Fantasy Football: Week 5 Waiver Wire

I’ve been playing fantasy football for the last 12 seasons. My first ever draft pick was Shaun Alexander, who set the single-season rushing touchdown record (which stood for one whole season) for me and helped me win my first ever fantasy football championship. And to that day, I’ve had a great amount of fantasy success. I don’t always win, but I pride myself on having consistently competitive teams.

So sure, a few weeks after joining the TST crew, I find myself at 0-4 in our staff league. My 0RB strategy completely backfired, as the only late-round running back to have any sort of success is Kareem Hunt (spoiler alert: not on my team). So I’ve blown my team up with several trades, maybe got a little better, maybe got even worse. Who knows? I’m apparently not that great at this whole “fantasy football” thing.

Anyway, here are the top waiver wire targets if you’re as lost as I am.

Quarterback

Deshaun Watson, HOU (Owned in 29.6% of ESPN leagues, 36% of Yahoo leagues)

I’m not exactly sure how Tom Savage beat him out in training camp, but it’s been the Deshaun Watson show since it became obvious that Savage couldn’t protect himself behind that porous offensive line. You can’t expect the gaudy numbers he put up against the Titans (5 total touchdowns is hard to come by), but his production over the last few weeks have proven him a worthwhile fantasy asset, especially with bye weeks coming this week.

Jared Goff, LAR (13%, 24%)

DO YOU BELIEVE? While it’s been hard to predict which one of his targets to use from week to week, Goff has been steady outside of their game against Washington. I still wouldn’t trust him every week, but, much like Watson, he can be a strong bye-week candidate depending on the matchup.

Running Back

Alvin Kamara, NO (42.5%, 47%)

Maybe not the most exciting pickup, but a sneaky move to grab him while the Saints are on their bye. Fact is, Kamara is getting more and more usage as the weeks go by. The three-headed mess has turned into a two-headed inconvenience as Adrian Peterson has all but disappeared. Kamara is a reasonable choice for a Flex in PPR leagues.

Latavius Murray, MIN (17.1%, 20%)

With Dalvin Cook done for the year, the Vikings will need to fill the void with a combination of Murray and Jerick McKinnon. Murray is still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, which is worth monitoring. But McKinnon has had opportunities to carry the load in the absence of Adrian Peterson for the last few seasons and has never produced. When completely healthy, Murray should be the feature back.

Wide Receiver

Cooper Kupp, LAR (34.9%, 44%)

Just your weekly reminder that Kupp should be owned in a lot more leagues. People with higher ownership percentages include Kenny Britt, Ted Ginn Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Jeremy Maclin. All of these players, Kupp included, are stashes on the end of your bench. But there comes a time where you should ask yourself, “do I ever see myself starting Kenny Britt?” Kupp actually has potential as a flex because of his reasonably safe floor in PPR formats.

Tight End

Charles Clay, BUF (75.2%, 67%)

He’s technically not eligible for the waiver wire column, but this is a friendly reminder to check your league and see if Clay is available. He is on the cusp of elite status at his position in terms of fantasy output since the end of last year. There is a connection between Clay and Tyrod Taylor, and he is sure to see even more usage with Jordan Matthews out for at least a month.