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Another week of NFL action is behind us and like every week so far, the waiver wire is significantly more bare than it's been in past seasons.
Below, you'll find some wideouts that you should be targeting on the waiver wire ahead of Week 5.
Not all options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster. Check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 5 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 50% rostered or below.
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Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
58% rostered
A broken ankle is going to keep D.J. Chark out for a long while, handing a larger receiving role in this offense to Shenault. This week, he was targeted seven times, bringing in six of them for 99 yards. Those things all led the team. Jacksonville's passing attack is going to keep improving with Trevor Lawrence under center, and Shenault's speed will make him an intriguing deep threat in this offense. He's a WR3 option going forward.
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
38% rostered
In Week 3, Darnell Mooney had one catch for nine yards. It is worth noting that the Bears offense as a whole struggled in that game. Justin Fields had things going a little better this week, resulting in his best game of the season: five catches for 125 yards on seven targets. If Fields remains the starter, the rapport he showed with Mooney is definitely notable, even with some tough games coming up on the schedule.
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins
38% rostered
Will Fuller suffered a hand injury on Sunday. We are not sure yet what that means long term, but on Sunday it meant that Parker led the wideouts in targets with nine, pulling in four for 77 yards and a touchdown. There's not a ton of passing volume in this offense, which complicates the fantasy outlook for the receiver when all are healthy. However, if Fuller misses time, Parker – who has at least seven targets in each game – rates as a WR3 play.
Jamison Crowder, New York Jets
19% rostered
Crowder is back! Making his 2021 debut on Sunday, Crowder was an instant presence for a Jets offense that had been BAD before this week. He led the team in targets with nine, bringing in seven of them for 61 yards and a score. Crowder took away Braxton Berrios' role, and while Denzel Mims was active, he wasn't targeted. Elijah Moore will return from a concussion soon to complicate this Jets receiving unit, but Crowder seems to pretty clearly be the main target here,. It helps that he's a reliable veteran option for rookie passer Zach Wilson.
Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers
6% rostered
Cobb barely existed for three weeks. This week, he caught five passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Marquez Valdes-Scantling being out helped with that, but MVS will miss at least two more games, putting Cobb on the field more often. He won't catch two touchdowns per week, but getting one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite targets on the field for a large portion of the upcoming games will lead to some solid production for Cobb.
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams
5% rostered
It looks like Jefferson has won the battle for No. 3 receiver in L.A. over DeSean Jackson after doubling Jackson in targets and catching five more passes than him. Jefferson ended up with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, with this being the second week in a row that he's had six receptions. The Rams were able to sustain three fantasy-relevant receivers a few years ago with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks, and that happened with Jared Goff throwing the ball. Now with Matthew Stafford throwing, there's even more upside for this Rams passing attack.
Kadarius Toney, New York Giants
3% rostered
So, this obviously depends on the availability of Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard, who both missed this game because of hamstring issues. If one or both are out again, keep an eye on the rookie Toney. His nine targets led the wide receivers this week. He brought in six passes for 78 yards, but he did have a drop. His fantasy value is dependent on other players on this roster for now, but we finally got to see some of what made the Giants draft Toney in the first round. In deep leagues, you might as well pick him up and see if things break right for him to have WR3/4 value next week against Dallas.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
3% rostered
This Lions receiving corps is so weird. The rookie St. Brown led it with eight targets, bringing in six for 70 yards. Quintez Cephus had more yards, but he's 16 percent rostered, which is about where he should be. There's room for St. Brown to see a little growth in his rostered percentage, especially after what might have been his breakout game. Not that you should, like, start St. Brown (he isn't even my favorite Lions receiver to target in fantasy this week), but in deep leagues getting him onto your team's roster is a smart call. St. Brown]has the best long term upside of the receivers in Detroit.
Kalif Raymond, Detroit Lions
1% rostered
A week after Raymond had 10 targets and was the only Lions receiver to do anything, Detroit spread the ball out a little more this week. Raymond still had six targets, pulling in three catches for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Raymond has been a really interesting player this year, and honestly, I still don't know what to think about him. He's been a big part of this offense for the past two weeks though and is the Lions receiver that I'm the most intrigued by.
Josh Reynolds, Tennessee Titans
0% rostered
This is another injury-aided pick, as A.J. Brown and Julio Jones were out this week. I'm not sure what the status is for those two next week, but if one or both are out, Reynolds will be a solid play against the Jaguars defense. In his season debut this week, Reynolds was targeted nine times, catching six passes for 59 yards. He's probably the No. 3 option in the passing game now? Probably? Your guess is as good as mine.
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