Week 4 was another wild week in the NFL with plenty of surprises as undefeated teams went down, teams broke through for their first win, and some new players stepped up and delivered big games. As the landscape shifts from week to week, staying on top of the emerging waiver wire options is critical to your success going forward. Let’s take a look at some of the emerging options to watch for as you start looking at waiver wire pickups for Week 5.
Throughout the week, DK Network will have you covered with potential pickups and strong plays for Week 5 and the rest of the season. Be sure to stay tuned to the outstanding coverage from the whole team. This post is designed to be an early look at some of the names to keep an eye on coming out of Week 4.
Another key factor to keep a close eye on every week is new injuries which occurred — here are some new situations to keep a close eye on moving forward:
Players with new injuries from Week 4 to watch:
- QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
- WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants
- WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
- WR Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
- WR Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers
- WR Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers
- WR Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Pirates
- WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons
With those injuries in mind, here are some of my early names to watch if you’re shopping on the Week 5 waiver wire.
WR Elic Ayomanor, Tenessee Titans
There are almost always lots of good options that emerge as receiver pickups each week. Looking for someone who can contrubute going forward, though, it makes sense to look for a receiver getting a heavy target load each week.
While his production has been a little inconsistent from week to week, he is very involved, which gives him a high ceiling each week. The Titans are 0-4 and their offense is struggling, but they’ll continue giving their rookies plenty of playing time.
Rookie QB Cam Ward was the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and the Titans added Elic Ayomanor (6.4 FPTS) in the fourth round out of Stanford. He earned a starting role in training camp and preseason and has been one of the Titans’ primary pass catchers.
The rookie has the most targets and the most receiving yards on the team after four weeks, and he has at least five targets in every contest. He hauled in four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown against the Rams in Week 2 and followed that up with four catches, 38 yards, and another touchdown in Week 3.
In Week 4, he only converted two of his seven targets for a team-high 44 yards. Since he has been getting so much work, he makes a good grab with a high ceiling in almost 70% of leagues where he is available. Even though the Titans aren’t an extremely productive offense, Ayomanor should keep both a high ceiling and a high floor as long as he keeps getting all the attention from Ward.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Last week, I highlighted Woody Marks (27.9 FPTS), and back in Week 2, I highlighted Kenneth Gainwell (31.4 FPTS) as a good waiver wire pickup. Both running backs went off with huge games in Week 4. Marks looks ready to step up as the Texans’ new No. 1 running back and is a great pickup if he’s still available.
He’s still available in 70% of leagues and gets a great matchup against the Ravens before the Texans’ Week 6 bye week.
To help you dig deeper, though, here’s another option to consider if Marks is already grabbed. Kendre Miller (12.5 FPTS) was very involved in the Saints’ offense in their 31-19 loss to the Bills. He has played more and more snaps each week and played in the red zone early in Week 4, converting this touchdown:
He finished with a season-high 11 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t have any targets in Week 4, but did have three catches for 11 yards in his last two weeks.
Miller has been unable to stay healthy throughout his career in the NFL, but has made a difference when he has been involved. With Alvin Kamara (11.2 FPTS) being inconsistent lately and possibly on the trade market later this season, Miller could get more work going forward for the 0-4 Saints if they try to go younger and cheaper.
If you’re in a deep league, he’s a good speculative pickup.
QB Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
The Giants made the move to rookie Jaxson Dart (19.8 FPTS) from Russell Wilson, and at least for one week, the move definitely seems to have paid off. The rookie from Ole Miss threw for 111 yards and a touchdown and added 54 rushing yards and a second touchdown in his NFL debut.
As I broke down before he got the start, Dart brings a ton of rushing potential, which gives him a high ceiling.
Coming out of college, He ranked first in the class in aDOT (11.1), YPA (10.8) and efficiency rating (181). He also racked up 2,009 rushing yards in 45 collegiate games. This preseason, he completed 32 of his 47 pass attempts for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added six carries for 52 yards and another score in his three preseason contests, so it’s understandable why Giants fans think he can give the offense a boost.
He did for one week, and now he gets a great matchup in Week 5 against the Saints. If Dart is available and you’re shopping for a quarterback on the waiver wire, he’s definitely the option with the highest ceiling.
TE Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
I highlighted Brenton Strange (10.5 FPTS) last week, and he’s still a great add if available. Dalton Schultz is another good option if he’s available. Schultz is a reliable option who has been getting plenty of targets, even though C.J. Stroud (18.4 FPTS) has struggled off and on this year.
Cade Stover (foot) got hurt after a busy Week 1, and Schultz has been very busy in the three games since then. Schultz had three catches in Week 2, but he has been even better with five catches in both Week 3 and Week 4. He hasn’t found the end zone or had 40+ yards in any of his games this season, but he is reliable enough as a high-volume PPR option that can fill in on bye weeks.
If he gets in the end zone, he brings a high ceiling and a pretty solid floor since so many passes are headed his way, even if they are short passes for the most part. The Texans got their first win of the season, 26-0 over the Titans, and next week, they’ll look to keep rolling as they visit the Ravens before their bye week. After the bye, the Texans get the Seahawks, 49ers, Broncos, Jaguars and Titans again, setting up a decent schedule for Schultz as a high-floor TE2.
Cardinals DST
The Cardinals get to face the Titans next week, so they’re a great pickup from the waiver wire in Week 5. They’re owned in under 20% of leagues and are coming off solid performances against the Seahawks, 49ers and Panthers.
In those three games, the Cardinals have forced four turnovers with seven sacks and a defensive touchdown.
The Titans didn’t have a single point against the Texans in Week 4, with a turnover and two sacks allowed. This season, they have averaged only 12.75 points per game with multiple sacks allowed in each contest and three turnovers in four games.
Other solid streaming options to consider include the Giants (vs. NO), the Panthers (vs. MIA) and the Colts (vs. LV).
