The fantasy football season has concluded its first quarter, and between injuries and surprising performances, the waiver wire will be as active as it’s been thus far.
This also marks the first week of byes — as if managers didn’t already have enough to juggle.
Teams on a bye in Week 5 include the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo, using the 75% rostered mark (at least 25% availability) as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!
We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.
Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.
Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.
Priority Free Agents
1. RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
This one is simply a formality because Brooks technically falls under the threshold of available players. It’s highly unlikely he’s available. If he is, Brooks should be the top addition. He may not be activated right away, but few players have his upside for the second half of the season.
Availability: 33%
FAAB: 20%
2. WR Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers
Christian Watson will miss some time with a high-ankle sprain. Regardless, Wicks continues to earn a larger role. He’s coming off a season-best 5-78-2 receiving line on a 24% target share. Second-year receivers are typically solid bets, so he has weekly starter potential if Wicks’ role increases at all.
Availability: 86%
FAAB: 15%
3. WR Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Much of Sutton’s season may result in a lot of unrealized fantasy points, which will be frustrating, but the peripherals are difficult to ignore. He has at least a 29% target share in three of his four games, and it seems his connection with Bo Nix is improving slightly with 68 and 60 yards in his last two games, respectively. His upside is capped due to his situation, but it’s not easy finding a flex option with his underlying metrics.
Availability: 34%
FAAB: 15%
4. RB Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Brown has been a stash for us early this season, and he finally had a breakout game. He saw a season-high 15 carries for 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns while adding two receptions for 12 receiving yards. His 50% running back rush share marked a season high as well so we could see more of a shift in this backfield moving forward.
Availability: 39%
FAAB: 10%
5. RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We’ve talked a lot about Irving over the last few weeks. He should be rostered as he once again outperformed starter Rachaad White. He won’t fully take over the backfield without an injury to White, but he saw a season-high five red-zone attempts, so his role is expanding.
Availability: 52%
FAAB: 10%
6. WR Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
Like Wicks, there’s a good chance Doubs benefits while Watson misses time. Though he’s historically a volatile asset, there’s always a chance the two-touchdown line goes his way instead of Wick’s on any given week. He’s a solid WR3 bench asset to have with bye weeks starting up.
Availability: 60%
FAAB: 10%
7. RB Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
We shouldn’t be going all in for Hunt, simply because the Chiefs will continue to rotate in the backfield even though Hunt is likely to take Carson Steele‘s role moving forward. Hunt had a 67% running back rush share and an 11% target share in Week 4 so he definitely needs to be added. Keep in mind that Clyde Edwards-Helaire is eligible to return at any point after this week, and it’s unclear what that split will look like. For now, though, Hunt should be viewed as the lead back.
Availability: 65%
FAAB: 8%
8. RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
The second-year back doesn’t have standalone flex value just yet, but it may not be long until he does. The days of Travis Etienne‘s insane workload appear to be gone as he’s yet to record more than 13 carries in a game. On top of that, this was another game in which Bigsby simply looked more explosive. He’s probably more of a stash, but he needs to be rostered.
Availability: 89%
FAAB: 8%
9. WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert is pretty banged up, and the Chargers are among the teams on a bye this week, so McConkey might be better suited for next week’s column. However, the rookie is beginning to take over. He led the team in routes run and targets while posting a 5-67-1 line against the Chiefs. McConkey is a potential flex play after the bye with plenty of upside as a fringe WR2 for the second half of the season if his role continues to expand.
Availability: 44%
FAAB: 8%
10. WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers
The rookie benefitted a great deal from the absence of Adam Thielen, leading the offense in snaps and routes run while posting a 6-66-1 line on 10 targets. If he’s the clear WR2 behind Diontae Johnson, that role could have some flex value as long as Andy Dalton is under center. Expect some inconsistency, but we should always pay attention when a rookie wideout has a breakout game.
Availability: 86%
FAAB: 8%
11. RB Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Dowdle has been far from impressive this season, and it’s difficult to imagine it getting much better. But teams need running backs, and Dowdle appears to at least have some consistent flex value. That’s important with bye weeks starting. He’s seen a rush share above 60% in each of the last two games but a 10% target share in just one of them. Two tough matchups against Pittsburgh and Detroit before the bye week make it difficult to truly buy in.
Availability: 52%
FAAB: 5%
12. TE Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
The tight end landscape is brutal yet again, but it’s nice to know Kraft can put up a 6-53-1 line in certain situations. He will be inconsistent, but it’s difficult searching for a waiver-wire tight end who can see nine targets in a single game. Don’t go crazy with the bidding, but desperate managers can definitely put something down.
Availability: 96%
FAAB: 5%
Grab-n-Stash
RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets: He’s not a startable asset just yet, but he does continue to eat into Breece Hall‘s workload. At worst, he’s one of the top handcuffs in fantasy football.
Availability: 48%
FAAB: 5%
WR Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders: Tucker has stepped in nicely over the last two weeks and could see a more featured role as long as Davante Adams is out. He’s posted target shares of 23% and 25% in each of his last two games, respectively.
Availability: 91%
FAAB: 5%
RB Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals: He’s solely a handcuff but would rocket to RB2 status if James Conner missed time.
Availability: 69%
FAAB: 1%
WR Jordan Whittington, Los Angeles Rams: The rookie paced the Rams offense with a 6-62-0 line on a season-high 28% target share.
Availability: 97%
FAAB: 1%
RB Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings: Chandler is a handcuff at this point but still one of the more valuable ones if Aaron Jones goes down.
Availability: 67%
FAAB: 1%
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants: He’s still the clear RB2 behind Devin Singletary, so at least keep an eye on him.
Availability: 97%
FAAB: 1%
Streamers of the Week
QB Geno Smith vs. New York Giants: While the Giants have been decent against quarterbacks thus far, they’ve allowed seven total touchdowns in four games. Smith is a fringe QB1 this week.
Availability: 56%
QB Justin Fields vs. Dallas Cowboys: Fields has been solid as the starter in Pittsburgh, and the Cowboys could be without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Availability: 69%
TE Erick All Jr. vs. Baltimore Ravens: The rookie taken over the tight end room in Cincinnati and while the matchup isn’t great, he’s has four receptions in each of the last three games.
Availability: 99%
TE Tyler Conklin at Minnesota Vikings: His production is volatile like most tight ends, but he has target shares of 18% and 20% in each of the last two weeks, respectively.
Availability: 65%
Seattle Seahawks D/ST vs. New York Giants: While Malik Nabers has been fun, he’s in the concussion protocol. Even if he goes off, the Seahawks defense will have plenty of opportunities for turnovers and sacks.
Availability: 74%
New England Patriots D/ST vs. Miami Dolphins: Without Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins offense has struggled immensely. This makes New England a viable streaming option after some promising outings in recent games.
Availability: 97%
PK Austin Seibert vs. Cleveland Browns: Washington’s offense is on fire right now, and the Browns have allowed the fifth-most field-goal attempts to kickers this season.
Availability: 98%
PK Chase McLaughlin at Atlanta Falcons: We’re going back to McLaughlin on Thursday night against the Falcons, who have allowed the most field-goal attempts and fantasy points per game to kickers this season.
Availability: 95%
