The fantasy football waiver wire has turned into a goldmine in recent weeks. The number of unfortunate injuries across the league has made for strong waiver pickups across the league. These are some players to target heading into week six.
Darren Waller was a popular pickup last week in fantasy football, and he should be this week as well. The Miami Dolphins have targets available after losing Tyreek Hill for the season due to his gruesome leg injury. Waller has become a popular target of Tua Tagovailoa through two weeks, specifically in the red zone. His role will continue to grow, making him a near must-add in fantasy football.
Theo Johnson has proven to have a fantastic connection with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. The injury to Malik Nabers opened up many targets in the New York Giants’ offense. Dart’s first three career passing touchdowns went to Johnson, and that connection will surely have many more in the future. His fantasy upside may actually be higher than Waller’s, and he is certainly someone who should be added.
Nick Chubb was dropped by some fantasy owners following the breakout game of Woody Marks in week four. Chubb was still the clear RB1 for the Houston Texans and should be added in deeper fantasy leagues. His role will still likely be similar to what he was doing early in the season, but as of right now, he has yet to be replaced. This is a great chance to take advantage of someone panic dropping him last week.
Tyjae Spears started the season on IR and was just activated prior to week five. He is expected to have a larger role in the Tennessee Titans’ offense as the season goes on. He wouldn’t be a viable starter in fantasy unless Tony Pollard misses time, but he may be a good option to stash. Spears is extremely talented, probably one of the best backups in the NFL, so his upside if his role increased is too large to let sit on waivers.
AJ Barner had a fantastic game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and he may be worth a flier in deep leagues. He should maintain a decent target share throughout the season, but he doesn’t carry much fantasy upside on a week-to-week basis. The Seattle Seahawks were in a shootout with the Bucs, leading to more pass attempts. Barner, at this point, is probably just someone to target out of desperation.
Tez Johnson has been seeing additional playing time as the season goes on. The Buccaneers have been using him in more creative situations, so they are clearly fans of him and are trying to get him involved. This week’s waiver wire didn’t feature many great receiver adds, but Johnson may be someone to keep an eye on. His role may be heavily reduced once Mike Evans returns to the lineup, so his situation is simply one to monitor as time goes on.
Michael Carter was the topic of many discussions once Trey Benson was placed on IR. The question being asked was will Emari Demercado or Carter be the lead back? The question was quickly answered on Sunday. Carter was the clear RB1 for the Arizona Cardinals, and Demercado made a costly mistake during his limited playing time by fumbling the ball out of the end zone. If Carter is available, he is certainly a fantasy must-add.
Week five of the NFL season was a good week for figuring out roles in their team’s offense following injuries to star players. Some of these players are must-adds in every fantasy league, so make sure to get a head start and put in a claim before they are gone.
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