison at DEN (33% rostered), Miles Sanders at CHI (3% rostered)

Risky flex options: Ty Chandler vs. NYJ (33% rostered), Justice Hill at CIN (14% rostered), Samaje Perine vs. NO (25% rostered), Antonio Gibson vs. MIA (17% rostered)

Risky flex options (if healthy): Cordarrelle Patterson vs. DAL (4% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options: Tyrone Tracy Jr. at SEA (3% rostered), Jamaal Williams at KC (6% rostered)

Other backups to roster: Clyde Edwards-Helaire (8% rostered), Dameon Pierce (3% rostered), Jaylen Wright (10% rostered), Khalil Herbert (14% rostered), D'Onta Foreman (4% rostered), Isaac Guerendo (3% rostered), Ty Johnson at HOU (0% rostered), Ronnie Rivers (0% rostered), Jeremy McNichols (0% rostered), Blake Watson (0% rostered)

Bye-week stashes: Kimani Vidal (3% rostered), Kenneth Gainwell (2% rostered)

Injured-reserve stashes: Kendre Miller (6% rostered), MarShawn Lloyd (6% rostered), Audric Estime (1% rostered), Keaton Mitchell (10% rostered)

Wide receivers

Dontayvion Wicks/Romeo Doubs, Packers

With Christian Watson suffering a high ankle sprain Sunday, the Packers' receiver room becomes a little easier to project.

Jayden Reed is the star of this unit, Doubs runs the most routes, and Wicks is now set to take over Watson's role.

Doubs has seen 15 targets in the two games Jordan Love was under center and is a solid WR3/flex option with a low ceiling if he doesn't find the end zone.

Meanwhile, Wicks has a much higher fantasy ceiling with Watson sidelined. He recorded five catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to the Vikings, which matched the kind of production we saw from him at times last year.

In the five games Wicks posted at least five targets last season, he put up stat lines of 4-45-0, 3-91-0, 2-20-0, 6-97-0, and 6-61-2. That included three finishes as a top-25 fantasy WR, with one of those weeks landing him inside the top-five.

Wicks is an upside WR3/flex while Watson sits out and has a fantasy ceiling worth chasing.

Ladd McConkey, Jakobi Meyers, Darnell Mooney and Keon Coleman are just over the 50% rostered mark but should be rostered in all leagues.

WR4/flex options: Xavier Legette at CHI (14% rostered), Josh Downs at JAX (20% rostered), Wan'Dale Robinson at SEA (26% rostered), Tutu Atwell vs. GB (8% rostered)

Flex options: Jordan Whittington vs. GB (3% rostered), Jerry Jeudy at WSH (48% rostered)

Risky flex options: Mike Williams at MIN (21% rostered), Allen Lazard at MIN (36% rostered), Michael Wilson at SF (17% rostered), Ray-Ray McCloud vs. TB 95% rostered), Ja'Lynn Polk vs. MIA (9% rostered)

Risky flex options (if starter is out): Tre Tucker at DEN (9% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options: Demarcus Robinson vs. GB (28% rostered), Justin Watson vs. NO (0% rostered), JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. NO (1% rostered), Gabe Davis vs. IND (27% rostered), Jalen Tolbert at PIT (5% rostered), Rashod Bateman at CIN (10% rostered), Brandin Cooks at PIT (29% rostered), Noah Brown vs. CLE (0% rostered), Darius Slayton at SEA (1% rostered), Alec Pierce at JAX (34% rostered), Jonathan Mingo at CHI (1% rostered), Andrei Iosivas vs. bAL (20% rostered)

Other receivers to roster: Ricky Pearsall (8% rostered), Jalen McMillan (3% rostered), Adonai Mitchell (12% rostered), Luke McCaffrey (2% rostered), Mason Tipton (0% rostered)

Bye-week stashes: Quentin Johnston (44% rostered), Joshua Palmer (22% rostered)

Tight ends

Tucker Kraft, Packers

Kraft finished as a top-12 fantasy tight end over the final eight weeks of the 2023 campaign, and it appears he could challenge for those results again now that Jordan Love is healthy.

In Love's first game back since the opener, Kraft caught six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown while drawing nine targets.

Kraft won't benefit from Watson's absence as much as some of the receivers, but he could see a slight bump in target share.

Regardless, Kraft is the unquestioned starting tight end in one of the league's best offenses. If you're looking for a cheaper way to invest in the Packers for fantasy, this is the way.

Kraft's a high-end TE2 for the rest of the season with a chance to flirt with low-end TE1 production.

Streaming options: Tyler Conklin at MIN (35% rostered), Cade Otton at ATL (15% rostered), Zach Ertz vs. CLE (30% rostered), Colby Parkinson vs. GB (26% rostered)

Streaming options (if healthy): Taysom Hill at KC (39% rostered)

Risky streaming options: Erick All Jr. vs. BAL (1% rostered), Mike Gesicki vs. BAL (50% rostered), Hunter Henry vs. MIA (37% rostered)

Risky streaming options (if starter is out): Brenton Strange vs. IND (11% rostered)

Dart-throw streaming options: Juwan Johnson at KC (32% rostered), Noah Fant vs. NYG (32% rostered), Noah Gray vs. NO (0% rostered)

High-upside stashes: Ben Sinnott (3% rostered)

Defenses

Week 5 streamers

Favorable upcoming schedules: Eagles DEF (43% rostered), Chargers DEF (19% rostered), Colts DEF (14% rostered), Bengals DEF (21% rostered)

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