The fourth full Sunday of the fantasy football season is officially in the books. It’s now time to improve our rosters. We recently broke down the top Week 5 waiver wire targets that fantasy managers should consider adding, but if you’re only interested in the top available wide receivers, we’ve got you covered.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Wide Receivers To Target Off the Waiver Wire in Week 5
I have done away with FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced it with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants (26%)
There is nothing exciting about Wan’Dale Robinson, but it’s truly shocking he is available in so many leagues. With all of the injuries across the league, a mostly guaranteed 8+ fantasy points have to be useful for more than 26% of you.
Robinson now has two games with 12+ targets. He’s scored at least 9.8 fantasy points in every game this season. On Thursday night, Robinson caught 11 passes for 71 yards. Obviously, he’s never going to be efficient, but those are WR1 numbers. The mere fact that Robinson has that in his range of outcomes is enough to justify rostering him and starting him. There likely won’t be many better wide receivers available on waivers this season.
Aggressiveness Rating: 7.5
Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers (13%)
The Packers’ No. 13 is rostered in 13% of leagues. Looks like the No. 13 is lucky, as Dontayvion Wicks’ talent was allowed to be put on display following Christian Watson’s ankle injury.
In a forced increased role with the Packers facing an extremely negative game script, Wicks caught five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The more important stat, though, is the 13 targets he saw.
Dontayvion Wicks scored 22.3 fantasy points in Week 4 with Christian Watson injured early.
80% route participaiton
24% target share (led team)
35% air yards share (led team)Will rank as a WR2 for me next week if Watson out.
Available in 87% of Yahoo leagues.
Must add, y'all.
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) September 29, 2024
It’s unlikely the Packers see this game script often, but if Watson has to miss time, Wicks is going to have a larger role. Given what he just did, he needs to be on rosters while we wait and see how he’s used going forward.
Aggressiveness Rating: 6.5
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts (20%)
I was very close to giving up on Josh Downs as a fantasy factor this season. Then, Anthony Richardson went down. Joe Flacco may not be a better quarterback than Richardson, but he’s definitely better for the Colts’ WRs.
With Flacco playing the majority of the game, Downs caught eight of nine targets for 82 yards and a touchdown. If Flacco has to make starts, combined with bye weeks beginning, Downs would be on the weekly WR3 radar.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers (14%)
With Adam Thielen on injured reserve, Xavier Legette stepped into the WR2 role opposite Diontae Johnson. Under Andy Dalton, everyone gets to eat. Johnson is still the clear WR1, but Legette was quite productive, catching six of 10 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown.
I have no idea if Legette will be anything. This could just be an anomaly against a terrible defense. But he’s a rookie with unknown upside. That is a player worth taking a chance on.
Aggressiveness Rating: 7.0
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers (40%)
I’ve never really been a believer in Romeo Doubs. But the bigger issue with the Packers was the four-man rotation. If Watson has to miss time, I expect Doubs, Wicks, and Jayden Reed to all play more snaps.
Doubs saw eight targets against the Minnesota Vikings. We’ve seen him have big games before. This week was a Wicks week. Next week could be Doubs as the feature guy. He’s worth picking up while we await more information.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Jordan Whittington, WR, Los Angeles Rams (3%)
The Rams have clearly decided Tyler Johnson is not the guy. They went with a three-receiver set of Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, and Jordan Whittington in Week 4. The rookie actually led the team in routes run. Whittington saw eight targets, catching six for 62 yards in a tough matchup against the Chicago Bears.
Puka Nacua is expected to be out at least another month, and the earliest Cooper Kupp will return is in Week 7. That means at least one more week of Whittington as an every-down player.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (9%)
With Davante Adams out, Tre Tucker saw increased usage. He earned six targets and one carry, which he turned into 44 total yards and two touchdowns.
The scoring is obviously random and not likely to repeat. However, it’s clear Tucker will be the Raiders’ WR2 as long as Adams is out. He’s now scored 22.6 and 15.4 fantasy points in each of his last two games. That’s worth adding for WR-needy teams.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0