Fantasy Football Week 5: Waiver Wire
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John Brown, Cardinals (13%) – I know Brown was on a bye last week, but how is he only owned in 13% of leagues? He has 3 TDs in 3 games and is clearly a favorite of HC Bruce Arians. The Cards have no running back depth behind Andre Ellington, who is already banged up, and Arians loves to air it out. Brown is a solid Flex play right now with the upside to be more as the season goes on.
Devin Hester, Falcons (20%) – I’m still wary of Hester as a WR due to his struggles on the Bears, but it’s looking more and more like the Bears just didn’t know how to utilize his talents. Hester has 3 solid games out of 4 and is a risk/reward flex guy and a decent bye week replacement.
Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings (13%) – An impressive debut (63%, 317 yards, 27 rushing yards, TD) and definitely worth a stash in 2 QB or keeper leagues. I don’t think he has fantasy starter potential this year, but he could be an occasional match up play or bye week replacement depending how he looks the next few weeks. Bridgewater is a long shot to be worthy of a spot in your starting lineup, but he has the talent, some decent weapons around him, an aggressive OC, and he looked like a natural in his first NFL game. I’ve already got him in the last spot on a few of my rosters.
Eric Ebron, Lions (8%) – It may take a few more weeks, but the Lions seem dedicated to getting Ebron involved in the offense and he could be a fantasy asset if he can get 6-7 targets a game. He’s more of a wide receiver than a tight end and a big play threat every time he catches the ball. He’s a classic risk/reward guy. If you pick him up this week you will probably drop him in a few weeks and call me an idiot but there is about a 25% chance he will blow up by then and you will have the next Julius Thomas on your roster for next to nothing.
Super Sleepers (<5%)
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Brandon LaFell, Patriots (2%) – Tom Brady and the Pats have been searching for a reliable 2nd WR since the beginning of the 2013 season and they may have found one in LaFell. It was only one game, but Brady looked his way 10 times on Monday night and LaFell came through with some tough catches and a useful fantasy line (6, 119, 1). With defenses focusing on taking Edelman and Gronk out of the game, LaFell could have some big games now that he has earned Brady’s trust.
Brandon Oliver, Chargers (3%) – With Danny Woodhead out for the year and Ryan Matthews out at least two more weeks, the Chargers need a backup to Donald Brown and it looks like Oliver is the guy. The Chargers like to spread the ball around and Oliver got 9 carries and 4 targets last week and tallied 56 total yards. That’s not starting material obviously, but Oliver had more success than Donald Brown last week and he could see a bigger percentage of carries this week. He’s worth a stash with one of your last roster spots.
Darrin Reaves, Panthers (1%) – The Panthers have no one else except Fozzy Whitaker and Chris Ogbonnaya, both of whom were signed off the street this week. I can’t imagine they have a good grasp off the offense. Reaves should be the lead back against a Bears run defense that has given up some big days on the ground.
Jace Amaro, Jets (1%) – Slowly starting to become a bigger part of the Jets struggling offense, Amaro caught all 5 of his targets last week for 55 yards and seems to be earning Geno’s trust. He could see a bump in his stats if veteran QB Mike Vick takes over soon as rumored.
Austin Seferin-Jenkins, Bucs (1%) – Has taken over the TE1 job from Brandon Myers and got 7 targets last week from new QB Mike Glennon. ASJ has the physical tools to be a force in the red zone and could put up some useful fantasy lines as soon as this week. He’s an ideal high-upside TE2 in leagues with a deep bench.
Ogletrees (don’t waste your money)
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Khiry Robinson, Saints (49%) – Mark Ingram is recovering quickly and projected to be back by week 6, which means just one more week as the primary ball carrier for Robinson. He has done a good job when given the ball (5.4 ypc) but had under 10 carries last week and the Saints just don’t run enough for Robinson to be a viable fantasy starter. He has a nice match-up this week (TB) so if you need a starter than go for it, just keep in mind it’s only for a week.
Coby Fleener, Colts (23%) – Yes he caught a TD pass for the 2nd consecutive week, but he also was targeted just 3 times for the 2nd week in a row. I try to avoid TD dependent players and that is exactly what Fleener is.
Andre Holmes, Raiders (3%) – Had an interesting stat line (5, 74, 1) but most of that production came in garbage time and you are better off just avoiding Raider WRs all together.
Mike Williams, Bills (5%) – His final stat line (84 yards, 1 TD) looks tempting, but 80 yards and the TD came on one busted play late in a one-sided game. Williams only had 1 other catch all game and only 3 targets. It was a fluke and I don’t expect his stats to change much with Kyle Orton under center.