Waiver Wire Pickups
Week 5 is somehow here already in the 2023 NFL season. It’s hard to believe that it’s already Week 5. If only we could have NFL football year-round. Congratulations on surviving this far into the NFL Season. It’s been a bloodbath littered with injuries, under-performances, ghosting, and even wilder finishes. We had more injuries to running backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers. Many players suffered injuries or awful performances like Kenny Pickett, Tee Higgins, and many more. Due to these injuries and poor performances from players, you need some new players on your roster. That’s why you’re reading this article. I’ll give you some names that you should see if they are on your waivers and consider picking them up. The league I’ll be basing these on is a 1QB, six-point passing touchdown, PPR, and 12-team league, although I’ll include some deeper league shout-outs. This is a tough week for waivers with not much available on the wire.
The waivers are based on Yahoo’s system and roster percentages. Waivers typically process Tuesday or Wednesday night so go get those claims in! I wish you luck with Week 4 and may the NFL overlords give us some great football, no missed kicks, and plenty of healthy players with no injuries. Truly, it’s kind of depressing and crazy that Week 5’s here already. Enjoy the fantasy football and NFL season while you can!
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Quarterbacks
CJ Stroud
Houston Texans, 47% rostered
Through four weeks of the NFL season, Stroud is a top-10 fantasy quarterback. No one expected that to happen but no one expected Joe Burrow and the Bengals to be as bad they are too. Stroud has at least 280 yards and two touchdowns in each of his last three games highlighting his strong floor and teasing his limitless potential. Stroud is a QB1 this year. Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence so far isn’t. If you’re in need of a quarterback or have one on bye the next couple of weeks, go grab Stroud before it’s too late. He’s far too valuable, especially in six-point touchdown leagues. That’s a floor of just 12 points from his touchdowns alone over the last three weeks.
Running Backs
Jaylen Warren
Pittsburgh Steelers, 55% rostered
Jaylen Warren continued to climb the totem pole of the Steelers’ running back hierarchy. He saw 14 total touches, one off of Najee Harris’ 15. He finished the week as the RB16, one spot higher than Harris indicating this is now a likely timeshare between the two backs. Warren failed to do much with his carries as he saw 8 rushes and turned them into just 29 yards. However, he did catch six passes for 26 yards. That’s premium PPR points when a running back is targeted that much. With the news that Kenny Pickett might miss this week, Warren has true flex play potential as the Steelers will likely lean heavily on the rushes and targets to them with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback. This is likely the last week you can still get Warren so scoop him up.
Tyjae Spears
Tennessee Titans, 24% rostered
Spears carries weekly flex value considering how much the Titans are using plus how well he’s playing. He turned just five carries into 40 yards. Plus, he had three catches for 18 yards. If he gets over 10 touches a game, he could easily finish with 15+ points. In this season with how points are hard to come by from your running backs, Spears has a very stable floor. Plus, should Henry go down for any reason, Spears is an automatic RB2. Stash him and hold him as a valuable handcuff. His value is only going to rise the more he plays like this.
Honorable Mentions: Jaleel McLaughlin, Chuba Hubbard, Melvin Gordon
Wide Receivers
Michael Wilson
Arizona Cardinals, 2% rostered
Wilson has run a route on over 3/4 of his team’s passing plays. He has over 30% of the team’s air yards. Plus, he already has 14 catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He just finished as the WR6 last week against the strong 49ers defense. He cut them up with seven catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns. He’s the WR2 for them and will be a WR4 for the rest of the season. Plus, once Kyler Murray is back, Wilson could explode. Get in on Wilson before the hype explodes. It’s not often you can get a weekly flex-caliber wide receiver this late into the season. If you need one or even if you don’t, snag him.
Jameson Williams
Detroit Lions, 32% rostered
Williams is fresh off of suspension and is healthy. They spent a first-round pick on him for a reason. He’s elite with the ball in his hands and they will use him. He’s their deep threat, something the team has been missing. Williams has big-play potential every time he touches the ball. While it might take a week for him to blow up, have faith that he will. He’s far too talented and has barely been used due to injury and then suspension. Williams has WR2 upside and will open up this whole offense.
Honorable Mentions:
Tight Ends
Jake Ferguson
Dallas Cowboys, 53% rostered
Ferguson is replicating the production that Dalton Schultz had when he was in Dallas. He caught all seven targets last week for 77 yards. Tight ends are once again a wasteland as very few are reliably putting up points every week. Ferguson has had at least 9.8 points every week so far. That’s pretty good and you should be adding him if you’re not in good shape at tight end. Or if you’re losing a tight end to a bye week or injury like with Pat Freiermuth. Also, if you’re still not sold, consider this. Ferguson has seen at least seven targets in three of his four starts this season. That’s a solid amount of targets for your tight end.
As always, I’m more than happy to talk on Twitter. Let me know your thoughts on these players if you managed to trade for/away from them. If you need thoughts on any trade, my DMs are open on 18/7. I respond to everyone.
