We are moving on to Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season and there will be an added emphasis on the fantasy football waiver wire this week with four teams on bye.
The four teams taking the week off are the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here’s a list of the fantasy relevant players owners may need to cover for.
Buy Titans TicketsSeahawks: QB Geno Smith, RB Kenneth Walker, WRs DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, TE Noah Fant
Chargers: QB Justin Herbert, RBs Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelly, WRs Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer, TEs Donald Parham and Gerald Everett
Browns: QB Deshaun Watson, RB Jerome Ford, WR Amari Cooper, TE David Njoku
Buccaneers: QB Baker Mayfield, RB Rachaad White, WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin
With the first bye weeks upon us, let’s take a look at the best fantasy football waiver wire options for you to consider in Week 5.
Note: Players on this list are available in at least 50 percent of ESPN leagues. Fantasy points are based on PPR scoring and positional rankings are courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
QB Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Despite a tough matchup against a very good Philadelphia Eagles defense, Howell posted 19.6 fantasy points and has topped 16 or more in three of four games this season.
Howell is a solid streaming option this week against a Chicago Bears defense ceding the second-most fantasy points per game to the position.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Despite ranking as QB10 overall and posting 20 or more fantasy points in three of four games, Stroud is still widely available. Giving him more upside, the rookie has started running with the football more.
Not only is Stroud a good streaming option this week against an Atlanta Falcons defense that has been a middle-of-the-road unit against quarterbacks this season, he’s also made the case to be an every-week option, also.
QB Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Tannehill has had an up-and-down start to the season but that has more to do with poor pass protection than anything else. When he’s been given time to throw, Tannehill has been effective for the most part.
He’s on the lower end of the streaming spectrum this week, seeing as how his best two games saw him score 21 and 13.7 points. But the offensive line was better in Week 4 and he draws a matchup versus the Indianapolis Colts, a team surrendering the seventh-most points per game to signal-callers.
RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
After Javonte Williams was ruled out with a hip injury, the rookie stepped right in and played well, with McLaughlin carrying the ball seven times for 72 yards while also adding three receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown.
“Let’s talk about Jaleel,” head coach Sean Payton said after the game. “He played really well. He’s one of the guys that got a game ball this morning. He was explosive in the run and the pass. He gave us some juice, so we’ll continue to look at his role.”
It remains to be seen how long Williams will be out, if at all, but McLaughlin is someone who should be at the top of your list of priorities this week, as he could seen an expanded role whether Williams misses time or not.
RB Jeff Wilson, Miami Dolphins
Wilson is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, and if we take the word of his agent from early last month, that will happen.
Now, Wilson’s prospects don’t look great, seeing as how both Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane are off to blistering starts to the season.
However, he will have a role and it’s possible he works his way up the depth chart in the coming weeks. Not to mention, Mostert has a checkered past with injuries and Achane doesn’t have the frame to be an every-down back.
He’s a solid stash and a must-add for Mostert and Achane owners.
WR Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson returned to the lineup this week and that may hurt Doubs’ value moving forward, but the second-year wide receiver still managed to lead the team in receptions, yards and tallied his third 18-point game of the season in Week 4, which makes him WR16 overall.
WR Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
Wilson had the best performance of his career in Week 4 with seven catches for 76 yards and two scores. He’s WR12 the last two weeks and has tallied nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns in that span. He’s still No. 2 in the pecking order behind Marquise Brown but the third-round pick has worked his way into fantasy relevance and is worth a look.
TE Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons
In a world where tight end consistency is hard to come by, Smith has been pretty reliable the last three weeks, with at least four receptions and no less than 37 yards in each game.
He had a season-high six catches and 95 yards in Week 4 and is TE11 overall despite missing the first week of the season. Since Week 2, Smith is TE8.
It’s insane to think about, but right now Smith is a better starting option than fellow Falcons tight end, Kyle Pitts, a former No. 4 overall pick in the draft.
TE Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
Despite being TE8 overall and TE6 since Week 2, Ferguson remains widely available. He’s also coming off the best game of his career, where he tallied seven receptions for 77 yards.
Houston Texans D/ST
The Texans sport a top-10 D/ST that has finished with back-to-back double-digit showings. Houston is D/ST4 overall the past two weeks.
Coming up in Week 5 is a matchup against a listless Falcons offense that has a bad quarterback in Desmond Ridder and a total of just 13 points the last two games.
Atlanta is also surrendering the seventh-most fantasy points per game to D/STs, further making the Texans’ unit a viable streaming option.
Detroit Lions D/ST
Not only is the Lions’ D/ST a viable streaming option this week, it’s also a potential long-term solution, with Detroit’s unit ranking tied for D/ST7 overall.
The Lions have a talented pass-rush led by Aidan Hutchinson that has tallied 12 sacks the past two weeks. The unit has also forced a turnover in three of four games.
Making this group even more attractive, the Lions draw a matchup against a bad Carolina Panthers offense giving up the ninth-most fantasy points per game to D/STs. Carolina is averaging just 13.3 points per game with Bryce Young under center and the offensive line is surrendering 3.5 sacks per.
