Week 5 Waiver Wire: Breakout Pickups, Targets and Tips for Fantasy Football

Whichever fantasy owner in your league picked up Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman a couple of weeks ago is a genius. The breakout playmaker posted three touchdowns and 149 total yards Sunday against the Houston Texans, which was an impressive encore to his 193 total yards and three touchdowns in Week 3.

The next Freeman is out there somewhere. You just have to find him before the Week 5 slate of games begins.

With that in mind, here is a look at some top waiver-wire pickups and potential breakout candidates to target before Week 5. Players were considered potential waiver-wire pickups if they were owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN.com leagues entering play Sunday.

Player	Team	Week 5 Opponent	Percent Owned (as of Sunday)
Quarterbacks
Brian Hoyer	Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	0.6
Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears	Kansas City Chiefs	12.5
Running Backs
Duke Johnson Jr.	Cleveland Browns	Baltimore Ravens	49.6
Ronnie Hillman	Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders	46.6
Wide Receivers
Ted Ginn Jr.	Carolina Panthers	Seattle Seahawks (in Week 6 after Week 5 bye)	32.3
Allen Hurns	Jacksonville Jaguars	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11.3
Tight Ends
Richard Rodgers	Green Bay Packers	St. Louis Rams	22.2
Gary Barnidge	Cleveland Browns	Baltimore Ravens	11

Players to Watch

Ted Ginn Jr., WR, Carolina Panthers

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

This is a vote of confidence in Cam Newton more than Ted Ginn Jr., but the Carolina Panthers need players to catch the quarterback’s passes, and Ginn stepped up in a big way Sunday. In all, Ginn tallied two touchdowns during Carolina’s 37-23 win and provided Newton with some support.

Carolina will be without Kelvin Benjamin for the rest of the season and didn’t have Jerricho Cotchery on Sunday because of an ankle injury. Tight end Greg Olsen is a superstar, but opposing defenses will continue to direct plenty of attention his way for the rest of the season. That will create openings for Ginn, and he took advantage against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Newton is going to make things happen with his legs and ability to scramble out of pressure. That will lead to touchdowns for players like Ginn, who can use raw speed to find openings in the defense and provide an outlet for the quarterback.

Ginn has not lived up to his status as a former first-round pick throughout his NFL career, but he appears to have a home in Carolina this year with three touchdown catches in four games. Newton also praised the pass-catcher following the two touchdown catches, per Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer: "Ted is really evolving into that player he’s capable of becoming."

Ginn is a speed threat and boasts the ability to beat defenders in single coverage (which he primarily faces because opposing defenses aren’t doubling him with Olsen in the middle of the field) by running in a straight line. He is shifty with the ball in his hands and scored on an underneath route Sunday by sprinting to the end zone before the defender could cut him off.

With those raw skills and the lack of pass-catchers on the roster, Ginn will hear his number called throughout the season. He is worth a waiver-wire flier.

Duke Johnson Jr., RB, Cleveland Browns

If you pick up Duke Johnson Jr., think of it as grabbing a high-ceiling stock before it makes a potential drastic climb. It is a high-risk move, but it would also reward you greatly if he reaches his ceiling.

Johnson is only a rookie, but he dominated during the Cleveland Browns’ 30-27 loss to the San Diego Chargers with 31 rushing yards, 82 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. He was targeted a team-high 10 times, which is what fantasy owners want to hear.

Johnson’s involvement in the passing game probably won’t change much moving forward after Sunday’s performance, either, since he plays for a Cleveland team that lacks any game-breaking pass-catchers outside of Travis Benjamin.

Johnson showed burst out of the backfield and the ability to not only catch short passes but also get downfield like a receiver, as the NFL highlighted:

If that becomes a pattern, the Browns will look Johnson’s way for the rest of the season. Adam Caplan of ESPN suggested Cleveland prefers the running back in that role:

Isaiah Crowell is still a member of the Cleveland backfield, but he has yet to top 72 rushing yards in an individual game this season and has only one touchdown. Johnson has more upside, which matters because the 1-3 Browns aren’t likely to contend this season.

Cleveland will see what it has in Johnson as the year progresses, which means more production like what fans saw Sunday. Make sure that production happens for your fantasy team.