Week 5 Waiver Wire: Ryan Torain and 5 Must-Have Fantasy Players

The 2011 fantasy football campaign is entering its fifth week, and the upcoming weekend brings with it an enemy that strikes fear into even the most hardened and grizzled fantasy veteran: the loathed and dreaded bye weeks.

To assist fantasy owners in defeating that nefarious foe, as well as to assist those dealing with injury issues—such as the hamstring injuries suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall and Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson—here are five players who should be high on your list of potential waiver wire claims this week.

1. Ryan Torain, RB (Washington Redskins)

Week 4 Stats: 19 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD

After starter Tim Hightower struggled in moving the ball on the ground last week, Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan followed through on his pledge to get running back Ryan Torain more involved in the offense. The third-year pro responded in a big way, rolling for more than 100 yards and gaining an impressive 7.1 yards a carry in the Redskins' win over the St. Louis Rams.

Torain has had durability issues in the past and the Washington backfield has the makings of a running back-by-committee situation, but there's no denying that Torain looked good Sunday and should be the first priority this week for teams in need of help at the running back position.

The Redskins have a Week 5 bye, and Torain won't help you this week.

If you wait though, it's a certainty that another owner in your league will scoop him up and stash him for Week 6; it's now or never.

2. Tarvaris Jackson, QB (Seattle Seahawks)

Week 4 Stats: 25-of-38, 318 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

It feels more than a little weird to type this, but Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson had a solid game Sunday in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons, tossing three scoring passes and topping 300 passing yards for the first time this season.

Make no mistake, this is still Tarvaris Jackson we're talking about, and it wouldn't be wise to count on him on a weekly basis.

But the Seahawks are apt to spend much of this season in catch-up mode, making Jackson a viable matchup option or fallback plan for fantasy owners who watched Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger limp off the field in Houston on Sunday.

3. Victor Cruz, WR (New York Giants)

Week 4 Stats: 6 receptions, 98 yards

New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz turned in his second straight solid statistical day in the Giants' come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, and the second-year pro has now averaged more than 100 receiving yards and a touchdown over the past two weeks.

Cruz supplanted wide receiver Mario Manningham in New York's two-wide receiver sets in Week 4, and while it's not known whether that was a one-week aberration or the beginning of a change in the pecking order at wideout for the G-Men, Cruz is easily the top fantasy wide receiver available on waiver wires this week.

4. Stevan Ridley, RB (New England Patriots)

Week 4 Stats: 10 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, 3 yards

Rookie running back Stevan Ridley saw his most extensive action of the 2011 season in the New England Patriots' victory over the Oakland Raiders Sunday, and Ridley responded with the best game of his young career, gaining nearly 10 yards a carry and scoring his first National Football League touchdown.

Ridley looked significantly better than running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis against the Raiders, and while trying to figure out which running back head coach Bill Belichick will feature from week to week can leave you tearing your hair out, one has to think that Ridley carved himself a larger piece of the pie in the Patriots' backfield with his strong performance in Week 4.

5. Jacoby Jones, WR (Houston Texans)

Week 4 Stats: No statistics

Speaking of tearing your hair out, that's exactly what fantasy owners of Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson were doing Sunday as the star wideout writhed on the ground in pain at Reliant Stadium. Johnson sustained a hamstring injury, and it's not known how long that injury will sideline the nine-year veteran.

Jacoby Jones and Kevin Walter will start at wide receiver for the Texans while Johnson is out, and while neither player had a catch in Houston's victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (and Walter is likely the safer play of the two), Jones is a more explosive player who possesses a higher fantasy ceiling and would be the preferred acquisition of the two.