Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds: Week 5

With another week down, we’ve either taken another step closer to pure desperation or a leap up into absolute self-arrogance, depending on where you are on the spectrum of your fantasy leagues.

The best part is—regardless of where you stand, the waiver wire remains one of the most important parts of fantasy football and we’re here to help—so let’s get to it, shall we?

% owned is based on Yahoo fantasy Football

Shallow and Intermediate Leagues (10-60% owned)

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Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals – 34% owned

Higgins has gradually started to take over A.J. Green as the big bodied weapon in Cincinnati. Also, the Bengals offense is quickly becoming one to invest in, due to the amount of times they’re throwing the ball (which shouldn’t slow down) and the outright talent of their #1 overall pick. Tyler Boyd is obviously a top wide receiver, moving forward, but Higgins is an upside pickup with the number of targets he’s starting to take on in the offense.

Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers – 27% owned

Tonyan now has 3 touchdowns in 3 weeks and had 3 touchdowns, alone, in week 4—he’s a legitimate TE1 moving forward, even with the Packers top receiving threat returning soon. The Packers offense is another one to acquire stock in and Tonyan has taken a stranglehold on the top TE spot—he may be the top priority this week.

Eric Ebron, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers – 27% owned

Ebron has been trending upward in the Steelers offense for a few weeks now, and was only subdued by an impromptu bye week. He is new to the offense, so he should only get better and build more chemistry with his quarterback, and I believe the Steelers offense should also be one that improves with time (injury-permitting). Some of us are desperate at the TE position, and this week might be a good time to make a change if you’re looking for an increase in production.

Lavisk Shenault, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – 24% owned

I never thought I’d have more than one rookie wide receiver on my waiver list, but this class is absolutely special. Shenault is having touches manufactured for him in the Jacksonville offense, and should only improve his skillset as the weeks march on (just as with Higgins). He is worth a flier and could be a potential flex option, once bye weeks begin.

Deep Leagues (<10% owned)

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Joshua Kelley, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – 56% owned

Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – 6% owned

The starting running back for the Chargers has gone down for 4-6 weeks, and I believe he will be closer to the longer end of that timeframe, if not even a little bit further out than that. His replacements are Kelley and Jackson—Kelley will be closer to the workhorse type back but Jackson should have a role as the main pass-catcher, as well. Both are worth investing in, though obviously, if Kelley is still out there somehow, he takes precedence.

D’ernest Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns – 4% owned

In the first 4 weeks, the running backs for the Cleveland Browns have carried the ball 24, 32, 35 and 35 times. Clearly there’s a lot of open carries available for Johnson to occupy, while Nick Chubb recovers from his injury. The upcoming matchup against the Indianapolis Colts is a tough one but Johnson has the talent, offensive line and vacant touches to become a solid pickup for weeks to come.