Week 5 Waiver Wire: Top Pickups and Drops

The NFL season is a quarter of the way over for most teams, and it just isn’t going according to plan for some. Unfortunately, the same can be said about some fantasy teams.

We have reached Week 5, and the term “small sample size” is becoming more irrelevant with every passing game. Yes, there is still a lot of season to go, but certain fantasy patterns have begun to emerge that may just be here to stay.

That means it could be time to look toward the waiver wire and make some changes if your team is struggling. With that in mind, here is a look at the top pickups and drops heading into Week 5. 

Top Pickups

WR Devin Hester, Atlanta Falcons (16.3 percent owned)

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Devin Hester wasn’t much of an offensive threat in Chicago, but he is producing for the Atlanta Falcons.

He has 196 receiving yards and two total touchdowns through four games and has been a featured part of what appears to be a dominant Atlanta offense. In fact, the Falcons rank second in the league in passing yards, and Matt Ryan is firing on all cylinders.

That’s good news for anyone with an Atlanta wide receiver in fantasy.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Hester will also benefit moving forward from the presence of Julio Jones, who is one of the best wide receivers in the entire NFL, and Roddy White, who is a solid No. 2 option. With defenses so focused on the top two pass-catchers, Hester should find himself open on a number of routes. 

Of course, if you are in a league where fantasy points are given out for individuals on special teams, you should already have Hester.

QB Eli Manning, New York Giants (42.7 percent owned) 

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Eli Manning had himself a day for fantasy owners in Week 4, as ESPN Stats & Info pointed out:

If you had Manning starting a couple of weeks ago, you would have been the laughingstock of your league, but he looks the part of a productive quarterback heading into Week 5. He threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Washington Redskins in Week 4 (and even added a rushing touchdown) and 234 yards and two touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 3.

More importantly, he only has one interception the past two weeks, and that came on a fluke play in the Washington game that could have been another touchdown pass.

You should look to pick up Manning for Week 5 primarily because he is facing the Falcons and their 30th-ranked pass defense. This game could be a shootout, so Manning will likely rack up the fantasy points in a duel with Matt Ryan.

WR Brian Quick, St. Louis Rams (14.8 percent owned)

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Brian Quick is leading the St. Louis Rams with 235 receiving yards, and he also has a touchdown catch. It is perhaps more important in terms of predicting future production though that he has a team-high 22 targets.

The Rams have to throw to someone, and Quick appears to be their top option thus far. 

St. Louis faces the Philadelphia Eagles next, which means Quick will be going up against the 23rd-ranked secondary against the pass. Look for the Rams to get him involved early to soften up the box for Zac Stacy and the rushing attack.

RB Darrin Reaves, Carolina Panthers (0.1 percent owned) 

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Adam Schefter of ESPN pointed out that Darrin Reaves will be the starting running back for the Carolina Panthers for the time being due to injuries:

Reaves may not be anything close to a household name, but being a starting running back holds value in fantasy football. What’s more, Cam Newton has been banged up throughout the year, so Carolina may look to involve the running game more often as a way of keeping its quarterback healthy. 

The Panthers also play the 20th-ranked rush defense of the Chicago Bears in Week 5. Chicago was also dead last against the run in 2013, so there should be opportunities for big plays for Reaves and the rushing attack.

Just make sure they come for your fantasy team.

Drops

TE Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens (71.9 percent owned)

RB Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers (74.8 percent owned)

RB Bernard Pierce, Baltimore Ravens (85.8 percent owned) 

WR Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles (88.6 percent owned)

It should be rather clear why Dennis Pitta and Danny Woodhead are on this list. Both underwent significant injuries and will not be racking up fantasy points for the rest of the year.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The fact that so many people still own these guys is more of an indictment on how many people pay attention to their fantasy leagues on a weekly basis than anything else. Consider yourself officially called out if you still have either Woodhead or Pitta on your team. They are clearly both solid options when healthy, but you can’t have either taking up a valuable roster spot now.

As for Bernard Pierce, he will eventually return to the Baltimore Ravens (sooner rather than later), but the emergence of other options on this team makes Pierce a real concern for fantasy owners.

David Richard/Associated Press

Justin Forsett ran for a game-high 66 yards and added a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers, while rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro looks like the real deal as well. Taliaferro destroyed the Cleveland Browns for 91 rushing yards and a touchdown in that matchup and added 58 more rushing yards and a touchdown against the Panthers. 

Taliaferro is also a bruising and powerful running back who will see goal-line touches throughout the season. Comcast SportsNet Ravens certainly seemed to think so:

Pierce may take over as the starter, but it is difficult to imagine a scenario where these other backs don't vulture some carries and red-zone opportunities.

Then there is Riley Cooper, who just appears to be falling down the list of receiving options for Nick Foles and the Eagles offense.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Jeremy Maclin, Zach Ertz, Darren Sproles and rookie Jordan Matthews all have more receiving yards than Cooper’s 141 on the year, and we are working under the assumption that LeSean McCoy starts putting up superstar numbers in the near future as well. That could mean yet another Eagle with more yardage than Cooper.

It is the emergence of Matthews in particular that hurts Cooper’s value.

Matthews set SEC records at Vanderbilt in an offense that didn’t come close to matching the efficiency of Philadelphia’s and will likely continue to develop as the season progresses. McCoy thought that would be the case in the preseason, via Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com:

"

That rookie we got. (Jordan) Matthews. He has done real good. I think there has been a lot of talk about this (past) draft class being deep at wide receiver, but I'm real confident in (Matthews) being the best one out of the class.

"

We know Maclin is a fantasy stud, and the development of Matthews makes Cooper an even less valuable option in fantasy circles. It’s best to get rid of him now.

*Percent-owned statistics courtesy of ESPN.com leagues as of Monday. 

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