Waiver Wire Watch: Week 5 Fantasy Football Targets

Oct 02, 2017

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles back on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 5. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB). Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

Quarterbacks

Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans ($5)

Watson threw for four touchdowns and ran in another on Sunday as the Texans beat the snot out of the Titans. The rookie looks to be in control of the Houston offense, and he should continue to improve as he gets more starts under his belt. This isn’t the best week to stream him, as he faces a tough Chiefs defense, but with a matchup against the Browns in Week 6 and high potential for the rest of the season, he’s worth grabbing if you can.

Next up: Chiefs, Browns, Bye

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals ($3)

Dalton was a great one-week starter with four touchdowns against the Browns on Sunday, but with the Bills, his bye, and the Steelers coming up, this isn’t necessarily the week to go get him. Dalton has the Colts, Titans, and Browns again during midseason, so he’s worth grabbing for cheap or holding if you got him last week.

Next up: Bills, Bye, @ Steelers

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams ($2)

Goff had another good game on Sunday against the Cowboys, winning a 35-30 shoot-out and throwing for two touchdowns and no interceptions. With a tough upcoming schedule, I wouldn’t invest heavily, but I’m still adding him as a quality backup in leagues with rosters big enough to warrant holding two QBs.

Next up: Seahawks, @ Jaguars, Cardinals

Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts ($1)

Brissett had a rough game against Seattle on Sunday, throwing for only 157 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. However, he has a nice schedule the next two weeks with matchups against the 49ers and the Titans. Brissett has 69 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns in three games, and his ability to contribute on the ground makes him an interesting streaming option.

Next up: 49ers, @ Titans, Jaguars

Josh McCown, New York Jets ($1)

McCown hasn’t had a decent stat line yet this year, but he does have a cushy schedule coming up, including a matchup this week with the Browns, who just gave up four touchdown passes to Andy Dalton and allowed three total touchdowns to Jacoby Brissett in Week 3 – including two on the ground. McCown has some upside in deep leagues.

Next up: @ Browns, Patriots, @ Dolphins

DeShone Kizer, Cleveland Browns ($1)

Kizer had a rough day against the Bengals on Sunday, and ended the day on the bench after only 118 yards and an interception. However, he has the Jets this week and the Titans in Week 7, which should make him a reasonable streaming option in deep leagues. He needs to improve on his eight interceptions through four games, but the fact that he’s accounted for five touchdowns including two on the ground give him long term and streaming upside.

Next up: Jets, @ Texans, Titans

I’m not buying: I’m okay with holding Blake Bortles for future matchups and as a low-end QB2 option, but I’m waiting until he faces the Colts in Week 7 before I look to add him. I get that he has a good matchup against the Raiders this week, but I just don’t trust Joe Flacco to deliver after a horrible start to the season, including two interceptions against the Steelers on Sunday.

Deep Stash Options: Colin Kaepernick quietly accounted for 18 total touchdowns in 12 games last season for a horrible team. If someone gets hurt and he lands on a team with some talent around him, he could quickly become a steady QB option. Mitch Trubisky should take over the starting job, but I'm stashing him only right now with Minnesota next on the schedule.