Ladies and gentlemen, we’re entering Week 5, the first week of the NFL season, with four teams on bye. While the Lions, Eagles, Chargers, and Titans get to rest up, we do not have that luxury as fantasy managers. If anything, we need to dig deep and find those fantasy assets to help us during these leaner weeks. That’s what we’re here for today, as we’ll get you set up for success heading into Week 5.
Note:All rostership percentages use Sleeper for this Week 5 Waiver Wire (2024) article.
Quarterback:
Justin Fields – Sleeper Roster – 42%
In Week 4, Fields was the overall QB1 (before MNF) with 312 yards passing and one touchdown, plus 55 yards rushing and two more scores on the ground.
With unmatched rushing upside, this waiver wire period is likely your last shot at obtaining a cheat code rushing quarterback like Fields.
Kirk Cousins – Sleeper Roster – 41%
The quarterback position in fantasy has been super volatile, but Cousins has looked better and will get a pace-up game against the Buccaneers and the Panthers, who have looked better on offense and should push the Falcons into more passing.
Atlanta has far too many weapons to be this dormant. With Drake London, a “dead” Kyle Pitts, the PPR scam stylings of Ray-Ray McCloud, and Bijan Robinson, the conductor is Cousins here and he should flirt with top-12 fantasy upside in his next couple of matchups.
Andy Dalton – Sleeper Roster – 19%
Beggars can’t be choosers during bye weeks, which start in Week 5. Dalton has transformed this offense into something functional, stringing together two consecutive top-12 performances among fantasy quarterbacks.
With Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, and Denver on the horizon, Dalton is a perfectly capable streaming quarterback who should strive with passing volume with 37 and 40 pass attempts in his two games as Panthers’ starter.
Running Back:
Kareem Hunt – Sleeper Roster – 10%
From the couch to the practice squad to 16 touches in Week 4, the mercurial Hunt has seemingly sewn up consistent touches in the Chiefs’ backfield. We know how much they need producers with Isiah Pacheco out and now Rashee Rice out of action. Hunt racked up 14 carries for 69 yards and caught both targets for 16 yards.
Hunt led the Chiefs in snaps over Samaje Perine, who will still maintain all two-minute drills and most third-down work. The goal-line and early-down work went right to Hunt after Carson Steele fumbled away his opportunity to lead this backfield. Grab Hunt if you’re in a pinch at running back next week against the Saints, though Hunt’s bye comes soon in Week 6.
Trey Sermon – Sleeper Roster – 25%
Jonathan Taylor’s high-ankle sprain opens the door for Sermon to get spot-start usage as an RB2 against Jacksonville in Week 5 if Taylor cannot play. While Sermon’s isn’t exactly a sexy name, he will help with a slew of backs on bye like Saquon Barkley, J.K. Dobbins, both Lions backs, and Tony Pollard.
Sermon’s last spot start came last season in Week 15 where he put up a healthy 88 yards rushing on 17 carries. There’s little to no receiving upside here, but against a Jaguars defense that’s bottom-four in EPA/play, Sermon is a fantasy RB2 or, at worst, a flex play.
Tank Bigsby – Sleeper Roster – 9%
Bigsby, the man with one of the best names you can have for a running back, is finally living up to that lofty name. Leading the Jaguars in rushing yards (90) on just seven carries in Week 4, Bigsby looked remarkably spry with Travis Etienne nursing a shoulder injury that knocked him out for a stretch in the first half.
While Bigsby came into the season as a pure handcuff to Etienne, it’s hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube as Bigsby looks to have earned some standalone work (29% snaps in Week 4) in a Jaguars’ offense that’s been dying for consistent production. He may not be startable outside of true injury, but Bigsby has vaulted up the ranks of contingent plays at running back for me.
Wide Receiver:
Dontayvion Wicks – Sleeper Roster – 18%
The cream is rising to the top, folks. Per FantasyLife’s Dwain McFarland, in the three games where Wicks has achieved 70% routes per dropback, he has put up 15.7, 24.1, and 23.8 fantasy points; the latter coming in Week 4. Christian Watson suffered a high-ankle sprain that could remove him from the lineup, so Wicks would immediately jump in as the second outside receiver opposite Romeo Doubs with Jayden Reed in the slot.
Want more? Wicks and the Packers have an absolutely juicy trio of games coming up, including the Rams, Cardinals, and Jaguars, where Jordan Love can feast on subpar defenses that rank in the bottom 12 in terms of defensive EPA/pass, including two of the bottom three with the Rams and Jaguars. Wicks needs to be a priority addition this week.
Josh Downs – Sleeper Roster – 39%
After an August high-ankle sprain dashed some of the preseason hype for Downs, he came back with a vengeance in Week 4, with an 8-82 line on 70% routes per dropback, including a touchdown. With Alec Pierce seemingly returning to running cardio routes, Downs and Michael Pittman took full command of the passing game with Anthony Richardson and Joe Flacco under center.
The outlook for Downs looks much better with Flacco as quarterback, but Downs is a proven target earner who should be a dangerous slot weapon for the Colts, who sorely need any sort of passing-game continuity.
Xavier Legette – Sleeper Roster – 39%
With Adam Thielen on the shelf for the suddenly competent Carolina Panthers, the first-round rookie Legette ran 88% of routes per dropback and earned 10 targets and a 6-66 line, plus a touchdown. In an effort to get him the ball, he also added two rushes for 10 yards. The Panthers want to get the ball into his hands and he needs to be a part of your waiver wire plans if you’re hurting at wide receiver.
As long as Andy Dalton remains the starting quarterback for the Panthers, Legette is an every-week flex play with a lot of room to move up. The risk that the Panthers could turn back to Bryce Young is present, but in the mean time, he’s part of a pretty condensed target hierarchy with Diontae Johnson and that’s worth quite a bit going forward.
Tight End:
Tucker Kraft – Sleeper Roster – 8%
Kraft saw his highest route participation of the young season, running a route on a robust 86% of Jordan Love’s dropbacks. That increased routes per dropback coincided with Kraft’s best performance, with a 6-53 stat line that included a touchdown in Green Bay’s furious comeback attempt.
Tight end is a bit gross, but a player who is running 80%+ routes needs to be on the radar, especially in an explosive offense that the Packers possess. The Packers face the team that has given up the fourth-most fantasy points to the tight end position, the Los Angeles Rams, in Week 5. Scoop up Kraft if you’re needing a tight end with names like Dallas Goedert and Sam LaPorta on bye this week.
Noah Fant – Sleeper Roster – 23%
The Seahawks scored 29 points and passed the ball 56 times on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions, but Fant could only muster two targets as the Metcalf/Lockett/Smith-Njigba contingent gobbled up 32-of-53 targets. Knowing so much defensive attention is locked into those three players, players like Fant fall through the cracks.
In an explosive offense like Seattle’s, Fant is still highly valuable, as he put up a 6-60 effort on six targets just last week. With some very viable fantasy tight ends off the schedule in Week 5, Fant is a solid option that’s available in a number of leagues.
Erick All Jr. – Sleeper Roster – 2%
While All sticks out like a sore thumb here, his role has grown by the week, with four targets and four receptions in each of his last three weeks with a career-high 60% snap share in Week 4. All out-snapped Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample, earning the third-most first-read targets (3, 14.3%) on the Bengals.
Known as a receiving-first tight end, All had found himself moving all around the formation, with slot utilization in 20% of his snaps and 7.7% of snaps out wide. If you want to get in on the ground floor with a player that could pay dividends later, All is a perfect stash in the Bengals offense that is looking better and more explosive by the week.
D/ST:
Green Bay Packers – Sleeper Roster – 27%
With the Packers embarrassing the Titans’ offense (who hasn’t?) in Week 3 to the tune of eight sacks, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown, the Packers put up a solid stat line against a potent Vikings offense with two fumble recoveries, an interception, and two more sacks, good for DST14 on the week.
Next up for the Packers is the Rams, who, without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, look very ordinary on offense. The Rams may find it tough to move the ball against such an opportunistic defense. The Packers are a priority streaming option in Week 5.
Denver Broncos – Sleeper Roster – 4%
With defensive coordinator Vance Joseph leading the unit, the Broncos have been solid as a fantasy defensive/special teams unit. They were a top-six D/ST in Week 4 with five sacks and a fumble recovery against the Jets.
Denver will host the Las Vegas Raiders, who aren’t exactly world-beaters themselves. The Broncos also face the Chargers, Saints, and Panthers, so they could be a defense you pick up and use for a solid stretch of weeks coming up.
Seattle Seahawks – Sleeper Roster – 36%
While the Seahawks’ start against the Lions in Week 4 was not great, as they gave up 42 points, they get a nice matchup with the New York Giants, which features the turnover machine known as Daniel Jones.
Jones has three interceptions on the season, and with the Giants heading west to Seattle, they’re going to be in for a tough test in front of Seattle’s home crowd. If Malik Nabers cannot exit concussion protocol, the Giants’ hopes exponentially go down. Either way, grab the Seattle Seahawks off of waivers if you’re looking for a solid streaming option this week.
Thanks for reading my Waiver Wire for Week 5 (2024) article! Tune in next week for your Week 6 Waiver Wire! Make sure to tune in every Tuesday night at 8PM EST for the Fantasy In Frames Waiver Wire show! Catch all my other articles over on X at @ktompkinsii.
