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We are coming off the most exciting week of football so far in 2021 with plenty of scoreboards lighting up and games going down to the wire. Will the waiver wire be just as exciting in Week 5? Let's find out.
This column will identify the most relevant waiver wire targets at every position with a brief explanation of each player's current path to fantasy relevance.
All rostered percentages are taken from Yahoo and players are listed in descending order, not in order of priority. Only players who are rostered in approximately 40% or fewer leagues are considered.
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Running Backs - Waiver Wire Options
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles - 29% rostered
Kenny Gainwell is officially outproducing Miles Sanders. The Eagles are rarely giving Sanders the ball these days, with a combined nine carries in the last two games. Gainwell only saw three carries but one came in the red zone and turned into a touchdown.
Full-PPR season totals through 4 games
Miles Sanders - 40.4 points
Kenneth Gainwell - 46.8 points
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— Clinic Cap ? (@ClinicCapp) October 3, 2021
His main role is as the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield which is why he is outpacing Sanders in fantasy. Gainwell caught six of eight targets against the Chiefs and will be leaned on when the Eagles face negative game script. That could happen again in the coming weeks when they play Carolina and Tampa Bay.
Damien Williams, Chicago Bears - 7% rostered
Just when David Montgomery got back on track with a 100-yard effort and the Bears' offense showed signs of life (thanks to Bill Lazor taking over playcalling), a knee injury is threatening to keep Monty out next week and possibly beyond. Damien Williams stepped in and looked sharp as well, rushing for 55 yards and a TD on eight carries. Williams would be in for a huge workload in Week 5 except he apparently suffered a quad injury late too. Monitor practice reports closely before paying up for him.
Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals - 2% rostered
Hold onto your seats - Joe Mixon is hurt. The top RB in Cincy missed the final drive of the game on Thursday night and is now listed as week-to-week with a knee injury. There's a good chance Perine gets the start in Week 5 in a home tilt with the Packers.
Alex Collins, Seattle Seahawks - 2% rostered
Chris Carson managers right now pic.twitter.com/y5CV4WaDPR
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) October 3, 2021
For still unknown reasons, Chris Carson touched the ball 14 times in San Francisco but Alex Collins was right behind him with 12 combined carries and catches. Collins was the more productive of the two, including a touchdown run. It's doubtful that Collins cuts into Carson's workload on a regular basis but he's clearly the RB2 now and has home run-hitting ability with his plus speed in the open field. He's a solid insurance policy for Carson stakeholders.
Brandon Bolden, New England Patriots - 2% rostered
James White is out for the year, Rhamondre Stevenson was a healthy scratch again, J.J. Taylor fumbled so he won't see the field for a while... that leaves Bolden as the default RB2 in New England. He wasn't productive as a runner on Sunday Night Football but that could be said for the entire New Engalnd backfield. Bolden did catch six passes for 51 yards and should retain his job as third-down back and occasional TD vulture going forward. It'll be a much easier time with Houston up next on the schedule.
Ty Montgomery, New Orleans Saints - 0% rostered
Tony Jones Jr. was carted off the field in Week 4 and appears to have suffered a high-ankle sprain. That leaves just Dwayne Washington and Ty Montgomery behind Alvin Kamara in the Saints backfield. Washington has no fantasy relevance but at least Montgomery is a proven pass-catcher and has experience in this offense from last year. GMs in very deep leagues could make him a depth pickup.
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears - 0% rostered
If both Bears running backs above him are ruled out, the team might have no choice but to roll with Herbert. He saw his first carries of the season in Week 4, rushing three times for seven yards. It would be a desperation play to flex him but if Montgomery's injury proves to be long-term, he is stashworthy at the very least.
Others to consider: J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team (39% rostered); Peyton Barber, Las Vegas Raiders (36% rostered); Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs (9% rostered); Chris Evans, Cincinnati Bengals (0% rostered)
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Options
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears - 38% rostered
Looks like I picked the wrong week to bench Darnell Mooney. He totaled 101 yards in the first three games and then went off for 125 against the Lions. The opposing defense made things easier but it's notable that his connection with Justin Fields was stronger than Allen Robinson. If David Montgomery is out for an extended period of time, the Bears will lean on the passing game more and Mooney might begin to fulfill some of his preseason promise.
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins - 38% rostered
Parker scored his first touchdown of the season and led the Dolphins in receiving with 77 yards in Week 4. Neither of those is a particularly big deal but two things work in his favor for the coming week. 1) Tua Tagovailoa should be active. 2) Will Fuller is hurt... again. Parker had been fairly quiet until this week but his target count has been consistently high all year with at least seven targets in every game and an average of eight. A matchup with the Bucs' decimated secondary is promising too.
Josh Gordon, Kansas City Chiefs - 32% rostered
Only one-third of you have heard the news? Let's pick up the pace.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 25% rostered
The rookie wideout returned to practice last week but has not been activated yet. He could make his NFL debut soon but it's not certain that Week 5 will be in play. Once on the field, he'll have to fight for targets with Sammy Watkins and Marquise Brown in a run-first offense.
A.J. Green, Arizona Cardinals - 24% rostered
Everyone in this offense is in play any given week. That goes for the veteran Green, who once again defied expectations by tying for the team lead in Week 4 with five receptions and 67 yards along with a touchdown. His target share is encouraging (unless you have Christian Kirk or Rondale Moore) so he can be trusted again in fantasy.
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets - 21% rostered
After missing the first three weeks, it was an instant impact for Crowder in the slot. He caught seven of his team-high nine targets, including a fourth-quarter TD that helped the Jets eventually earn a W. Crowder has been a target hog in the past and could thrive for his rookie QB as long as Elijah Moore remains out.
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams - 5% rostered
If you squint a little while watching, the number 12 can look like 2 and you can imagine it's Robert Woods putting up 90 yards and a touchdown. Instead, it's Jefferson who has been the more productive receiver thus far and has two scores on the young season. An upcoming matchup with Seattle's beleaguered secondary puts Jefferson in the flex conversation.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions - 2% rostered
The garbage time passing yards weren't going to St. Brown until now. In their latest loss, this time to Chicago, the rookie slot man saw the most targets (eight) and receptions (six) in Detroit. While Kalif Raymond found the end zone twice, St. Brown is the more talented player and likely to sustain his production now that he's developed some rapport with Goff.
Freddie Swain, Seattle Seahawks - 0% rostered
Remember when David Moore was the WR3 in Seattle the last couple of years? He was never a big-time prospect or sexy option on waivers but every couple of games he'd fine the end zone or go for a huge gain. That's Swain in 2021. He went for 95 yards and a touchdown in Week 2 and scored for a second time in Week 4 with 20 yards. That makes him an emergency flex option in standard leagues with bye weeks approaching.
Others to consider: Quintez Cephus, Detroit Lions (29% rostered); Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders (26% rostered); Terrace Marshall Jr., Carolina Panthers (14% rostered); Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (3% rostered); Cedrick Wilson, Dallas Cowboys (1% rostered)
Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Options
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills - 45% rostered
There is a smaller chance that Knox is available in competitive leagues because his rostered rate is close to 50% but it's worth looking into. Unless you nabbed one of the top few tight ends on draft day, you already know the position is a pitfall for streamers. Guys like Mike Gesicki and Jonnu Smith are perpetual teases by having a big game every so often before disappearing again. Knox hasn't had any huge games but he's been consistent, posting at least eight PPR points every game so far. His main appeal is in the red zone, as he's scored four TD in the past three games. Buffalo will be in a shootout with KC next week and then gets the soft Titans secondary the following week.
Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys - 32% rostered
In four games, Schultz has caught six passes on three occasions. He's also scored three touchdowns in the past two games after crossing the end zone again in Week 4. It's to the point that Schultz is outproducing CeeDee Lamb one quarter through the season. It's hard to imagine it will hold up but Schultz can't be discounted in fantasy any longer and should be added where available.
Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals - 2% rostered
Late-bloomer? In six seasons never averaging so much as 20 yards per game or scoring more than one touchdown in an entire season, Williams is suddenly a pass-catcher in Arizona. After drawing a blank in the season opener, he's been a top-10 fantasy TE in two of the past three weeks. Everyone looks viable in this Cardinals offense so why not the tight end?
C.J. Uzomah, Cincinnati Bengals - 2% rostered
His first three games consisted of four receptions and 39 yards. On Thursday night against the Jaguars, he went for 95 yards and two TD. If Tee Higgins returns, that will cut out most of Uzomah's sparse target share but he bears mentioning anyway.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts - 2% rostered
Week 4 - Return of the MAC. Mo Alie-Cox took advantage of Jack Doyle's absence by cashing in twice in the end zone. That comprised all of his production since he only caught two passes. His third target which was incomplete also came in the end zone, so it's obvious he has reclaimed that role for the time being. It's hard to trust that he will do it again because he's simply never been a consistent option but streamers in standard (non-PPR) leagues could do worse.
Others to consider: Evan Engram, New York Giants (34% rostered); Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17% rostered); Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings (13% rostered)
Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Options
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers - 37% rostered
Don't fight it, Darnold is good at football. The passing numbers were nice in Week 4: 301 yards, two TD. The headline here is the fact that Darnold ran in two scores and now has five rushing touchdowns in four games. That means Darnold has more rushing TD than (*checks notes) everyone. It's unclear whether Christian McCaffrey will be back for Week 5 and if even he can slow the D Train but a home tilt against Philadelphia puts Darnold as a QB1.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants - 31% rostered
Gives Jones credit for coming through in a tough matchup with New Orleans and leading the Giants to their first victory. He posted the first 400-yard passing game of his career, he didn't take a sack, and his only INT was a last-second Hail Mary before halftime. He seems to have recaptured his early-season momentum and now rolls into Week 5 to face division rivals Dallas. There should be a high implied point total in that game but Jones hasn't fared well against the Cowboys in his career. In three starts versus Dallas, he has never thrown for more than 229 yards and has a 3-2 TD-INT rate so proceed with a bit of caution.
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers - 30% rostered
It's tempting to add Lance all over now that it appears he will start in Week 5. Kyle Shanahan wasn't gushing with praise for Lance after a loss to Seattle in which he completed 9 of 18 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns in one half of action. It's possible he just hates young players based on what we've seen this year but he may have no choice but to hand the keys to his offense over to the rookie. Jimmy Garoppolo's latest injury makes Lance a strong streamer against Arizona but be advised that the Niners have a bye in Week 6.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team - 10% rostered
From a real-life perspective, Heinicke was great in leading Washington to a comeback victory with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. In fantasy, he was even better. Heinicke threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns while running for another 43 yards. The return of Curtis Samuel should help this offense but Logan Thomas (hamstring) and Dyami Brown (knee) both exited early in Week 4. As long as he's got Terry McLaurin to throw to, Heinicke should continue to provide a spark.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets - 10% rostered
It's been all or nothing for Wilson. He's had two terrible games with an 0-6 TD-INT rate sandwiched in between two pretty good ones where he's posted a 4-2 TD-INT rate. An upcoming contest with Atlanta should provide a decent floor although they haven't allowed a 300-yard passer yet so he's best left for Superflex leagues.
Others to consider: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (13% rostered)
Team Defense - Waiver Wire Options
New England Patriots Defense - 58% rostered
The Pats DST was understandably dropped in many leagues with Tampa Bay on the schedule but they held their own even against the GOAT, holding Tampa mostly to field goals. They'll breathe a huge sigh of relief when they see Houston on the schedule next. Davis Mills just tossed four INT and should still be starting in this contest.
Green Bay Packers Defense - 37% rostered
The Pack roll into Week 5 having forced two turnovers in each of the past three games. They'll get the Bengals and Joe Burrow, who has taken 11 sacks and thrown four interceptions.
Minnesota Vikings Defense - 16% rostered
The Vikings didn't force any turnovers in Week 4 as Cleveland's ground game took control. It will be a different story when they host Detroit in Week 5. Give Jared Goff credit for limiting turnovers and sacks but the Lions are unlikely to put up big point totals; they've scored 17, 17, and 14 points the past three weeks.
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