Week 4 featured many young players breaking out after a few weeks of play. Plus, a few critical injuries to some of the league’s best fantasy running backs opened a few spots. Cordarelle Patterson (Falcons) and Javonte Williams (Broncos) went down with tough injuries. Williams is out for the season and Patterson is out for a long time, leaving their capable backups as good fantasy targets. There are also many young receivers who have put together decent weeks in a row, and now is the time to grab them. Here are our top picks for your waiver wire pickups before Week 5 fantasy matchups.
Note that to qualify for this list, a player needs to be available in at least 50% of fantasy leagues. Depending on the various sizes of fantasy leagues, there could be better or worse options available than the ones listed here. This article will cover leagues with an average of about 10-12 teams.
More Fantasy Football: Week 5 Stream Team | Melvin Gordon, Latavius Murray Breakdown
George Pickens, Josh Reynolds Featured Targets for Week 5 Waiver Wire
Running Backs
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
Allgeier is being propelled into the RB1 role for the Falcons after the starter, Cordarelle Patterson, went down with an injury. On Monday, Patterson underwent surgery and was placed on the IR, meaning he’ll be out for at least the next four weeks. That leaves the starting big to Allgeier, who Caleb Huntley will accompany in the backfield.
Allgeier only had seven fantasy points through his first two games. But, the rookie added 11.4 points to his total after Patterson left Week 4’s game early. Patterson has seen nearly 20 touches a game so expect Allgeier to get a similar amount. He is available in 83% of leagues still, so grab this hot target while you can. He is one of the guys making this young Falcons offense explosive and fun to watch.
Wide Receivers
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions
Reynolds has been a steady receiver for a few weeks but I was hesitant to put him on here due to his usual boom/bust potential. But Week 4’s explosive performance, coupled with his recent success, was enough to get him on the list. Since Week 2, Reynolds has scored almost 13+ fantasy points every single week. Most recently, Reynolds put together a seven-reception, 81-yard performance paired with a touchdown.
Reynolds’ stock has risen a lot in the past day; his rostered percentage has gone up over 10% in just the last 24 hours. He is still available in almost 90% of leagues but expect his availability to start to wane as the week continues.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
George Pickens finally broke out after a lackluster first three weeks. He is very talented and has the skills and athleticism to be a top receiver, but first, he needed targets and recognition. With Mitch Trubisky at the helm in the first three weeks, Pickens only had five catches on 12 targets for just over 60 yards. After Trubisky was benched after halftime in Week 4, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett made his NFL debut.
Pickett and Pickens instantly connected, as the latter finished with six catches (eight targets) for 102 yards in the Steelers’ loss. Those eight targets account for 40% of his targets all season, an obvious increase. With Pickett set to go as the Steelers starter, Pickens will likely see a sharp uptick in targets and catches. This could also give him a healthy amount of receiving yards and his first NFL touchdown in the coming weeks. He is still available in 62% of fantasy leagues, but if his success and production continue, Pickens will no longer be available.
Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Conklin has seen a surprising amount of targets this season and is currently the TE8 so far. In each of the first four weeks, Conklin has scored 8.2+ points in every week and posted 10+ points in three of those games. So far, Conklin has seen 29 targets and is averaging over five receptions a game. Plus, he already has close to 200 receiving yards and a touchdown. As of now, Conklin is still available in 61% of leagues but has been picked up in 27% of leagues in the past day.
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks
Dissly had a disappointing Week 2, but other than that, he’s played very well. In weeks 1, 3, and 4, Dissly posted 12+ fantasy points each game. He has already caught three touchdowns this year on route to being the current TE11. He only has 12 targets all season but has brought in every single one. Dissly is a good complement to Geno Smith’s offense, and the two seem to have good chemistry. He picks up good gains quite a bit and is very useful to that underdog Seahawks offense. He is still available in 98% of leagues so there won’t be much trouble if you want to add him on the Week 5 waiver wire.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
