Waiver wire week 5 explained: the injury list grows and a free agent tops it
Fantasy managers are hitting the Week 5 waiver wire hard as injuries pile up at every position and a free-agent receiver somehow leads the pickup list.
Why 'waiver wire week 5' is trending
People search this every single week during the season, but Week 5 has extra juice behind it. Yahoo Sports fantasy analyst Justin Boone and CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg both published their Week 5 pickup columns, and both lead with the same problem: the injury report out of Week 4 is long, and two more teams, the Chiefs and the Panthers, are on bye. That is a lot of empty roster spots for fantasy managers to fill before Sunday.
Nothing here has been decided for Week 5 games themselves. This is about which bench players are worth grabbing off your league's wire, not a prediction of how any matchup turns out.
The injury list doing all the damage
Both outlets flagged a similar run of ailments coming out of Week 4. Lamar Jackson is dealing with an ankle issue, Saquon Barkley has a hamstring problem, and Kyle Monangai is out with a thumb injury. At receiver, Ja'Marr Chase is in concussion protocol, Ladd McConkey has a foot injury, Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton are banged up, and D.J. Moore is working through a shoulder issue. Yahoo listed Tee Higgins' injury as an adductor strain, while CBS called it a groin injury. Yahoo also noted Tank Bigsby heading to IR with what it called a core injury, while CBS described the same Eagles backup as hurt in the abdomen.
CBS added a few more quarterback names to watch: Baker Mayfield (thumb), Caleb Williams (hamstring), Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Marcus Mariota (knee) are all dealing with something.
Tyreek Hill tops the list, and he is not even on a roster
Here is the strange part. Yahoo's top-10 overall pickup list for Week 5 puts Tyreek Hill at number ten, and his team is listed simply as Free Agent. CBS goes further, calling him the best player available to add this week and flagging him as a must-add stash, full stop. Neither outlet says when or if he lands with a team, just that fantasy managers are grabbing him anyway on the chance it happens.
The rest of Yahoo's top 10 skews running back: Emanuel Wilson (Seahawks), Will Shipley (Eagles), Keaton Mitchell (Chargers), Mike Washington Jr. (Raiders) and Tyler Allgeier (Cardinals) all made the cut, alongside receivers Malik Washington (Dolphins), Keon Coleman (Bills) and Tre' Harris (Chargers) and Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki.
The quarterback streamers
If you need a quarterback, Jacoby Brissett is the name both sites point to. He is rostered in just 16% of Yahoo leagues with a $2 FAB price tag, and he draws the Lions, who have allowed at least 20 fantasy points to every quarterback they have faced this year, including Tyler Shough, Josh Allen, Geno Smith and Bryce Young. Yahoo noted Brissett threw three interceptions in his last outing, and that Arizona's schedule gets tougher after this, with the Broncos, two games against the Rams, the Seahawks and the Chiefs still to come. If he falters, Yahoo says rookie Carson Beck could get a look later in the year.
Rostership numbers differ by site, which just means the two services track different league pools. Yahoo has C.J. Stroud at 58% rostered and Sam Darnold at 53%, while CBS has them at 80% and 79%. CBS noted Darnold has thrown for 547 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions over his last two games, and that Stroud is averaging 23.8 fantasy points in the two games Nico Collins has played, with a matchup against the Titans up next. Riskier Yahoo streaming options include Kirk Cousins at New England, Aaron Rodgers against Indianapolis, Malik Willis against Cincinnati and Deshaun Watson at the Jets.
Facts per Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports. Opinion is the taproom's.