Fire up these waiver wire additions for NFL Week 5 in fantasy football

It’s hard to believe, but the fantasy football season is already a quarter of the way through. Teams that are having a rough go of it early on can still turn things around, while those that are out of the gate strong are looking to continue their winning ways into October. We’ve got just the group of targets to help fantasy managers heading into Week 5. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Perhaps the easiest callouts to make in fantasy football are handcuffs to injured running backs. Colts star rusher Jonathan Taylor picked up a high ankle sprain in Week 4 as reported by NBC Sports. These usually shelve players for multiple weeks, so it would be wise to look Sermon’s way ahead of waivers this week.

The only other running back who received carries in Week 4 was Sermon. Granted, he didn’t do much with them (five carries for eight yards), but he appears to be the next man up in the Colts’ backfield. It remains to seen whether Anthony Richardson or Joe Flacco will suit up under center next week, but Sermon has to be rostered for the possibility of goal-line work.

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Game script definitely helped Wicks during Week 4, as the Packers got down big to the Minnesota Vikings and had to air it out to catch up. Wicks finished with a big day, catching five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps more importantly, the Green Bay pass catcher ended up with a team-high 13 targets on the afternoon.

While it’s hard to count on 13 weekly targets, Wicks should get a healthy amount of looks from Jordan Love in the weeks to come. Fellow wide receiver Christian Watson exited Week 4’s contest with a high ankle sprain, which should open up more opportunities for Wicks in the next few games.

Sports Illustrated quoted Steelers running back Najee Harris taking offense to a question, intimating that Pittsburgh is a one-man show. “Y’all keep saying Justin, as if he’s the one that’s throwing, catching and running. Come on bro, it’s all of us.” Harris’ point is well taken, but Fields has often had to carry the offense on his shoulders, or with his legs.

The good news for fantasy owners is, rushing quarterbacks are a cheat code, so Fields’ skill set in this area is supremely valuable. He’s still floating around waiver wires, so if your quarterback is on bye next week (like a Jalen Hurts, for instance), Fields is a great fill-in player to target. In the case of Hurts owners, Fields might also be a wise insurance policy moving forward.

Derrick Henry handcuffs don’t usually amount to much in fantasy football, considering that Henry has been the focal point of nearly every backfield he has been a part of. On Sunday night, Baltimore got a little creative with usage of Hill, who wouldn’t normally see that many touches in a game Henry is dominating.

CBS Sports noted that Hill was actually the leading receiver during the Sunday night football game, catching six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. He’s not someone that can be relied on week to week, but adding him to the end of the bench ahead of bye weeks is not the worst idea in the world.

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Sports Illustrated noted that Legette’s first touchdown celebration was dedicated to his horse, named “Dolla Bill.” The rookie finally reached the endzone in Week 4, and had a notable fantasy performance. He recorded six catches for 66 yards and that aforementioned touchdown, on 10 targets.

Carolina put veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen on IR due to a hamstring injury, so Legette has a runway here to get hot. The Panthers have looked like a completely different team with Andy Dalton under center, which bodes well for the value Legette can provide in the next few weeks.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton was impressed with the performance of his defense in Week 4 against the New York Jets. He told the team’s website, particularly about the inside linebackers, “those guys stepped up.” This marks two straight weeks of solid play for Denver, who can once again be looked at as a defensive streamer against the Las Vegas Raiders next week.

The Broncos record five sacks against the Jets, after having posted seven sacks the week before against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has found a way to turn up the heat, and a soft-on-paper opponent in Week 5 should give fantasy managers confidence to deploy them.

Given his prior track record, it’s understandable that NFL fans are waiting for the other shoe to drop with Darnold. So far, he’s been nothing short of fantastic for Minnesota, and a legitimate asset in fantasy football as well. He’s thrown for at least two touchdowns in each of his four games this season.

NBC Sports’ fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry believes that Darnold has done enough in this Vikings offense to warrant trust. Berry called Darnold a legitimate QB1 for the rest of the season, and anyone struggling at quarterback this year should swoop to pick him up if he’s available.

The Chiefs suffered another gigantic loss on Sunday in the talent department, as emerging star Rashee Rice went down with an injury that Andy Reid called less than ideal. Kansas City will need to find playmakers throughout their offense in order to compensate, and Watson will have a huge opportunity to fill the void.

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Xavier Worthy is likely going to get more work, and the Chiefs will likely have to scrap the plan to save Travis Kelce until January. With that said, Watson ran a pass route on 28 of 37 attempts from Patrick Mahomes, which was more than any other receiver except for Worthy, according to Rotoworld. Watson should be picked up in fantasy and closely monitored.