Week 5 Waiver Wire: Isaac Redman and 3 Bye-Week Fill-Ins You Must Add

Nothing can stop some great fantasy football momentum quite like bye weeks. With the first wave of byes starting in Week 5, many fantasy owners are likely rushing to the waiver wire to find some short-term replacements for their stars.

Here are three players who will make for great bye-week fill-ins this week and will likely be useful down the line as well.

Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots

Generally, the rule of thumb with regards to the New England Patriots' running back situation is to avoid it like it's the plague. However, head coach Bill Belichick seems to have found something with rookie Stevan Ridley. The utilitarian back gained 97 yards on just 10 carries last week in his first extended action.

This week, the Patriots are taking on a New York Jets defense that is very strong against the pass, but has struggled against the run thus far. Oakland Raiders back Darren McFadden gained 171 yards on the Jets two weeks ago, so Ridley should have running room.

New York will obviously be focused on Tom Brady and New England's passing attack, so Ridley should be able to pick up big chunks of yardage on draws and screens. His scoring potential may not be great with BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the fold, but he should get plenty of yardage.

Jacoby Jones, Houston Texans

When it comes to the Houston Texans' passing game, wide receiver Andre Johnson and tight end Owen Daniels are usually the only players who get heavily involved. With Johnson out for this week and perhaps more with a hamstring injury, though, somebody will need to step up.

The No. 2 receiver is Kevin Walter, but he lacks explosiveness and isn't a main target. That leaves speedster Jacoby Jones as the best bet to pick up the slack for Johnson. While Jones hasn't been featured heavily this season, he has tons of potential.

The Oakland Raiders may look to sell out against the run, since Arian Foster is back and healthy for the Texans. If that's the case, quarterback Matt Schaub will need to throw to somebody. Jones has speed to burn, so there is a distinct possibility that he could get loose deep and burn the Raiders for a long score.

Isaac Redman, Pittsburgh Steelers

Although running back Rashard Mendenhall may still play on Sunday with a hamstring injury, reports haven't been promising thus far. There is a chance that backup Isaac Redman could receive the bulk of the carries for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Even if Mendenhall does play, he may not be able to handle a full workload, so Redman has value either way. A matchup against the Tennessee Titans isn't ideal, but with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's foot injury and the offensive line's ineffectiveness, the Titans could blitz a ton.

That type of over-pursuit will open up running room for Redman. He has been extremely effective in limited action this season with 107 yards on 22 carries, so it will be interesting to see how Redman fares with a full allotment of touches.