Week 5 Waiver Wire: Projecting Best Adds, Drops and Future Handcuffs

Navigating the ups and downs of a fantasy football season can be tricky, especially when key injuries are involved. Unfortunately, the 2020 NFL season has seen more than its fair share of significant fantasy-relevant injuries.

In Week 4 alone, stars like Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Michael Thomas and Davante Adams were absent. Nick Chubb suffered an MCL injury on Sunday and landed on injured reserve, while Julio Jones exited with a hamstring injury on Monday night. O.J. Howard might be done for the year with an Achilles injury.

With bye-week season kicking off in Week 5—the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are off—it's as important as ever to work the waiver wire and prepare for the remainder of the season.

With this in mind, let's examine some top waiver-wire targets for Week 5, some players worth dropping and a couple of key handcuffs to consider.

Week 5 Waiver-Wire Adds

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Carolina Panthers

Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Scotty Miller, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

New England Patriots running back Damien Harris should be at the top of every manager's waiver-wire wish list. New England recently placed Sony Michel on injured reserve, which gives Harris a legitimate crack at being the backfield leader.

Harris got 17 carries against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night and turned those into 100 rushing yards.

"It was excited getting back out there with the guys. It's been a long time coming, and I'm looking forward to playing with this group of guys on this team for a long time now," Harris told reporters after the game.

Harris is worth scooping up and starting for the next few weeks, though it's worth noting that Michel could come off IR relatively quickly.

Harris is rostered in 31 percent of Yahoo leagues and 15 percent of ESPN leagues.

Week 5 Drops

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

Marvin Jones Jr., WR, Detroit Lions

Kerryon Johnson, RB, Detroit Lions

O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Aaron Doster/Associated Press

While rookie quarterback Tee Higgins continues to entrench himself as a key piece of the Cincinnati Bengals' passing attack, former No. 1 wideout A.J. Green continues to lose value.

According to Pro Football Reference, Green has been targeted 33 times this season and has just 14 catches for 119 yards and no touchdowns. He had only one catch on five targets in Week 4 for a mere three yards.

At some point, quarterback Joe Burrow is going to stop trying to get Green the ball entirely—and that time could be now. Even if Green continues getting targets, he isn't doing enough with them to warrant using a roster spot.

Feel free to dump Green, and look into adding Higgins. The rookie is rostered in just 33 percent of Yahoo leagues and 26 percent of ESPN leagues.

Future Handcuff Adds

D'Ernest Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns

Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

D'Ernest Johnson, RB, Cleveland Browns

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

With Chubb on injured reserve and out of action for at least three weeks, the Cleveland Browns will rely heavily on backup Kareem Hunt. They can still have an elite rushing attack because Hunt would be a starter on most other teams, but managers will want to find a handcuff for Chubb's, well, former handcuff.

This is where D'Ernest Johnson comes into play. the former third-stringer becomes the backup and even carries some value as a complementary back—he had 95 rushing yards against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.

The Browns are going to remain a run-heavy team in Chubb's absence, so Johnson could be a solid flex option for the foreseeable future. He's a virtual must-add for Hunt managers, though, He could also be a fine pickup for managers hoping to trade him to Hunt managers in the event of a future injury.

Johnson is rostered in three percent of Yahoo leagues and less than one percent of ESPN leagues.

*Yahoo and ESPN roster percentages from FantasyPros.