It was a very successful week on the waiver wire, with Mike Davis, Eric Ebron, and James White following up big performances with solid totals in week five. The only player who didn’t follow up was John Brown, who caught four passes for 58 yards. But if you happened to pick him up, don’t fret, as he still saw 14 targets. Of everybody left on your league’s waiver wire, there likely weren’t many big performances in week five, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop our search for the gem who’s going to win you your league. Let’s dive in.
Worth the Add- RB Wendell Smallwood, Philadelphia Eagles (15.1 Points in Week 5)
Smallwood is the obvious add of the week after Jay Ajayi’s season-ending ACL tear. Next in line for snaps and touches will be Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement, but in week five Smallwood had his second big fantasy day of the year, totaling 71 yards with a receiving TD and a 2-point conversion. Clement will see added work as well, but he was out in week four due to injury and although he dressed for week five, he didn’t play a single snap. Interestingly enough, Smallwood saw the same number of snaps last week as Ajayi did (49%), and I’d predict that number hops up to at least 65% going forward. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smallwood as a solid flex play for the remainder of the year.
Won’t Repeat- WR Robby Anderson, New York Jets (24.3 Points in Week 5)
Anderson and Darnold connected on three passes for 123 yards and 2 TDs. Throughout this weekly series, I have been wary of receivers who turn low target numbers into big production. Anderson is no exception to this. His big day came with just three catches on five targets. He also only played 32 snaps (52%), his lowest total of the season, which put him third among Jets receivers for the week. Over the past two weeks, he’s been out-snapped by Quincy Enunwa and Jermaine Kearse, and in weeks two through four he only scored a combined 2.7 fantasy points (yikes). I’m thinking that his big week was simply a matter of Darnold connecting on a deep ball- twice. Don’t expect this to happen regularly.
Worth the Add- RB Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks (12.7 Points in Week 5)
Chris Carson has often been injured throughout his short career, but when he does play he makes noise. Back in week three, he rushed for over 100 yards, finishing with 124 total yards and a TD. In week four, he was out. This past week, he rushed again for over 100 yards, totaling 127. Last week, I told you to add Mike Davis, who also had another big week in the Seahawks’ backfield, but it looks like Carson is going to get the bulk of the work between the 20s. He also out-snapped Davis 35 to 25, and has seen 40 more snaps than Davis this season. He’s owned in 66.4% of NFL leagues, so there’s a chance he’s available on your waiver wire. If you need another RB to stash, grab him before someone else does.
Won’t Repeat- WR Tre’Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints (23.1 Points in Week 5)
The rookie had a huge Monday night, finishing with 111 yards and 2 TDs. Can you guess why I don’t think he’ll repeat? Yep, it was because he put up those numbers on just two catches (three targets). Brees was able to connect with him on two huge touchdowns en route to a historic night for the QB, but Smith is far from Brees’s number one option. There are too many mouths to feed in New Orleans with Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Cameron Meredith, and Ted Ginn. Unfortunately, snap numbers for the Monday night game aren’t available yet, but Smith’s highest snap share of the season was 37%, compared to Thomas, Meredith, and Ginn, who have seen 95%, 43%, and 78% shares this season respectively. Find a receiver more involved on a week-to-week basis.
Also Worth a Look:
RB Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles (0 Points in Week 5)
WR Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals (15.0 Points in Week 5)
Be Wary of:
TE Erik Swoope, Indianapolis Colts (10.4 Points in Week 5)
TE Josh Hill, New Orleans Saints (8.4 Points in Week 5)
Photo credit: Corey Perrine/Getty Images
M-FANS 