Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire: Owners Must Add Jermaine Gresham

Week 5 of the NFL season is upon us. That leads us fantasy owners to have to deal with two of our favorite things,: injuries and bye weeks.

Now, tight end is not as thin of a position as some people might think it is. Still, if you have a guy like Jason Witten (bye), Dallas Clark (no Peyton Manning) or Antonio Gates (injured), you're probably looking for a tight end to get you through the week.

Look no further than to Cincinnati Bengals' Jermaine Gresham. He's owned in fewer than 28 percent of ESPN leagues, so I have to assume he's available to you. If he's not, then there is probably a more classic, big name available for you.

In Gresham's first season, he caught 52 passes for 471 yards and four touchdowns. In a PPR league, that's a pretty valuable tight end.

Now, early in his second year, Gresham has 16 catches, 187 yards and two touchdowns. That's not a bad four-week total. He's certainly worthy of a fill-in role, and depending on your tight end situation, may well be worthy of more of a permanent role.

Given Gresham's overall production, he's worthy of being owned in far more than 28 percent of leagues. Now, he's not an elite tight end like Vernon Davis, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez. But if we're talking about a temporary starting role and a possible backup role for the rest of the season, this is a no brainer.

In Week 5, the matchup with Jacksonville is by no means a bad one. Rookie quarterbacks tend to throw the ball a lot to targets that they're familiar with. Clearly, Andy Dalton is familiar and comfortable with Gresham, or he wouldn't be catching four passes a game.

Should Gresham continue at his current pace, he'll catch 64 passes for 748 yards and eight touchdowns. If he plays at anywhere near that level, is that a player that you want on your bench?

Even if you have a great tight end and answered yes to that question, ask yourself this one: Is that a player you want in your opponent's starting lineup?

Pick Gresham up as a flier. If his pace drops off, then cut him. My guess is that you have someone on your team that's not worthy of a spot.