Another week of fantasy football action is in the books, as owners everywhere scour the waiver wire to find the best available wide receiver pickups. Looking around the league shows that players like Tee Higgins and Laviska Shenault offer the best chance of positive performance in the upcoming week.
Note that in order to be eligible for this list, the player needed to be available in at least 50% of fantasy leagues. Obviously, there is some variation from league to league, so make sure to peruse all available players before making your claims. There could be a better streaming option available in your specific league that didn’t qualify for this list.
Week 5 Waiver Pickups: Running Back – Wide Receiver – Quarterback – Defense
Tee Higgins, Laviska Shenault Highlight Fantasy Football Week 5 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
Tee Higgins
Early in the season, the Cincinnati passing attack revolved around Tyler Boyd and A.J. Green. However, a series of injuries appear to have made Green a shell of his former self. The Bengals have slowly but surely started shifting Green’s targets to rookie receiver Tee Higgins. In Week 3, Higgins exploded for five receptions, 40 yards, and two touchdowns. He proved that wasn’t a fluke in Week 4, recording four receptions for 77 yards on seven targets.
Higgins faces a tough matchup against a good Baltimore Ravens defense. If you’re looking for a one-week play, you’re probably better off looking somewhere else. However, Higgins has the talent and draft capital to be a season-long flex play. He’s only going to get better and better as the season progresses, and you’re not going to want to pass up the chance to grab him cheap.
Laviska Shenualt
All apologies to Keelan Cole truthers, but Laviska Shenault is the second option in this passing attack. The second-round rookie had another solid outing in Week 4, recording five receptions for 86 yards on six targets. Additionally, he added another five yards on the ground on one carry. The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t a high-powered offense by any stretch of the imagination, but Shenault has the volume to be a fantasy-relevant play all season long.
Shenault and the Jaguars face off against a bad Houston Texans team with a great quarterback. Shenault should have all the volume he needs to put up a good game against this terrible defense, while Deshaun Watson should ensure a high-scoring affair. If you’re looking for a one-week play with long-term upside, I’d make Shenault my claim of the week.
Tim Patrick
For the time being, Brett Rypien is the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Rypien is probably the worst starter in the league, but he’s still capable of giving fantasy relevance to one of his receivers. After one week, that receiver is probably Tim Patrick. The oft-overlooked speedster finished Week 4 with six receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown on seven targets.
It makes sense that these two would have a connection, as both spent most of training camp practicing with the second-team unit. Patrick is anything but a safe play, but he has the snap percentage and volume to give you a chance at a decent flex play.
Scotty Miller
Chris Godwin should miss Week 5, which means that Scott Miller has another week of fantasy relevance. The former undrafted free agent has been surprisingly adequate this season, recording at least 73 yards in three of his first four games. It’s also worth noting that he dropped a touchdown in the other game.
Tom Brady clearly likes Miller, and he won’t have many other options in the passing game. Godwin is out, Mike Evans is playing hurt, and O.J. Howard is likely done for the year with an Achilles injury. The opportunity should be there for Miller to have yet another big game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Week 5 Waiver Pickups: Running Back – Wide Receiver – Quarterback – Defense
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
