Welcome to Week Five! We're almost a third of the way through the fantasy season and things are still a bit unsettled with all of the quarterback changes around the league.
For you deep leaguers, I'm just scratching the surface in this space. If you are in a bigger format or just want a deeper dive into the free agent market, go to rotobahn.com and check out my expanded waiver wire and podcast. It's completely free. No registration. No signing in. Just follow the link and enjoy.
The Lions and Dolphins are on their byes this week.
Easy Button Adds:
Robby Anderson, Jets
Phillip Dorsett, Patriots
Jordan Howard, Eagles
Rashaad Penny, Seahawks
QUARTERBACKS
Jacoby Brissett, Colts
He's been productive for fantasy purposes and this week he gets a tasty road matchup against the high-flying Chiefs. He's a great plug-n-play option this due to the matchup, but he can also be your weekly starter in most formats.
Andy Dalton, Bengals
Dalton is a great passer to add for Week 5 because he gets a potential high-volume matchup with the Cardinals, who play fast. The opponent combined with the Bengals' new scheme could allow this game to explode, from a scoring perspective. The Steelers had little trouble with Dalton and company last night, but it will be a different story at home against the Cardinals.
RUNNING BACKS
Ronald Jones, Bucs
If you've been reading this wire all year, there's a good chance you already have Jones on your roster. If that's not the case, this is probably your last chance, and I'd take a good swipe at him in bidding unless you are seriously stacked at running back. I've been saying this all year, but it's about the upside. Jones is talented and Bruce Arians ability to incorporate his best talent is well established. There could be more bumps in the road here, but if we redrafted now, Jones is probably a fifth round pick. I'll snatch that off of any waiver wire, any time.
Jaylen Samuels, Steelers
Last night's game was a bit of an eye-opener. The Steelers unveiled Samuels as the player I've been telling you all about. For those who recall, Samuels was seen as a potential tight end when he came out of NC State. This was due to his great versatility, because as a member of the Wolfpack, he played all over the formation. Jaylen was sort of a "one-man wolf pack", if you will. As I said at the time, this guy is a running back with a future skill set. We saw some of that last night as Samuels posted passing stats, running stats and receiving stats thanks to his role as Wildcat quarterback. When we consider that Samuels already had value as one of the league's top handcuffs, we have to bump him up our boards, because he may now have stand-alone appeal on top of that—meaning he needs to be owned in all leagues. I will get into this more deeply on the podcast.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Golden Tate, Giants
He's finished serving his four game suspension and will return this week when the Giants host the Vikings. It's not an inspiring matchup but it's playable. Next week's matchup with the Patriots is even worse, but the Giants overall schedule is quite favorable. Even with the tough matchups, targets should be plentiful with Saquon Barkley (ankle) out for another 3-6 weeks. I'd be adding Tate now in any league where I can get him.
Diontae Johnson, Steelers
As we've noted in prior weeks, Johnson is the receiver to own after JuJu Smith-Schuster, because he can get off the line without help and because he's a dynamic open-field threat after the catch. And, as we saw last night, he's also a deep threat. The Steelers are no longer the Steelers as we knew them under Ben Roethlisberger. The pass volume is probably going to stay relatively low and the deep ball is not going to be quite what it was. Still, Mason Rudolph can do some things if they protect him. There's room for modest growth here. Johnson should be rostered in all 12-team leagues.
Courtland Sutton, Broncos
He's slightly more than 50 percent owned but grab him if you can. Sutton has been playing almost all of the snaps all season and he broke out in Week 4 with a pair of touchdowns. He's been a startable asset three out of four weeks so far and that viability should continue based on his role.
AJ Brown, Titans
Brown is not a fluke, but his role hasn't changed at all. He's been holding steady at about 45 percent of the weekly snaps and that's been yielding roughly 4-5 targets a week. This gives him some flex appeal in 12-team leagues but not the kind of predictable output we crave from a WR3. I'd be adding him anyway, because he could earn that uptick in playing time soon, and then we really have something. The talent is obvious and hopefully his two touchdowns in Week 4 opened some eyes on the coaching staff.
TIGHT ENDS
Chris Herndon, Jets
Just one more Week! Herndon's four game suspension was elongated by the Jets' Week 4 bye. By next week, Herndon and Sam Darnold should both be back on the field. The Jets' schedule really lightens up over the second half, making Herndon about as good an add as you will find at tight end. He can be your weekly starter in any league.
Jack Doyle, Colts
He's largely available and his role is getting more stable as we move through the season. Doyle has nabbed four balls in both of the last two games and the Colts will have to throw the ball plenty this week when they travel to Kansas City. I like Doyle's chances of being a fantasy contributor. Doyle has played 68 percent of the snaps or more in every game this season, so you know you have a chance with him.
Ben Watson, Patriots
He's not rostered much anywhere though he might be a bit more popular in the New England market. The bottom line is that Ben's suspension is now over and he could evolve into a weekly option if he plays well going forward. He's an add in all 12-team leagues if tight end help is on your list.
