Week 5 Waiver Wire: Top Players Worth Picking Up to Bolster Your Roster

Alright fantasy owners, Week 4 is done, and it's time to scour the waiver wire and put in those claims that will help you dominate your Week 5 matchup.

With stars emerging and other players getting more action through the quarter-mark of the season than anticipated, now is the time to claim those players who will probably feature more frequently for their teams as the season wears on, thereby helping you rack up those all-important fantasy points.

Unlike trades that may cost you some of your own best players, the waiver wire can help upgrade your team at a lesser cost.

Here are the best options available in over half of NFL.com's leagues heading into Week 5.

Eddie Royal, WR, San Diego Chargers

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Owned in under 10 percent of NFL.com's fantasy leagues, Royal has emerged as one of Philip Rivers' favorite targets.

In the last two weeks, Royal has averaged over 73 yards and two touchdowns on 4.5 receptions.

In Week 4 against Jacksonville, Royal's two scores were both strikes of over 40 yards, doubling the number of touchdown receptions of over 26 yards in his career in just one day, per Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego:

The week prior in Buffalo, both of his TDs came inside the red zone.

The fact that he's established himself as a deep threat, as well as a reliable red-zone receiver in the past two weeks bodes well for his prospects in the Chargers' upcoming games.

It's also helped him nearly match his success through four games from a season ago, per Tristan Cockcroft of ESPN:

Furthermore, Royal's matchup this week is against the New York Jets could be a favorable one.

Sure, the Jets only allow 228 yards per game through the air, but they've conceded nine passing touchdowns and have yet to intercept a pass, according to NFL.com.

With New York also possessing the league's top run-stopping defense, it's also likely San Diego will be forced to throw the ball more often, which could benefit Royal.

What's more, Royal could be more than just a one-week plug-in to your fantasy squad.

His Week 6 opponent? The lowly Oakland Raiders.

Be sure to snap up Royal this week. Especially if it means only having to drop your least productive player.

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

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Another player who is sure to be snapped up in most fantasy leagues by the time the Chiefs play the 49ers on Sunday, Kelce has been a surprisingly productive option at tight end so far this season.

His 93-yard, one-touchdown performance in Kansas City's Monday night drubbing of New England was his best of the season.

It also marked the third consecutive week that Kelce has put up at least eight fantasy points.

His success has received rave reviews from fantasy experts like Nathan Zegura of of the Cleveland Browns, Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com and Bleacher Report's Alessandro Miglio:

For those worried that Kelce will be going up against the league's seventh-best defense against the pass in San Francisco, fear not.

In fact, in two of the three weeks that Kelce has hit the eight-point mark, he has gone up against the defenses of Miami and New England—both of whom entered Week 4 ahead of the 49ers.

The fact that Kelce is owned in just 36 percent of NFL.com fantasy leagues means he's probably available for you to pick up this week.

Passing on a guy that has averaged five receptions a game in his recent three-game hot streak would be a big mistake.

Markus Wheaton, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Another option—albeit a less obvious one—to pick up in Week 5 is Steelers wideout Markus Wheaton.

Though he hasn't managed to hit the 10-point plateau this year, this could be the week that Wheaton surprises fantasy owners.

So far in 2014, Wheaton has been a steady presence for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. He's caught at least four balls in each of Pittsburgh's four games and has five or more fantasy points in three of the team's four contests.

He already has the second-most receiving yards on the team, and places second in yards per reception as well, per steelers.com.

His consistency could very well earn him more looks moving forward from Big Ben. Catches like this don't hurt either:

But the most appealing part of picking up Wheaton this week lies in who the Steelers are playing.

Week 5 pits the boys from Steeltown against the 0-4 Jacksonville Jaguars.

The same Jaguars who rank dead last in the NFL, giving up over 320 yards per game through the air. They've also allowed a league-worst 11 scores through the air.

With Wheaton being a consistently, reliable option and the team playing against a team that can't stop the pass, odds are Wheaton has his best fantasy week of the young season on Sunday. With an owned percentage of just 26 percent, you should have the opportunity to snag Wheaton ahead of what could be a big weekend.

All three of these players have been important parts of the team's offense in recent weeks. With a few of them having favorable matchups and another proving it doesn't matter who he's matched up against, all three guys could help you in a big way for a relatively cheap price this week.

Jon Reid is a correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on twitter @JonReidCSM.