Bye weeks in the NFL get started in Week 5, as four teams get the week off. This is the time of year where the using the waiver wire is all the more important. It’s an important week in NFL fantasy as we’re into October now and we’re starting to see some trends play out. These players are all available in over 50% of Yahoo fantasy leagues and should be on your roster going into Week 5. Here are the top waiver wire adds at each position for Week 5 of the NFL season.
Top Quarterback
Deshaun Watson – Houston Texans
If you have not jumped on the Deshaun Watson bandwagon yet, now is the time. Watson is still unowned in 65% of Yahoo leagues and is coming off a week where he ranked as the number one quarterback in standard scoring leagues. Although Watson has a tough matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs, he is the best available option and a great option to grab and start this week if you have Matt Ryan or Drew Brees. In fact, if he has another great week you could trade him for a nice return.
Top Running Back
Latavius Murray – Minnesota Vikings
After losing Dalvin Cook for the season with a torn ACL, the Minnesota Vikings will likely turn to a running back committee to fill the void left by the talented rookie. Murray is coming off his biggest workload of the season, carrying the ball seven times for 21 yards while adding two receptions for eight more yards. While 29 yards is not great, seeing Mike Zimmer increase the usage rate of Murray could turn him into a useful fantasy option. Murray is coming off a 12 rushing touchdown season and did crack 1000 yards on the ground in 2015. Grab Murray and stash him this week to see how much the Vikings use him against the Bears on Monday night.
Top Wide Receiver
Adam Humphries – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After two consecutive strong weeks in a row and a favorable Week 5 opponent, Adam Humphries is an intriguing option to grab this week on the waiver wire. Humpries has 128 yards and 12 receptions on 17 targets over the last two weeks and gets a chance to continue his good start to the season against the New England Patriots. The Patriots are tied for fourth for the most fantasy points given up to wide receivers. Even though Humphries does not the big play potential of DeSean Jackson, Jameis Winston prefers Humphries as his second option after Mike Evans.
Top Tight End
Evan Engram – New York Giants
Even though people started picking up Engram last week, the young tight end is still available in over 50% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. Engram has been consistent to start his career, catching between four and six passes each game this season. Engram is coming off a season-high 62 receiving yards last week and caught his first touchdown of his career in Week 3. The Chargers are decent against tight ends this season, but they do allow the position to catch 70% of their targets this season.
Top Defense
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills have been one of the most surprising teams through the first quarter of 2017. While the decent play of Tyrod Taylor gets most of the headlines, it is their defense that really has elevated the club. The Bills defense has scored between 8.00 and 14.00 fantasy points in each game this season and are coming off a particularly impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend. The Bills get the Bengals this weekend, one of the most turnover-prone offenses of the 2017 NFL season.
Top Kicker
Ka’imi Fairbairn – Houston Texans
With the Houston Texans moving the ball much more effectively since making the change at quarterback, Ka’imi Fairbairn has turned into a valuable kicker in fantasy. Over the last two weeks, Fairbairn has put up 34 fantasy points, making seven fields including his first career 50+ yarder. Texans play the Chiefs on Sunday night and will need a good kicking game if they want to hand Kansas City their first loss of the season.
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