Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 5: Why Owners Must Add Kevin Walter

All Andre Johnson fantasy owners, do not panic because although the star WR for the Houston Texans is out, he will be back by mid-season.

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Johnson will be out for at least two weeks, maybe three:

"If all goes according to plan, receiver Andre Johnson will return to the starting lineup no later than the Texans' Oct. 30 game against Jacksonville at Reliant Stadium."

"That means he would miss games against Oakland, Baltimore and Tennessee."

McClain added right after:

"Depending on how fast he recovers after undergoing a surgical procedure to prevent scar tissue from forming around a slight tear in his right hamstring, there's an outside chance Johnson might be ready for the Oct. 23 game against the Titans."

"More than likely, though, Johnson will miss three games because the Texans have taken extra precautions with players suffering from hamstring and groin injuries since training camp began."

So with that being said, if he's available in your league, you need to pick up fellow Texan WR Kevin Walter.

For one, he's their second best WR and has been Johnson's sidekick since 2006.

Now, Walter is obviously not going to be your No. 1 WR, but he does make a solid No. 2/3/flex for your lineup.

At the very least he will give you another reliable bench option, thus adding depth to make your team even stronger.

As for his numbers, no they haven't been up to par this season, but with a great rushing attack in Houston, there hasn't been much reason to throw unless Johnson had a good matchup.

In addition, TE Owen Daniels was the team's second leading target, but his numbers will go down with Johnson out.

Therefore, that opens the window for Walter to see some more passes and you can expect him being covered one-on-one quite often, as defenses won't respect him nearly as much as Johnson.

From 2007-2010 however, Walter had the best production of his career by averaging 732 yards, 57 catches, and 4.75 TDs per season.

With Johnson out, yes, Houston will be more heavily reliant on the running game, but, when QB Matt Schaub is given the green light, Walter will be his first read every time.

And make no mistake about it, Walter has the ability to beat man coverage as well as find the weak spot in the zone. We'll see how much Schaub trusts No. 83 without having Andre Johnson as the security blanket.

If you need some depth, look no further than Kevin Walter because he is also a solid talent.

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report.

And, you can follow him on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.