Tuesday, October 2, 2018

2018 Fantasy Football WR Waiver-Wire Options Heading Into Week 5

Every week, we examine players that may be available on your league's waiver wire that could help your team in the short and/or long term.

For a player to be listed, he must be owned in 50 percent (or less) of Yahoo! leagues. The goal is to provide recommendations of players that have a greater chance of being available on your league's waiver wire. Of course, your league's size and settings could significantly impact whether these players (or better options) are available in your particular league(s).

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With that said, here are some wide receiver waiver-wire options that I like heading into Week 5 (Yahoo! ownership in parenthesis):

[Note: Players listed below are sorted by my preference to add.]

1. Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers (47 percent)

A concussion knocked Allison out of Sunday's game and it's unclear if he'll be ready to go for Week 5. That said, Allison now has a minimum of 64 yards in four consecutive games with at least five catches in three of four games. If Randall Cobb (hamstring) misses another game, Allison would be a WR2/WR3 for Week 5 against the Lions. If neither Cobb nor Allison is able to play in Week 5, rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling is worth a look.

2. Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville Jaguars (17 percent)

Leading the Jags in receiving on the year, Westbrook has 21 catches for 294 yards on 28 targets. While he has only one touchdown on the season, the second-year receiver leads the team in 20-yard receptions (six). Westbrook and the Jags get a soft matchup against the leaky Chiefs secondary in Week 5 so perhaps one of those big plays turns into a score.

3. Antonio Callaway, Cleveland Browns (38 percent)

Bad news first: Callaway has finished outside the top-50 wide receivers in back-to-back weeks with a total of only 7.4 fantasy points over that stretch. That said, the opportunities have been there with Josh Gordon now in New England. Callaway has at least nine targets each week and a total of 20 over the past two weeks. Assuming the volume continues, the production will follow at some point.

4. Taylor Gabriel, Chicago Bears (6 percent)

Even though he failed to reach 35 receiving yards in any of his first three games, Gabriel had seven catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Gabriel now has seven-plus targets in three consecutive games. The Bears have a Week 5 bye, but he will be in the flex mix following the team's bye as long as Anthony Miller is out.

5. Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons (15 percent)

Even though Julio Jones leads the NFL in receiving yards (502) and rookie Calvin Ridley leads all wide receivers in fantasy points scored and touchdowns (six), Sanu could be in the WR3 conversation as a streamer over the next couple of weeks. Sanu had six catches for 111 yards on nine targets, all of which were season highs, and he now has at least six targets in three of four games. Looking ahead, the Falcons face the Steelers and Bucs in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively. Only the Saints have allowed more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season.

6. Keke Coutee, Houston Texans (3 percent)

Coutee missed the first three games with a hamstring injury, but he made a splash in his NFL debut on Sunday. With Will Fuller exiting Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, Coutee led the team with 15 targets that he converted into 11 receptions for 109 yards. It sounds as though Fuller won't miss any time so he'll be remain the team's WR3 behind DeAndre Hopkins and Fuller, but he's worth a stash in all league formats.

7. Taywan Taylor, Tennessee Titans (3 percent)

With Rishard Matthews no longer on the roster and Marcus Mariota healthy, Taylor had seven catches for 77 yards on nine targets in the overtime win over the Eagles on Sunday. As the No. 2 receiver behind Corey Davis, Taylor could become a useful fantasy asset for owners through the bye weeks.

- More Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Advice Heading Into Week 5

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