Week 4 of the NFL season has come and gone but we are still feeling the waves. Whether you are riding the big one or getting drowned in the water, our fantasy teams are going to need some TLC. Bye weeks are coming into effect, along with injuries across the league. So it is time to patch up your team with some quick fixes on the wire.
All numbers and percentages come from the ESPN Fantasy Football app.
Week 5 Waiver Wire Wonders
Quarterback
Alex Smith and/or Baker Mayfield
Alex Smith has New Orleans as his next opponent in Week 5, so you can expect a game with some high octane offense. Smith is owned in only 65% of fantasy leagues currently but coming off a bye week. He has scored double-digit numbers in every game he has started and has thrown only one pick since the NFL season began.
Baker Mayfield on the other hand, had a shootout with the Raiders but came out with the loss. This may be a tough pill to swallow, grabbing a Cleveland QB and all, but Mayfield has weapons surrounding him. Carlos Hyde and Nick Chubb are beginning to look like a quality one-two punch. While he has Jarvis Landry and David Njoku to throw it to. Mayfield is available in over 50% of leagues.
Running Back
Nyheim Hines and/or Frank Gore
Oddly enough, both men have played with Andrew Luck but Hines is a waiver pick up this week because of the trust Luck has in the man. He is available in over 84% of fantasy leagues. Hines might be a challenge to consider because of his lack of actual play ability in the Indy Offense, but week after week he still gets fed the ball, whether it is through the air or on the ground.
Frank Gore, the former San Francisco and Indianapolis running back is still making his money. In the past four games, Gore has averaged eight carries a game but is fairly relevant in the passing game when it comes to Miami playing in comeback mode. Gore is available in virtually 92% of fantasy leagues, but take him with a grain of salt that his turnout depends on Kenyan Drake continuing to play poorly.
Wide Receiver
Tyler Lockett and/or Mohamed Sanu
Ever since Doug Baldwin left Week 1 of the NFL season, Lockett has been a nonstop points machine. Each of his last three starts, he has gotten double digit fantasy numbers. This might be a stretch to pull on the wire since he is owned in over 70% of leagues but with Baldwin’s low production, I would expect Lockett to continue to be Russell Wilson’s favorite receiver in the end zone.
Muhammed Sanu has been largely overlooked because of rookie sensation Calvin Ridley, but with Ridley and Julio Jones’s talent, the door seems wide open for Sanu to scavenge all the remaining points. Sanu just came off a triple-digit yardage game against the Bengals and the Falcons have another, one would think shootout, coming up against the Steelers. Sanu is owned in over 49% of fantasy leagues but definitely worth a shot at tracking down for your upcoming bye weeks.
Tight End
Swaim has been a slow starter for the Dallas offense but these past two weeks he has proved to be a reliable check down for Dak Prescott. Swaim is available in over 98% of leagues. He has been targeted 10 times in the past two weeks and has shown that he can get some points with the ball in his hands. Fantasy points that is. Swaim scored for the first time this year in Week 4 but will continue to be looked at by Prescott against the Houston Texans.
Kicker/Defense
Brett Maher and Titans Defense
Maher is the new Dallas kicker. The later the season gets, the more he seems to score. Brett is owned in less than 2% of leagues but has continued to tally kick after kick, each week that passes. The Cowboys have been giving the kicker at least two field goals a game since week one and that’s not accounting the extra points.
The Titans Defense has been keeping their team in the close games they have encountered this month. They are available in over 60% of leagues out there and have a favorable matchup against the Buffalo Bills and their rookie QB. Though they have been averaging 20 points to the other team, they make up in the takeaways they produce. Overall they have scored once, have three picks and two fumble recoveries. This should be a nice and safe play against a lackluster Bills offense.