10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 5

Several notable fantasy football pieces suffered injuries in Week 4, including Rashee Rice, Malik Nabers, Anthony Richardson, and Jonathan Taylor. Paired with injury ramifications, roles changed in a couple of backfields, as well.

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

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields, Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are slowly giving Justin Fields more and more leeway, and as a result, he's producing more and more fantasy points. After turning in his best performance in Week 3 with 19.4 fantasy points while recording 0.17 expected points added per drop back (via NFL's Next Gen Stats), Fields posted 32.0 fantasy points on Sunday, which is the top mark among QBs prior to Monday Night Football (MNF).

Following a slow start, Fields logged 312 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and two rushing touchdowns. His legs were also on show with 10 carries for 55 rushing yards.

Throughout the offseason, Fields seemed to carry the higher fantasy potential over the veteran Russell Wilson. He finished as QB6 in the 2022 season, and Week 4 reminded us of that high ceiling. Don't push all your chips on Fields, though, as Wilson has a good shot of returning in Week 5. Prior to injury, Wilson was the Steelers' starting signal-caller, although that could change thanks to Fields' solid play.

Others to Consider:

Andy Dalton (at Chicago), Deshaun Watson (at Washington), Daniel Jones (at Seattle)

Running Backs

Kareem Hunt, Chiefs

As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs' running back room was far from solidified following the injury of Isiah Pacheco. Prior to Week 4, it looked to be Carson Steele taking most of the carries while Samaje Perine took the third-down work. After Steele fumbled on the Chiefs' first series, which was the back's second fumble of 2024, Kansas City quickly changed the rotation.

Kareem Hunt -- who was elevated from the practice squad last week -- is now in line to supplant Steele for the early down role. In fact, Steele would finish with only 11 snaps and three touches. Meanwhile, Hunt a team-high 28 snaps and 16 touches among running backs.

The workload alone is worth targeting, but Hunt's efficiency was also there. He posted 0.38 rushing yards over expectation per carry (RYOE/C) in Week 4. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is expected to return to practice this week, threatening Hunt's fantasy value.

Trey Sermon, Colts

As previously mentioned, injuries were a big story in Week 4. This includes Jonathan Taylor going down with a high-ankle sprain. While the injury has been labeled as "pretty mild", high-ankle sprains are still nerve-wracking. Trey Sermon, who is the Indianapolis Colts' second-string back, is worth rostering.

Taylor exited the game in the middle of the fourth quarter, and Sermon took over for the remainder of the game. At this time, we don't really know how much time Taylor will miss, if any at all. Still, a high-ankle sprain isn't the best news -- even a mild one.

If Taylor misses any time, Sermon is in line to get double-digit touches and could produce in the short term.

Tyler Allgeier, Falcons

The sudden danger surrounding the roles of Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall is perhaps two of the most interesting stories for fantasy running backs. According to FantasyPros, Hall carried an average draft position (ADP) of RB2 while Robinson was RB3 in half-PPR leagues, yet here we are with both backs seeing their workload dip.

Hall has only a 35.7% rushing success rate, opening up the door for rookie Braelon Allen. Among the two, Robinson's future looks even more concerning.

Tyler Allgeier is a known commodity as he totaled 1,035 rushing yards in his rookie season (2022) prior to Bijan joining the team. Allgeier had his best game yet in Week 4, recording 1.07 RYOE/C compared to Robinson's -0.57. As the game went on, Allgeier was awarded with more and more touches. In the second half, Allgeier totaled 13 snaps and seven rushing attempts to Bijan's 14 snaps and one carry.

At this point, it's hard to ignore Allgeier's numbers. He's been the much more efficient back with 6.1 yards per carry and 0.94 RYOE/C while Robinson is logging 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and -0.33 RYOE/C. We could see the Atlanta Falcons' backfield move more toward a split workload, making Allgeier a solid waiver wire target.

Others to Consider:

Cam Akers (vs. Buffalo), Braelon Allen (at Minnesota), Alexander Mattison (at Denver), Tank Bigsby (vs. Indianapolis)

Wide Receivers

Dontayvion Wicks, Packers

The clear top receiver target on the waiver wire is Dontayvion Wicks of the Green Bay Packers. He was drawing hype as a sleeper throughout the offseason, and after posting 78 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 4, it could be time.

Wicks logged a team-high 13 targets and 22.3 fantasy points in half-PPR (third among receivers prior to MNF). Why has it taken this long for Wicks to breakout?

Christian Watson and Wicks have consistently battled for one of the perimeter starting wideout spots. Watson was carted with a high-ankle sprain in Week 4, meaning he could miss several games. Wicks should now be a consistent starter, even in 12 personnel.

We shouldn't expect 13 targets to be a weekly average, though, as the Packers were in a negative game script with a 28-0 deficit in the second quarter. Consistently putting up top-five weekly finishes is probably unrealistic, but Wicks is still in line to produce following Watson's injury.

Josh Downs, Colts

Josh Downs returned from injury in Week 3, logging 32 snaps out of 41 total snaps in 11 personnel. It was more of the same in Week 4 as Downs reached 41 snaps, but this time his average depth of target (aDOT) jumped to 5.9 compared to 1.8 in Week 3.

This immediately led to fantasy points with Downs reeling in 8 catches, 82 receiving yards, and a touchdown on 9 targets. With 18.2 fantasy points in half-PPR, he is currently eighth among receivers this week prior to MNF.

Richardson exiting with a hip injury likely helped Downs' fantasy value. Joe Flacco posted 0.24 EPA/db on Sunday compared to Richardson's -0.13 on the season. Richardson seems on track to return, but the Colts could look to up their passing attempts if Taylor misses time.

Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants

The heavy workload continues to come to Wan'Dale Robinson. He totaled a season-high 11 catches for 71 receiving yards on 14 targets against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

Robinson's 7.5 yards per reception is far from exciting. It gets even worse with his 4.6 aDOT for the season (5.1 aDOT in Week 4). Malik Nabers is taking the exciting big plays down the field while Wan'Dale is working underneath.

He has a 28.4% target share on the season and posted a 37.8% share in Week 4. Even with deflating air yards (70th in the category), Robinson still brings fantasy value thanks to his workload. He is now averaging 9.5 targets per contest, and this could only increase with Nabers in concussion protocol.

Xavier Legette, Panthers

First-round rookie Xavier Legette stepped into an increased role with Adam Thielen placed on the injured reserve list. It led to immediate success as Legette logged 6 catches, 66 receiving yards, and a touchdown on 10 targets in Week 4.

Legette would even finish with a team-high 61 snaps while tying Diontae Johnson for 37 routes run (second-most). The rookie (10 targets) and Johnson (13 targets) were the most-used wideouts by a landslide as Jonathan Mingo had the third-most targets (5).

The Carolina Panthers are averaging 39.0 passing attempts and 30.0 points per game (PPG) since Andy Dalton took over as the starting QB. That's a huge jump compared to 28.5 passing attempts per contest and 6.5 PPG with Bryce Young under center. Legette could start making some serious noise in this offense.

Others to Consider:

Tutu Atwell (vs. Green Bay), Jordan Whittington (vs. Green Bay), Allen Lazard (at Minnesota)

Tight Ends

Taysom Hill, Saints

As usual, Taysom Hill has a nose for the end zone, scoring two touchdowns in Week 4. Before leaving the game with an abdominal injury, Hill's role was everything wished by managers.

Hill played in 15 of 25 snaps, lining up all over the field. He took some snaps at quarerback, running back, fullback, tight end, and wide receiver -- talk about versatility. Five snaps in the slot was where Hill got most of his work. From only six carries, Hill still managed to score twice.

Getting this kind of versatility and upside in a tight end screams Hill is a must-add. However, injuries are a concern with Hill missing most of Week 4's contest, and he was absent from Week 3 due to a chest injury.

Others to Consider:

Tucker Kraft (at Los Angeles Rams), Cade Otton (at Atlanta), Tyler Conklin (at Minnesota), Colby Parkinson (vs. Green Bay)

Defenses

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks D/ST has some obvious upside against the New York Giants. Malik Nabers' status is up in the air, and we have no idea what this offense will do if he's out. Chances are the Giants' offense will struggle as Nabers is carrying a 38.8% target share for the season.

Regardless, New York is putting up only 15.0 PPG (fourth-fewest). The Giants are also averaging the 10th-most giveaways per game. Seattle is in the top half of takeaways per contest.

Prior to MNF, the Seahawks hold numberFire's top-rated defense in power rankings. Seattle is giving up only 14.3 PPG (fourth-fewest) and 248.7 yards per contest (fewest). Coach Mike Macdonald's defensive chops have been on full show. While the unit will likely give up some points to the Detroit Lions (fourth-most yards per game), this defense is still a worthy pickup thanks to a favorable Week 5 matchup against the Giants.

Others to Consider:

Denver Broncos (vs. Las Vegas), Las Vegas Raiders (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.