With the first bye week of the NFL season upon us, no position is set to be more impacted than the wide receiver. Keenan Allen, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper, D.K. Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett headline the list of wideouts that will be off the schedule for Week 5. If you rely on any of these stars to carry your fantasy team, you’ll need to pivot on Sunday.
Thankfully, we have a few names to consider as viable wide receiver bye-week replacements for Week 5.
Week 5 byes: Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zay Flowers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Flowers’ streak of double-digit fantasy points was snapped in Week 4, but he still put together a solid 8.0 fantasy performance in what was a blowout win over the Cleveland Browns. With another AFC North bitter rival on deck, expect this matchup to be a bit more contested. The Steelers are also giving up 29.6 fantasy points per game to opposing wideouts, which is the third-most in the NFL.
Rashee Rice vs. Minnesota Vikings
Rice is averaging a solid 8.8 PPR fantasy points per game to start the season, and outside of Travis Kelce, it’s anyone’s guess as to who steps up as Kansas City’s WR2. The Vikings are giving up the third-most fantasy points per game to receivers (35.0), and with Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback, it’s possible he spread the ball around to multiple receivers. Rice ranks second in targets (14) while boasting a strong 71.4 percent catch rate.
DeAndre Hopkins vs. Indianapolis Colts
It’s not often you can confidently start Hopkins in fantasy lineups, but Week 5 may be one of the few exceptions. The former All-Pro is averaging a solid 9.9 PPR fantasy points through four weeks, and as the Titans’ clear WR1, Ryan Tannehill should continue to look his way early and often as a means of making life easier for Derrick Henry. The Colts are giving up 27.0 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, which is good for the eighth-most in the league.