LAFB Week 5 Waiver Wire Wonders

Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License
Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License

Here we are LAFB Network Fam; Week 5 in the NFL with some COVID complications. As we saw this past week with the Titans, Steelers, Patriots, and Chiefs, no team is off-limits when it comes to the pandemic. Luckily we got some news early on the Titans and Steelers, but the Patriots and Chiefs game came at the last second.

Sure it was pushed to Monday but we’re lucky that it was played this week at all. Players such as Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, even Rex Burkhead were uncomfortably close to sitting on our benches.

With that comes our PSA LAFB Network; even if your team is stocked on all-stars, keep playing the wire and improving your depth. Depth is the only way we are going to survive this season so gather what you can.

Week 5 Waiver Wire Wonders

Quarterback

(NYG) Daniel Jones @ Dallas Cowboys

owned in about 34% of fantasy leagues

At this point in the season, is anyone scared of the Cowboy defense? Baker Mayfield had a mediocre fantasy day but come-on, 49 points from the Browns?! I don’t have much faith in Devonta Freeman or the rushing offense in New York so I am expecting a lot of passing work for Jones. That means all you Darius Slayton owners out there might get some good production on Sunday afternoon.

(MIN) Kirk Cousins @ Seattle Seahawks

owned in about 29% of fantasy leagues

Somehow, someway, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 315 passing yards but didn’t throw a TD all game against the Seahawks. He salvaged his fantasy day by rushing for a score and with that, he totaled 26.5 fantasy points. Currently, the Seahawks are averaging 401 passing yards to opposing QBs. You might as well call that an open wound about to be exposed by Kirk Cousins. Sure Cousins hasn’t lived up to his usual potential of 300+ yards a game, but Seattle might be the launch pad he’s looking for.

(CAR) Teddy Bridgewater @ Atlanta Falcons

owned in about 19% of fantasy leagues

Mr. Teddy Bridgewater is beginning to look like his former self and his fantasy numbers prove it; 26 for 37, 276 passing yards with a two TDs and a pick, plus six rushing attempts for 32 yards and a score. All of which totaled 31 fantasy points even, not too bad for a backup who found his way as a starter.

The best, but possibly most annoying part of Bridgewater, is that he has yet to find his “favorite receiver.” Robby Anderson has been tearing it up, while D.J. Moore is sitting on your starting lineup looking like a dud. That’s good because Teddy can move the ball around without relying on only one guy, but some of us coaches drafted that one guy so he could be a baller on our teams.

Running Back

(ARI) Chase Edmunds @ New York Jets

owned in about 35% of fantasy leagues

Is Kenyan Drake hurt? I’m not sure but his fantasy production sure looks like it. So far in four weeks, Drake has had 67 rushing attempts for 254 yards and a single TD. Possibly the worst stat yet, five targets and five receptions, THAT’S IT.

Edmunds, on the other hand, is sitting at 17 targets for 13 receptions, already exceeding his first two seasons in the NFL. Now I am not saying Drake is hurt or damaged but the man is clearly not doing the work he was paid to do. And if that’s the case, I want the man who will, Chase Edmunds.

(LAC) Joshua Kelley / Justin Jackson @ New Orleans Saints

Kelley owned in about 55% fantasy leagues

Jackson owned in about 5% of fantasy leagues

I know Kelley is a little bit higher on the roster percentage but with Austin Ekeler about to miss a couple of weeks, there will be a hole in the offense that will need to be filled. Recently, rookie sensation Joshua Kelley has been hogging all the game time because of a quad injury that kept Jackson off the field.

Luckily for Jackson, the week Ekeler hurt himself, was the week of Jackson’s return. In all honesty, Jackson will most likely be the Charger who will be attainable for any coaches out there playing the wire. Kelley either might already be claimed in your league or, if you don’t have waiver priority, will be claimed before you have the chance. Kelley might cost you a pretty penny in FAAB while Jackson could be half.

(CLE) D’Ernest Johnson @ Indianapolis Colts

owned in about 2% of fantasy leagues

Speaking of RBs being out for a couple of weeks, Nick Chubb too is on the IR for multiple weeks due to an MCL injury. Now I would say scrounge up whatever you got and try to get your hands on Kareem Hunt but that would be practically impossible. There’s no doubt Hunt is not on your waiver wire, which means D’Ernest Johnson should be leaping into fantasy relevancy. Nick Chubb left some big shoes for Hunt to fill and he won’t be able to do it alone, try and scoop up Johnson anywhere you can.

Wide Receiver

(LV) Hunter Renfrow @ Kansas City Chiefs

owned in about 42% of fantasy leagues

If you have Darren Waller on your fantasy team, disregard everything you’re about to read because obviously, you were amazing in your draft. But if you don’t have Waller, maybe you might want to check out Renfrow from the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders have been feeling the injuries this year, first, it was Tyrell Williams, then Henry Ruggs III, and then Bryan Edwards. Somehow, someway Hunter Renfrow is the number one man in the WR corps for Las Vegas. In the first two weeks, Renfrow had five total targets. In the last two weeks, Renfrow has leaped up to 17. Find a way to roster Renfrow in a pinch.

(CIN) Tee Higgins @ Baltimore Ravens

owned in about 33% fantasy leagues

From one target machine to the next, Tee Higgins has been making some waves in the Cincinnati offense. In just three starts Higgins has accumulated 22 targets, which projects to 109.6 total targets by this season’s end. A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd lead the Bengals in targets but between the two, Boyd has been the only man to do anything with those targets.

Green has 33 targets so far this season, yet only 14 receptions and 119 yards with no scores. As a matter of fact, in completion rate, Boyd is sitting at 83.3%, Green is at 42.4% and Higgins is at 54.5%. Clearly, Boyd is the Cincinnati WR to own but Higgins is still playable in 12-16 man leagues.

(BUF) Cole Beasley @ Tennessee Titans

owned in about 25% of fantasy leagues

From the number three option in Cincinnati to the number two option in Buffalo, Cole Beasley scratches and claws his way to fantasy relevancy. Sure he doesn’t put up huge numbers every game like co-WR Stefon Diggs but in the four games Beasley has suited up, last week against the Raiders was the first time he did not average more than 14 yards a catch. Against the Raiders he was actually 10.7 but his TD helped pushed him through the double-digit threshold. On the year, Beasley is sitting at 24 targets for 18 receptions with 260 yards and a TD.

(DEN) Tim Patrick @ New England Patriots

owned in about 2% of fantasy leagues

Between the seven WRs that have lined up for the Denver Broncos, there have only been two players that have played every week. Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick. Undoubtedly Jeudy has already found a home in your fantasy league but Tim Patrick has been having trouble doing so.

Since Courtland Sutton found his way on the IR, there has been an influx of who would run the WR corps for the Denver Broncos. Currently, Jeudy has been leading the Broncos with 28 targets, while Patrick is at 21, but with a closer look at the stats, some interesting facts emerge. One fact is the completion percentage, Jeudy is at 53.5% and Patrick at 76.1%. Another would be the actual fantasy outcomes, Jeudy is sitting at 44.4, but Patrick is at 48.9.

Tight End

(DAL) Dalton Schultz vs New York Giants

owned in about 52% of fantasy leagues

Guess who has been averaging seven targets a game on one of the highest-powered offenses in the NFL. If you guessed Travis Kelce, you would’ve been wrong. Kelce has been averaging way more than just seven targets.

But if you were to say Dalton Schultz then you would have been correct and it wouldn’t have been much of a guess. Either way, Schultz has been getting it done from a TE perspective for the Dallas Cowboys. He’s sitting at a 64.2% of completion rate with Dak Prescott, aka Dak Attack, and with their defense being as lackluster as it has been, they could be playing from behind at any moment.

(WAS) Logan Thomas vs Los Angeles Rams

owned in about 26% of fantasy leagues

From one highly targeted TE to another, Logan Thomas has been quietly reliable for young-gun QB Dwayne Haskins. Thomas might be a name that some of you may have never heard before but if you’re a fan of the Washington Football Team, Thomas is a name you’ve been hearing a lot lately. At this moment, Thomas is 6th in targets on the year for TEs and that’s in front of players like George Kittle, Mark Andrews, or even Tyler Higbee. Plugin Thomas for a streaming option with a bunch of looks.

Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License

Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License