The quickest way to fall behind in a fantasy football league is to become complacent and rely on the team you drafted, neglecting the all-important waiver wire. As managers make numerous waiver claims for Week 5, hoping to strengthen their roster, should New Orleans Saints QB Jameis Winston be a priority addition off the waiver wire vs. the Seattle Seahawks?
Jameis Winston to be Re-evaluated This Week After Missing Week 4
Injuries are an unavoidable part of the game of football and will continue to be prevalent in the NFL and make themselves felt in fantasy football. The Saints made their way to London lighter at the quarterback position, as Jameis Winston sat out the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings due to a back injury.
Luckily enough, the Red Rifle, Andy Dalton, was ready to stabilize the ship, completing 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown in a 28-25 loss. Speaking to the media on Monday, Saints head coach Dennis Allen stated that one of the first things the team needed to do when it returned home was to find out exactly where Jameis was health-wise before making any decisions.
“I don’t have complete information on that as we sit here today,” Allen said.
Winston has been playing through an apparent back issue, including four fractured vertebrae, and it has shown in his play. During the previous three games, Winston completed 63.5% of his passes while taking 11 sacks and throwing five interceptions to just four touchdowns.
While the sample size is small, Winston looks much closer to the Yolo-Winston that we saw in Tampa Bay than he does the conservative QB he became after finishing his quarterback master class under Sean Payton and Drew Brees.
While ball security has never been Winston‘s strongest suit, throwing five picks in two games is too many, even for his standards.
His aggressiveness is still there, as he’s leading the league in average intended air yards (11.1) according to NFL‘s NexGen stats. He is averaging 286 yards per game, and, through the first three weeks, was sitting as the QB15 in fantasy while averaging over 16 points per game. Add in a talented group of playmakers, and Winston has upside every week if the matchup is right.
Is Jameis Winston an Option Off the Week 5 Waiver Wire
If you told me he was playing, absolutely, Winston would be a waiver wire target for me in Week 5. Seattle is a cakewalk matchup. They are No. 27 in fantasy points allowed to the position (21.4), 32nd in passing DVOA, 29th in net points per drive, 21st in pressure rate (21.9%), and just allowed Jared Goff and a Lions offense missing its top three weapons to score 48 points.
The Saints, meanwhile, are on the rise. Chris Olave is everything and more the team could have asked for when it drafted him back in April. While Michael Thomas has looked like an aging WR that has lost a step, Olave is the vertical threat this offense has needed for years. His route tree also reflects this with over 50% of his routes being a nine, post, corner, or out per Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception charting. Olave wins everywhere on the field and is a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 in ROS rankings.
Getting Winston and Alvin Kamara back in time for this game would be massive for New Orleans. Winston, if he is active, should be treated as a high-end QB2 due to his skill set and the vulnerability of the Seahawks’ passing defense.
More: QB Fantasy Football Rankings
It’s worth snagging Winston now, as his upcoming schedule is favorable with matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, and Las Vegas Raiders on tap. With bye weeks beginning next week, now is the time to plan and stay ahead of your pesky league mates.