10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 5

Brace yourself, bye weeks are coming. With Week 4 almost behind us, we are now over 25% of the way through the fantasy football regular season,and bye weeks are set to begin in Week 5.

Teams on a bye in Week 5: Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As you navigate the bye-week gauntlet, bench spots are at a premium, and balancing short-term and long-term potential is important.

With that in mind, here are some of the best additions you can make to your squads heading into Week 5.

10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets

Quarterbacks

Sam Howell, Commanders

Entering Week 4's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, there was concern that Howell would struggle and repeat his mistake-filled performance from Week 3's loss to the Buffalo Bills.

He did not.

Against the Eagles, Howell completed 29 of 41 attempts for 290 yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. He did take another five sacks but also led two fourth-quarter drives for touchdowns and helped keep Washington in the game before losing in overtime.

Four weeks into the season, Howell's play has been a relative bright spot. If you remove his game against Buffalo, a defense that just slowed down the red-hot Miami Dolphins' offense, Howell has completed 75 of 111 pass attempts (67.6%) for 4 touchdowns and 1 interception, with 10 rush attempts for 64 yards.

All that to say, don't let Howell's Week 3 performance keep you from considering him as an option in Week 5 when he faces the Chicago Bears. Chicago is allowing 34.25 points per game this season. Howell is capable of taking advantage of good matchups, as he did against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.

Howell has both short-term and long-term potential as a streaming option.

Others to Consider:

C.J. Stroud (at Atlanta), Matthew Stafford (vs. Philadelphia), Jimmy Garoppolo (vs. Green Bay)

Running Backs

Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos

Javonte Williams suffered a hip injury during the first half of Week 3's win over Chicago and did not return. As of Monday morning, the injury is believed to be minor, and Williams is not expected to miss much time.

With Williams out of the game, the Broncos split their backfield between Samaje Perine and McLaughlin, but McLaughlin was the star. He turned 7 carries into 72 rushing yards and caught all 3 of his targets for 32 receiving yards and a touchdown. McLaughlin's performance backs up what had been a consistent drumbeat of positive news during training camp about his impact and potential. In his first opportunity in a slightly expanded role, he delivered.

Williams may not miss much time and Perine will remain involved, but Denver might have a difficult time keeping McLaughlin off the field after what he showed. Sitting at 1-3, Denver can ill afford to keep their best playmakers off the field (looking at you, Marvin Mims), and right now, McLaughlin looks like one of them.

A Week 5 clash with the New York Jets will be a difficult task, but if you have a bench spot available, McLaughlin is worth picking up.

Gus Edwards, Ravens

Gus Edwards may not be available in your league, but if he is, consider adding him this week.

In the three games since J.K. Dobbins' season-ending injury, Edwards has touch counts of 10, 11, and 17. Against Cleveland on Sunday, Edwards produced 48 rushing yards on 15 carries and caught 2 of his 3 targets for 1 yard. Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon handled three carries each.

It's only a three-game sample size, but Edwards looks like the primary option in Baltimore's backfield. His weekly volume will always be capped by Lamar Jackson's carries and the presence of Hill, but that can be offset by scoring opportunities in what is looking like a top-10 rushing offense.

With bye weeks starting, Edwards is an option for teams in need of a running back, and he has more appeal in standard or half-PPR leagues where his lack of involvement in the passing game doesn't impact him as much.

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers

Chuba Hubbard has been consistently involved for Carolina this season, and in Week 4, he saw the majority of carries for the first time. Miles Sanders has been dealing with a groin injury, which could have played a role, but Sanders has also been inefficient this season. He is averaging 2.9 yards per carry, compared to 4.6 for Hubbard. Hubbard's 4.5 yards per target (YPT) is also greater than Sanders' 3.5 YPT.

Sanders' groin injury could be limiting him, but sitting at 0-4, Carolina needs to do everything it can to maximize every play on offense. At the moment, it seems like Hubbard is a better option than Sanders. There is no guarantee that the Panthers make a change, but Hubbard should continue to be heavily involved.

In an uninspiring offense, he a low-ceiling option at the moment but is worth a bench spot during the bye-week gauntlet. If he surpasses Sanders or Carolina's offense improves as rookie Bryce Young gets more experience, Hubbard could be a flex option.

Others to Consider:

Kenneth Gainwell (at Los Angeles Rams), Justice Hill (at Pittsburgh), Tyjae Spears (at Indianapolis), Zach Charbonnet (bye), Roschon Johnson (at Washington)

Wide Receivers

Romeo Doubs, Packers

Doubs has been mentioned in this piece in previous weeks, and if he is still available, the second-year wideout should be added this week.

While the Packers have waited for the return of Christian Watson, Doubs has been busy racking up impressive performances. Through four weeks, he has 20 receptions on 33 targets for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. The last two weeks, he has seen target counts of 12 and 13 and has moved past a hamstring injury that limited him at the start of the season.

Watson could be back to a full-time role in Week 5 after he was on a snap count in his debut in Week 4, but Doubs is here to stay. He has an established connection with Jordan Love and should remain a key part of Green Bay's passing game. Both Watson and Doubs can be successful.

With bye weeks starting, Doubs provides excellent depth and has an exciting matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night in Week 5.

Tyler Boyd, Bengals

Tee Higgins left Week 3's loss to the Tennessee Titans with a rib injury and did not return. He is reportedly dealing with a rib fracture and could miss some time.

To say things are not going well in Cincinnati right now would be an understatement. Through four weeks, the Bengals have one of the worst -- if not the worst -- offenses in the league, and may have just hit rock-bottom after failing to move the ball against a Titans' secondary that got absolutely shredded by the Browns in Week 3.

Tyler Boyd should see an increase in targets with Higgins out. He has already been consistently involved for the Bengals this season, catching 17 of 27 targets for 127 yards. In Weeks 5 and 6, Cincinnati faces the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, providing a decent window of opportunity for their passing game to get going.

If Joe Burrow can begin to turn things around, Boyd could provide flex value until Higgins returns.

Jameson Williams, Lions

While Boyd is a better short-term option, Jameson Williams is my preferred long-term addition to make at wide receiver this week.

Williams will be reinstated effective on Monday after his suspension for violations of the league’s gambling policy was reduced following changes to that policy made by the NFL last week.

Williams has had a rocky start to his NFL career, missing most of his rookie season recovering from an ACL tear before being suspended for the start of this campaign. Don't let that stop you from adding him to your teams this week.

If things go right for Williams, he has the kind of upside that is difficult to find off the waiver wire at the wide receiver position.

The Lions traded up to select Williams with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after he recorded 79 receptions, 1,572 yards, and 15 touchdowns as a junior at Alabama. He has the potential to play a critical role for an ascending Lions offense that is desperately in need of a dynamic playmaker on the outside to complement the work Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta do in the middle of the field.

Williams is a high-priority bench stash.

Michael Wilson, Cardinals

The Cardinals backed up their upset win over the Dallas Cowboys with a respectable performance against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4. As 14.0-point underdogs, they kept the game close for three quarters, and rookie Michael Wilson was a big part of the reason why.

Wilson caught all 7 of his targets for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns. In Weeks 2 and 3, he saw only 5 targets but made the most of them, producing 5 receptions for 142 yards. Heading into Week 5, Wilson appears to have emerged as the number-two target in the passing game, behind Marquise Brown.

That could amount to something because, despite all preseason expectations, the Cardinals' offense has been effective with Joshua Dobbs under center. They are averaging 22.0 points per game despite a schedule that has included games against the Commanders, Cowboys, and 49ers.

Wilson is worth a bench stash to see how he continues to develop as the season progresses.

Others to Consider:

Marvin Mims (vs. New York Jets), Josh Palmer (bye), Zay Jones (at Buffalo), Trey Palmer (bye)

Tight Ends

Dalton Kincaid, Bills

Kincaid was the first tight end selected in April's NFL draft, and his career is off to a decent start. Through four games, he has caught 15 of 17 targets for 99 yards. He has been overshadowed by Sam LaPorta's incredible start, but Kincaid has been consistently involved in Buffalo's offense, playing alongside Dawson Knox.

Rookie tight ends usually start slowly. LaPorta is an exception thus far, but don't let LaPorta's success shroud Kincaid's potential to deliver down the stretch this season.

In Week 4, Kincaid separated from Knox in a meaningful way for the first time this year. Kincaid's five targets were second-most on the team, behind only Stefon Diggs, and four more than what Knox saw. Kincaid's involvement in Buffalo's offense hasn't yet produced much in terms of fantasy points, but the opportunity is there.

Kincaid is best viewed as an exciting bench stash who has some appeal as a weekly streamer because of the low bar for fantasy relevance at the tight-end position. Rookie wide receivers tend to start slow and turn into weekly contributors in the second half of the fantasy season. Kincaid could do the same.

There are few tight ends with Kincaid's upside available on waiver wires. If you have a bench spot open and don't have a top-tier option at the tight end position already, try to roster Kincaid.

Others to Consider:

Jake Ferguson (at San Francisco), Cole Kmet (at Washington), Zach Ertz (vs. Cincinnati)

Defenses

Detroit Lions

After recording just one sack through the first two weeks of the season, the Detroit D/ST notched 12 sacks over Weeks 3 and 4. During that span, they have also generated a fumble recovery and two interceptions.

Week 3's game was against Desmond Ridder, but in Week 4, they disrupted Jordan Love, who had seven touchdowns and just one interception up to that point. In Week 5, the Lions face a Carolina Panthers offense that has struggled with rookie Bryce Young under center.

In Young's three starts, Carolina is averaging just 13.3 points per game. Young is averaging 3.6 sacks taken and 167.7 passing yards per game. Young is just four games into his career and has plenty of time to turn things around, but until he does, the Panthers' offense is one to target with defenses in fantasy football.

Playing at home and sitting on top of the NFC North, the Lions' defense is in an excellent position in Week 5.

Others to Consider:

Green Bay D/ST (at Las Vegas), New Orleans D/ST (at New England), Washington D/ST (vs. Chicago), New York Jets D/ST (at Denver)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.