Week 5 Waiver Wire: 10 Unowned Players Who Can Make a Difference

Week 5 of the NFL season marks the first week of byes. That means waiver wire pickups are no longer based solely on want, instead, necessity takes charge. 

Instead of the bye-week period lasting from Week 4 to Week 10, as in years past, it has been truncated to a five-week period from now through Week 9.

As a result, there are more weeks, with six teams catching a breather rather than four. This week Cleveland, Dallas, St. Louis, Miami, Washington and Baltimore will all enjoy an early respite.

To fill the void left by some of the star athletes the latter teams possess, here's a list of the top waiver wire acquisitions for Week 5. 

Alex Smith

I know, I know...Alex Smith is no prized possession by any team, but he is becoming a reliable option at quarterback with new head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm.

Smith has increased his passing yard totals each successive week, including Week 4's 291 yards and two touchdowns versus the Philadelphia Eagles' elite secondary.

With Michael Crabtree finally looking healthy and Braylon Edwards set to return from injury in the near future, things may be looking up for the much maligned San Francisco quarterback.

Suggestion: There should be better options available in most 10 and even 12-team leagues, but he should be snatched up in deeper leagues.

Matt Hasselbeck

If you're in a tight spot at starting quarterback, then Matt Hasselbeck might be your guy in Week 5. I know he's playing the Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 1 ranked pass defense, but who have they really played?

The Steelers have faced a very average Ravens' passing attack, the Tarvaris Jackson-led Seahawks (minus Sidney Rice), the Peyton Manning-less Colts and the Texans minus Andre Johnson for much of the game.

The arrival of Hasselbeck to the usually run-heavy Titans has sparked a new era of offense in Tennessee. The Titans are ranked last in rushing and a very surprising eighth in passing offense.

He's completing nearly 67 percent of his passes and averaging 288 yards passing a game. You could do much worse for a spot start.

Suggestion: Must own in all league sizes. 

Bernard Scott

Cincinnati Bengals' running back Bernard Scott could be a nice grab for the next couple weeks if starter Cedric Benson is suspended for an arrest during the offseason.

No one seems to be sure of what's going on in Benson's appeal of a three-game suspension. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested Monday that a decision on the appeal "will be coming shortly." However, with it already being Wednesday, it seems unlikely the league would go forward with the appeal on such short notice.

ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted that it would be a "major upset" if Benson were suspended for the Bengals' upcoming game at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If Scott ends up getting the start, pencil him in for the roughly 19-20 carries per game that Benson has getting so far this season.

Suggestion: If you're in dire straits at the running back position and in a 10-12 team league, he's worth a pickup. In deeper leagues he is a must own as a possible starting running back for three straight weeks.

Isaac Redman

Isaac Redman is looking like a lock to start this week against the No. 8 run defense in Tennessee.

Starter Rashard Mendenhall injured his hamstring on a three-yard touchdown run in Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.

ESPN's Bob Holtzman reported that Mendenhall won't practice much, if at all, this week. 

Redman has looked good in the limited amount of carries that he's seen this season. So far this season he has 22 carries for 107 yards for an average of 4.9 yards per carry.

In the case that Redman does get the start, which becomes more and more likely with each day of practice Mendenhall misses, he could potentially see 20-plus touches against the Titans.

Suggestion: He's not worth the trouble in a 10-team league, but if you play in a league that's bigger, he's worth a look.

Stevan Ridley

Patriots' rookie running back Stevan Ridley appears to be getting getting more touches every week. Sunday versus the Raiders he ran for 97 yards on 10 carries—including a 33-yard touchdown gallop.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis still led the team with 16 carries, but Ridley looks like the better of the two and could become the lead back as soon as this weekend.

The worry with starting Ridley is that head coach Bill Belichick could very well go with a complete running back-by-committee approach and screw things up for fantasy owner. 

However, the upside is too great in this offense. 

Suggestion: Should be owned in all league formats. If Ridley becomes the lead back for the rest of the year, his production could be huge.

Victor Cruz

One week after bursting onto the scene with three catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, Giants' wide receiver Victor Cruz saw nine targets for six catches and 98 yards on Sunday.

Cruz took over No. 2 receiver duties after Mario Manningham was benched for dropping passes and poor route running. The situation remains very unclear for who will get the start in Week 5, but Cruz has shown that he can handle the role.

It could become a rotation between the two big-play wideouts, but either way, Cruz appears primed to be a solid contributor in fantasy football.

Suggestion: He's worth a roster spot in every league size. If he takes over the No. 2 receiver duties, he becomes a top 20-25 player at the position.

Michael Crabtree

Michael Crabtree looked as though he has put his foot injury behind him on Sunday. He saw nine targets for five catches and 68 yards in the game and appears to be Alex Smith's No. 1 target.

Crabtree will never be the elite talent the 49ers thought he would be when they drafted him, but he could still be a reception machine if the offense continues humming along the way it is now.

When the field-stretching Braylon Edwards returns from injury, it will only open things up underneath for Crabtree and make him an even better fantasy option.

Suggestion: Should be owned in all 12-team leagues and is a definite must own in point-per-reception leagues.

Jacoby Jones

On Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle's John McClain reported that Andre Johnson will miss the next three weeks after undergoing a procedure to prevent scar tissue and "speed the recovery" of his hamstring.

That leaves the door wide open for Jacoby Jones to finally display the potential that he has flashed over the last couple seasons.

Jones has mostly disappointed fantasy owners after being hyped up in recent years. However, he has never been given the opportunity to start without the beast that is Andre Johnson being on the field with him.

Suggestion: You should probably avoid the situation unless you're in a deeper league or in a serious bind at the position. Jones is still a very risky play and is really a boom-or-bust player for the Texans.

Jared Cook

The hype machine was working overtime for Jared Cook leading up to this season. Then the season came and he barely even made a blip on the fantasy radar.

Through the Titans' first three games, Cook saw just seven targets for five receptions and 56 yards receiving. When stud-receiver Kenny Britt went down to injury in Week 3, the team needed someone to step up and fill the void.

In Week 4, Cook made two catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Two catches may not seem like much—because it isn't—but he was target a team-leading six times in a game that saw the Titans throw just 21 passes.

Suggestion: He's not a must-own player yet, but he is definitely worth a look in 12-team leagues.

Kevin Boss

In the two games that Raiders' tight end Kevin Boss has been healthy this season, he was targeted seven times for six catches and 114 yards.

He has yet to score a touchdown, but that's an average of 19 yards per reception. With team's making it their prime focus to stop Darren McFadden on a weekly basis, Boss is getting open to make some big plays.

If there's one thing we know about quarterback Jason Campbell, it's that he loves throwing the ball to his tight end. We saw the great success of Chris Cooley in Washington while he was there and Zach Miller here in Oakland.

Kevin Boss could very well be the next in line to become Campbell's favorite check-down option.

Suggestion: Makes for a nice pickup this week as a fill-in option, and has the upside to be a key contributor for the rest of the season.