Waiver Wire Targets 2018 Week 5

By Armando Marsal

The waiver wire is key to surviving this long season filled with injuries and other factors that could change a player’s role on their offense. Each week I will provide you with a list of players you should be looking to add off of waivers. Let’s take a look at some of those players below.

Teams on bye this week: Bears and Buccaneers

Quarterback

Blake Bortles – Jaguars: Bortles remains unowned in over 70 percent of ESPN league and is currently top 12 in fantasy points at his position. It is not pretty every week for him, as he tends to be very inconsistent, but this week he draws a great matchup against the Chiefs. Kansas City has allowed the second most passing yards (1,372) and has yielded eight passing touchdowns, to go along with 26.5 fantasy points per game. Bortles has attempted over 30 passes in each game this season and with Leonard Fournette expected to miss this week, the Jaguars could elect to let Bortles sling it. He is in a prime spot and should be considered a high-end streaming play this week.

Others to consider: Alex Smith – Redskins, Jameis Winston - Buccaneers

Running Back

Nyheim Hines – Colts: Hines was on the field in 69 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 4 and was peppered with 11 targets (tied for highest on team), which was good for 18 percent of the target share. He has now received at least five targets in all but one game this season. In addition, he leads all Colts backs with 166 offensive snaps this season. The Colts defense is below average, so they will likely be chasing points more often than not and their offense is dealing with injuries, so the opportunities should continue for Hines. In PPR formats, he holds plenty of value and can be considered an asset to most fantasy teams.

Aaron Jones – Packers: Jones led all Packers running backs in Week 4 with 29 snaps, which was good for 38 percent of the offensive snaps. He was efficient once again, rushing for 65 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, as well as adding a catch for 17 yards. Jones is clearly the best back on this backfield and should continue to see opportunities. This week the Packers take on the Lions who have allowed the most rushing yards to opposing backs, with three touchdowns, in addition to 21 receptions for 204 yards and two receiving touchdowns. The game script should also favor Jones as the Packers will likely be playing with a lead, making him a viable option immediately.

Others to consider: Nick Chubb – Browns, Ronald Jones – Buccaneers, Mike Davis – Seahawks, Austin Ekeler – Chargers

Wide Receiver

Keke Coutee –Texans: Coutee was peppered with a team high 15 targets in Week 4 and played in 93 percent of the snaps. Granted Will Fuller was knocked out of the game with a hamstring injury, but this is an injury that kept Fuller out Week 1 and has been bothering him since training camp, so there is a chance that he could miss time again this season. Even if that is not the case, Coutee is the clear No. 3 option on this high-powered offense and appeared to be in sync with DeShaun Watson.

Taylor Gabriel– Bears: Gabriel erupted for 104 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches in Week 4. That said, this is not the only reason why adding him is a good idea. Over the last three games, he has seen no less than seven targets, and for the season, he has at least five targets in every game. His role on this offense is solidified and while he might not be efficient every week, the opportunity should be there. The Bears are on a bye this week, so he will not be of assistance this week, but the Bears do have some favorable matchups following their bye and he could be of help to fantasy owners then.

Others to consider: Ryan Grant – Colts, Dede Westbrook – Jaguars, Christian Kirk – Cardinals, Taywan Taylor - Titans

Tight End

Tyler Kroft - Bengals: Tyler Eifert broke his ankle in Week 4 and will miss the remainder of the season. This should instantly move Kroft into the starting lineup in an offense that is flowing well. Kroft caught a career-high seven touchdowns last season filling in for Eifert. When you look at the Bengals upcoming games, they face the Dolphins, Steelers, Chiefs, Bucs, and Saints all of which are favorable matchups for Kroft. There have been plenty of injuries to the tight end position so far this season, making Kroft a valuable waiver wire target.

Others to consider: Vance McDonald - Steelers

For any questions, feel free to reach out to me on the Twitter machine @Armando_Marsal. Best of luck to all.