Another NFL Sunday is in the books, and after four weeks we have much more clarity on which players carry real fantasy value versus which ones have just been a flash in the pan. Here are some considerations to add to your fantasy football team via the waiver wire ahead of Week 5. You can level the fantasy playing field right now by playing at FantasyDraft.
QUARTERBACKS
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars — Bortles impressed again in Week 4, tossing for a season-high 388 yards and a pair of touchdowns against a respectable Jets defense. He faces Kansas City in Week 5, which means he’ll have to keep up with Patrick Mahomes on the scoreboard against a pitiful defense.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals — Week 4’s matchup against the Falcons was about as ideal as it gets, but we still need to give Dalton credit for coming through with 337 yards and three touchdowns. With 1,197 yards and 11 touchdowns through four games (no fewer than two in any single game), it’s time to start trusting Dalton on a week-to-week basis.
RUNNING BACKS
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers — After a two-game suspension gave Jones a late start to the 2018 season, he finally appears to have caught up in this offense. He led all Green Bay backs in snaps in Week 4, and was by far the most impressive with his workload — 12 touches for 82 yards and a touchdown. Look for Jones to continue to evolve into the RB1 for the Pack.
Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts — Marlon Mack’s hamstring injury continues to hamper him, and Hines is recovering from a poor preseason to prove he belongs. After a slow start for the rookie, Hines has played over 70 percent of the snaps the last two weeks, earning a significant role in the pass game. He’s hauled in 14-of-16 targets during this span, including two scores in Week 4.
T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars — It’s starting to look like Leonard Fournette’s hamstring could be something that he battles for the rest of this season. He’s hardly managed to play in pieces of two games, so at this point Yeldon needs to be stashed in all leagues.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Keke Coutee, Houston Texans — Coutee made his NFL debut on Sunday after missing all of the preseason and and regular season thus far with a hamstring injury. He was worth the wait, securing 11-of-15 targets for 109 yards, and even saw two touches out of the backfield. He’s going to be heavily involved in Houston’s offense moving forward, particularly with Will Fuller suffering an injury.
Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers — With Randall Cobb battling a legitimate hamstring injury, Allison will need to step up even more in Green Bay’s offense. Allison did suffer a concussion in Week 4, but will likely be cleared ahead of Week 5. In less than three quarters Allison saw 11 targets go his way, catching six for 80 yards. With a 19-289-2 line, Allison needs to be owned in all formats.
Taywan Taylor, Tennessee Titans — Rishard Matthews essentially decided he didn’t want to play for the Titans anymore, so they cut him. That opened a larger role for the more talented Taylor, who experienced success right away. Taylor caught seven passes for 77 yards in Week 4 against the Eagles, and should continue to see a larger role.
Chester Rogers, Indianapolis Colts — T.Y. Hilton sounds like he got pretty beat up against the Texans last week, suffering from chest and hamstring injuries. It’ll be tough for him to bounce back in time for a Thursday night game against the Patriots, leaving Rogers in a strong spot until Hilton returns. Rogers stepped up to haul in 8-of-11 targets for 85 yards in Week 4.
TIGHT ENDS
Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers — McDonald’s been a huge piece of Pittsburgh’s offense since regaining his health, and now he gets a dream matchup against the Falcons in Week 5. He makes for a great play in this projected shootout if you need a bye week fill-in.
Tyler Kroft, Cincinnati Bengals — Tyler Eifert was one of the TE pickups we went over last week, and after a great start in Week 4, Eifert went down with a gruesome ankle injury that was tough to stomach. With his season over, Kroft will step into the TE1 role after catching seven touchdowns last season.
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — The Bucs are on bye so there’s no real rush to secure Brate, but he has a lot working in his favor from a fantasy perspective. Jameis Winston is back at the helm for Tampa, and he’s always favored Brate — tossing him a touchdown in the second half on Sunday. The Bucs’ other TE O.J. Howard will also be sidelined for 2-4 weeks, leaving more work for Brate in the near future.
DEFENSE
Tennessee Titans — The Bills got their fluke game out of the way in Minnesota, and things went back to normal during their 22-0 shutout loss in Green Bay. Tennessee has a gritty defense that will go up against the Bills in Week 5. This is a safe plug-and-play Week 5 defense.
