Fantasy Football: 5 last-minute waiver-wire targets before Week 5

• Green Bay Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks gets a huge opportunity in Week 5: With teammate Christian Watson sidelined due to an ankle injury, Wicks led the Packers with a career-high 13 targets, and he also found the end zone twice. Now he will face a weak Los Angeles Rams’ secondary in Week 5.

• Los Angeles Rams rookie WR Jordan Whittington is on the verge of a breakout game: While both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp remain sidelined, Whittington saw a massive jump in playing time in Week 4 when he was on the field for nearly 97% of the Rams' offensive snaps. He gets a juicy matchup against the Packers in Week 5.

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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Heading into Week 5 of the NFL season, you may not only be struggling to set your lineups due to injuries but there are also four teams on bye. The good news is that there are still players who are sitting on waivers that are set up to have a big fantasy day this weekend. Here are five players to consider adding from the waiver wire heading in Week 5 if you’re in a pinch.

Deshaun Watson has yet to pass for 200 yards or score more than 16 fantasy points in a game this season, but things should get easier for him moving forward. Not only is he expected to get back TE David Njoku soon, but the Browns may finally have their starting offensive line intact this weekend — both offensive tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin and starting center Ethan Pocic are back at practice this week. Over the next three weeks, Watson will face three weak defenses: the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.

If Watson can’t put together a good game against the Commanders this Sunday behind a healthy offensive line, we may see Jameis Winston under center sooner rather than later.

Available in 73.5% of ESPN leagues and 77% of Yahoo! Leagues.

The Colts' starting running back, Jonathan Taylor, will likely miss this week while recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered late in Week 4. Last season when Taylor missed time, Shane Steichen mostly utilized just one back at a time. Taylor missed Weeks 1-4 and Weeks 13-15 in 2024 — Deon Jackson played 71% of the Colts’ offensive snaps in Week 1, Zack Moss played 84% of the snaps from Weeks 2-4 and then 90% of snaps in Week 13-14 before getting hurt early in Week 15. Trey Sermon saw a career-high 17 carries in Week 15 when both Taylor and Moss were injured.

Sermon should see a lot of volume, plus all the goal-line work in Week 5 in a good matchup. The Jacksonville Jaguars have allowed a running back to score more than 15 fantasy points in three of four weeks this season.

With four teams on bye, plus multiple injuries across the running back position, Sermon is a solid starting option this week.

Available in 74.7% of ESPN leagues and 66% of Yahoo! Leagues.

With Christian Watson going down due to an ankle injury in the first quarter in Week 4, Dontayvion Wicks played on a season-high 76% of Green Bay's offensive snaps, while leading the Packers with a career-high 13 targets and two touchdowns. Wicks led the NFL with seven red-zone and four end-zone targets in Week 4.

Watson is not expected to play in Week 5, which opens the door for Wicks to be on the field for most passing snaps this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. Over the first three weeks of the season, the Rams allowed Jauan Jennings, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jameson Williams to each put up over 24 fantasy points against them. Wicks teammate, Jayden Reed is one of my favorite fantasy plays this week, but there is room for both to have a big performance.

Available in 55.7% of ESPN leagues and 41% of Yahoo! Leagues.

Sixth-round rookie Jordan Whittington saw his playing time drastically increase in Week 4 when he was on the field for 96.7% of the Rams' offensive snaps. Whittington led the Rams with 31 routes run, eight targets and six receptions last Sunday in a tough matchup against the Chicago Bears. Whittington also saw one of the team’s two end zone targets in Week 4.

Whittington and the Rams will face the Packers in Week 5, who have allowed at least one wide receiver to score 15-plus points each week this season – both Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson scored more than 20 fantasy points against them last Sunday.

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The arrow is pointing up for fourth-round rookie tight end Erick All Jr. who played on a career-high 59.7% of the Bengals' offensive snaps in Week 4. All is averaging 2.34 yards per route run this season, the highest among Bengals players and the second-high among tight ends across the NFL (minimum 30 routes run).

All likely would have been drafted earlier than the fourth round in the 2024 NFL Draft if it weren’t for him tearing his ACL in October 2023. It is impressive how fast he has been able to bounce back and earn playing time in the NFL.

All Jr. is not a great option to place into starting fantasy lineups just yet, especially considering he gets a tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens this week, but the breakout could be coming sooner rather than later. If your fantasy roster is struggling at the tight end position, like most are, you should stash All Jr. on your bench now. If his snaps and routes continue to increase this week, he could be a viable starting option in Week 6 against the New York Giants.

Available in 98% of ESPN leagues and 98% of Yahoo! Leagues.

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