RB Waivers to Save Your Season and Week 5 Recap

Injuries and ineffective play will continue producing new opportunities for players, and the waiver wire is hot after an eventful Week 5. We start to eliminate teams from contention much early in the season which can cause us to overlook players on bad and middling teams.

You paid attention to Josh Jacobs and Nick Chubb on losing teams last season, but what about a rookie back on Washington debuting in the middle of the season and playing only a dozen games? Brian Robinson is a top-12 fantasy back in 2023, but he was around the 80th-90th player taken in drafts.

Keeping an eye on production through the entire season is important because it sets you up to be knowledgable next year. I'm no Nostradamus for projecting a big year from Robinson; taking a deeper look into him after 2022 prepared me to project a much better season than his preseason ranking. Through this article, I will point out some waiver options who are probably available after Week 5. Not all will continue producing, but there are sure to be a few diamonds in the vast rough.

No Explanation Needed

These guys did what they were supposed to as consistent fantasy performers.

QB

• Allen scored a rushing touchdown to boost his score, but Hurts' running is so unique compared to the rest of the league. It has many names (Brotherly Shove is what the Eagles prefer), but the play in which Hurts takes a QB sneak and is propelled forward by his team is unstoppable. Hurts had 15 rush attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown.

RB

• Kamara has been back two games and is averaging over 90 total yards; oh, and he caught 13 passes last week. Kamara is probably a weekly starter, especially in PPR.
• Achane and Mostert both produced again, but Achane is regularly out-performing his teammate. It's a true timeshare, but Achane has an injury concern to watch. They are both fantasy starters when playing.

WR

• Jaylen Waddle was drafted as a top fantasy receiver, but he is clearly a second option right now. He's on a phenomenal offense and will be productive (five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown in Week 5), but Waddle is far behind the superstar Hill.
• Tyler Boyd was expected to take on a bigger role with Tee Higgins out. Instead, Chase decided to pick up the slack himself (he told us he's always open). The rest of the team had 21 catches on 25 targets, each just six more than Chase alone.
• I thought there would be enough for both Kupp and Nacua to produce, and that was the case in their first game together. Tutu Atwell was affected most by Kupp's return with just two catches for nine yards, though he did score a touchdown.

TE

Overperformers

These players stood out in Week 4 and turned heads.

QB

• Fields had a bad start to the season but has balled out the last two weeks. Fields has 617 yards, eight touchdowns, and just one interception over Weeks 4 and 5 with 82 rushing yards. That's elite fantasy production, and he has a chance to keep it up against the struggling Vikings in Week 6.

RB

• This isn't Moss' first big game, but the return of Jonathan Taylor seemed to signal the end of his fantasy stardom. Moss touched the ball 18 times MORE than Taylor, though, and figures to be a factor moving forward. The owner in your league may have dropped Moss when it was announced Taylor was playing, and, in that case, he would be a hot waiver pickup.
• With Hall finally off his "pitch count," he had 20 more touches than any other New York back. He appears to be the lead running back as Dalvin Cook continues to struggle (six carries for 23 yards, no catches).
• McLaughlin had his second consecutive good week as Javonte Williams missed the game with injury. Williams has been terribly inefficient, and McLaughlin could continue getting work even when Williams returns. McLaughlin may have been snatched up last week but should be a waiver priority if not; he looks like the most talented Denver running back.
• Spears had an efficient day and scored a touchdown, but his biggest win is the 11 touches he had compared to Derrick Henry's 16. Spears gained seven more total yards than Henry. Spears could be seen as a deep waiver, but he is firmly behind Henry.
• Surely, Demercado is on your waiver wire. He is going to be a hot ticket, especially if word comes down that James Conner will miss time after leaving Week 5 with an injury. Keaontay Ingram is usually Arizona's backup but has missed the last two weeks with a neck injury, and his status is unclear.
• Roschon Johnson is maybe the top waiver player of the week. Khalil Herbert was injured in Week 5 and will likely miss multiple weeks. Johnson has carried the ball 20 times more than the next-highest active back in Chicago.

WR

• I was down on Moore coming into the season because of the chance he would see less volume in Chicago, but it's evident that I was wrong. He already had two touchdowns and two games with over 100 yards on the season before this explosion. Moore is under weekly consideration.
• Pickens added a 16-yard rush for good measure. He is a boom-or-bust player who boomed big time, even as his team struggled.
• Thielen had big seasons in Minnesota, but he was supposed to be aging and slowing down. Instead, he has three touchdowns and has been over 50 yards for four straight weeks, with two of those over 100.
• Meyers outplayed his superstar teammate Davante Adams, who had four catches for 45 yards. Meyers is averaging 68.5 yards per game and has three touchdowns. He is a player to consider each week.

TE

• Thomas was third in tight end scoring after two weeks, and I wrote about his likely fall in production. Well, this wasn't the week, as he led his team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards while scoring a touchdown.
• Schultz has now scored in back-to-back games with 107 combined yards. He's an option to consider if you don't have a strong player.
• Pitts had by far his best game of the season while teammate Jonnu Smith caught six passes for 67 yards. Smith had six receptions for 95 yards last week out of nowhere, so seeing a second straight good week brings intrigue.
• I was ready to write Goedert off, but he had more yards in Week 5 than he had in the previous month combined (88) and scored his first touchdown.
• Kittle was in the same boat as Goedert, as he had a good game in Week 3 but a non-factor in the other weeks. A first-place finish brings hope he can find his old form, especially as the 49ers keep rolling.

Underperformers

These players didn't live up to expectations, leaving fantasy owners frustrated.

QB

• Richardson's play doesn't get him here: instead, he was injured for the second time this season. He runs like a bull but takes a ton of contact. Richardson may miss some time with a sprained A/C joint.

RB

• Robinson and Cook are two of my favorite weekly running backs, but they had really bad games (with receiving production keeping them out of the basement). We will hope for better days ahead.
• Sanders was a flex option because of volume in the first few games. After a near-split last week, Chuba Hubbard out-touched Sanders 10 to seven in Week 5. Sanders isn't a fantasy option right now (Hubbard is a low-end waiver pickup).
• Williams was ok against a phenomenal Eagles' run D. He has a nicer matchup against the Cardinals next week.

WR

• Smith has been down as his teammate A.J. Brown has been up: Brown is averaging 144.3 yards per game over the last three weeks while Smith has just 112 yards total in that span. There should be plenty to go around for both receivers, but Brown and tight end Goedert went off as Smith did nothing.
• Jefferson's first bad game of the season came against a Chiefs' defense that has been tough on quarterbacks and receivers all season. His quarterback Cousins had a good day, but Jefferson was essentially shut down. Jefferson left the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, and his status in very uncertain.

TE

• Yikes. The whole New England offense is broken; Henry and running back Stevenson are suffering the consequences.

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