Fantasy football: Top waiver wire pickups for Week 5

Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts, TE

Yahoo: 33% owned | ESPN: 21% owned

Jack Doyle was a sneaky pick late in drafts this year, given Philip Rivers' well-documented tendency to throw the football in the direction of his tight ends. But it seems that Alie-Cox is now the player to own. If you're looking for a tight end with solid touchdown potential, you could do much worse than go with Alie-Cox, who's averaging a few targets per game and has turned in three viable fantasy performances in four weeks, including a 111-yard showing in Week 2 and touchdowns in each of the last two games. Michael Pittman's injury means that Alie-Cox could get more opportunities in the red zone, and he has taken advantage so far.

Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals, RB

Yahoo: 34% owned | ESPN: 25% owned

Kenyan Drake has been about as disappointing as anyone could've imagined, and a chest injury was the icing on the cake after another dismal effort in Sunday, when he had 13 carries for 35 yards and zero targets. Edmonds took advantage of the opportunity, adding six targets to up his total to 17 on the season and going for 40 total yards and touchdown. We've seen what Edmonds is capable of as a feature back -- he went for more than 100 yards and three touchdowns when filling in for an injured David Johnson in 2019 -- and his role in the receiving game means he has some standalone value even if Drake is able to avoid missing time.

Damien Harris, New England Patriots, RB

Yahoo: 26% | ESPN: 16%

How's that for a season debut? With only 12 rushing yards to his name throughout his career entering a matchup with the Chiefs on Monday, Harris ran for 100 yards on 17 carries, even with a negative game script and a weak New England offense for most of the game. Sony Michel's stint on injured reserve is reported to be one that could be short, but Harris could become the lead running back and run with it if he continues his success. With Cam Newton at the helm, the sky's the limit for his success. He's at the top of my waiver wire list for Week 5.

Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals, WR

Yahoo: 33% | ESPN: 25%

A couple weeks back, I added Drew Sample to a few of my teams -- and to my weekly waiver wire advice column here at RADIO.COM Sports -- because I thought that C.J. Uzomah's season-ending injury would benefit Sample the most. However, it seems as though Tee Higgins may be the player whose fantasy outlook improved more than anyone's. It doesn't hurt that the Joe Burrow-A.J. Green connection is non-existent and that John Ross has completely lost his role in the Bengals offense, meaning the rookie Higgins might just be Burrow's second target in the passing game. He has had six or more targets in his past three games and found the end zone twice in Week 3.

Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers, RB

Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 9%

There's no reason to believe that Joshua Kelley won't be the main option in the Chargers' backfield in Austin Ekeler's multi-week absence. However, there's also no reason to believe that his role will automatically become as big as Ekeler's was, and Jackson could see a solid amount of work as well. With the limited options we have available at running back after the chaos that has been the 2020 season, Jackson is someone to stash and play in desperation, if need be.

Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles, WR

Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 14%

Remember this guy? The Eagles sure haven't forgotten about him, as they're likely salivating at his return after throwing passes to their usual practice squad of receivers in en route to an unlikely win over the 49ers on Sunday. That win also meant that the Eagles are still competitive and looking to win in a truly terrible division, making Jeffery an even more valuable commodity once he's able to return to the field. It's better to get him now and stash him in the hopes that he reemerges as a top target for Carson Wentz and the decimated Eagles -- and doesn't once again become a part of that decimation.

D'Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns, RB

Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 0%

An unowned running back usually doesn't appear on the waiver wire for any reason other than an injury, and that's exactly why Johnson shows up this time around. Nick Chubb is expected to miss around six weeks after spraining his MCL, meaning that Kareem Hunt becomes a top-tier fantasy running back and Johnson has flex appeal while we figure out just how many carries he'll receive. If his role is anything like what we saw against the Cowboys on Sunday -- 13 carries for 95 yards -- we're in for a great pickup here. However, not every game will have the Browns gaining yards at will and out to a huge lead, so temper your expectations.

Laviska Shenault, Jacksonville Jaguars, WR

Yahoo: 24% | ESPN: 28%

The Jaguars wide receiver corps is one that I got completely wrong. We all knew that D.J. Chark was the No. 1 target, but behind him seemed to be a muddle of other options with no clear second fiddle to Chark. I thought it might be Dede Westbrook, considering he had more than 100 targets in 2019, and we're seeing how that has paid off so far -- he has a whopping four yards on one target. It's a battle between Keelan Cole and Laviska Shenault for the No. 2 spot, but I'm giving the nod to Shenault due to his versatility and wide-ranging role in the offense. His role is only getting bigger -- he went from eight targets in the first two weeks to 12 targets over the last two weeks -- and gets in on some rushing action too.

Tre'Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints, WR

Yahoo: 27% | ESPN: 20%

Two touchdowns in Week 4 represented a breakout performance for Smith, who has totaled 13 catches for 182 yards over the past three weeks. Michael Thomas' return will likely hurt Smith's fantasy outlook for obvious reasons, but it could also leave him with more room to operate. If Smith can pull ahead of Emmanuel Sanders as Drew Brees' second-favorite target on the outside, it'll do wonders for his fantasy stock as a fill-in flex play.

Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers, TE

Yahoo: 25% | ESPN: 6%

We spent so much time trying to figure out which receiving option would benefit the most from Davante Adams' absence. Would Marques Valdez-Scantling finally break out? Could Darrius Shepherd or Malik Taylor have a big game? Would running back Jamaal Williams be the new go-to given his existing rapport with Rodgers?

Three touchdowns later, we found out that tight end Robert Tonyan was the answer. With five touchdowns in his past three games -- and solid yardage to boot -- Tonyan is a tight end to pick up and monitor to make sure he's a legitimate threat when Adams returns.