Fantasy football Week 5: Add and drop

Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free-agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.

Follow me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @UTEddieBrown if you have questions throughout the week.

Here’s my NFL Week 5 waiver wire cheat sheet for all league sizes and formats, with players you need to add, drop and stream in your fantasy football league:

ADD

— RB Kareem Hunt, Chiefs (ESPN: 21%; Yahoo: 36%): Hunt took control of Kansas City’s backfield after Carson Steele lost his second fumble in three games. The veteran produced 85 total yards on 16 touches (two receptions) in a 17-10 victory over the Chargers. The quickest way into Andy Reid’s doghouse is ball security issues. K.C. will have to lean on its running backs more with Rashee Rice possibly done for the season. Hunt’s experience and versatility makes him a priority waiver addition this week.

— WR Dontayvion Wicks, Packers (ESPN: 10%; Yahoo: 14%): Christian Watson suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Vikings, and Wicks ended up leading the team with 13 targets in Jordan Love’s return, producing five receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. As a rookie, Wicks was the overall WR31 in standard formats (WR37 in PPR) from Week 11 until the end of last season. With Love back, Romeo Doubs (ESPN: 25%; Yahoo: 40%) also needs to be rostered more. No one runs more routes in this offense and his chemistry with Love is undeniable.

— QB Justin Fields, Steelers (ESPN: 34%; Yahoo: 32%): You can’t say I didn’t warn you. Fields finished as the QB1 across most fantasy formats, throwing for 312 yards, running for 55 yards and scoring three TDs against the Colts.

— WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs (ESPN: 1%; Yahoo: 1%): K.C. won’t ask rookie dynamo Xavier Worthy to make up for all the production lost in the absence of Rice. Smith-Schuster was actually the Chiefs leading wide receiver in 2022 with 78 receptions for 933 yards and three TDs. When asked about Smith-Schuster on Monday, Andy Reid said, “Pat (Mahomes) has got a lot of trust in him.” Also, only Worthy ran more routes than Justin Watson (ESPN:

— TE Tucker Kraft, Packers (ESPN: 5%; Yahoo: 5%): It’s been clear Kraft supplanted Luke Musgrave as Green Bay’s starting tight end since the opener in Brazil against the Eagles. He had his best game of the season in Love’s return against the Vikings, catching six balls for 53 yards and a TD on a robust nine targets. He finished as the overall TE1 in PPR and TE3 in standard last week (only Taysom Hill and Pat Freiermuth topped him in standard). Kraft has top-10 upside going forward with a healthy Love under center.

— BONUS: QB Sam Darnold, Vikings (ESPN: 44%; Yahoo: 55%): Darnold is the overall QB4 through four weeks. Only Jayden Daniels, Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield have scored more fantasy points at the position this season. Darnold has thrown at least two TD passes in every game, and he’s done all this with Justin Jefferson missing parts of two games with a quad and finger injury, and primarily without Jordan Addison or T.J. Hockenson in the lineup.

— BONUS: WR Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants (ESPN: 27%; Yahoo: 27%): Robinson is the overall WR20 in PPR formats (WR38 in standard) through four weeks. He’s on pace for 110 receptions and has received at least eight targets in three of four games this season.

— BONUS: RB Nick Chubb, Browns (ESPN: 78%; Yahoo: 78%): Chubb’s practice window to return from knee surgery is officially open. This is likely your last chance to add him if he’s available in your league. Same thing goes for the 46th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Panthers’ Jonathon Brooks (ESPN: 66%; Yahoo: 67%). Brooks’ return is reportedly in the “final stages.” Both could have significant impact in fantasy come November and December.

— BONUS: WR Xavier Legette, Panthers (ESPN: 25%; Yahoo: 14%): I anticipated the dynamic rookie receiver seeing an increased role with Adam Thielen (hamstring) sidelined, and I wasn’t disappointed. Legette had six receptions (10 targets) for 66 yards and a TD, and tossed in two carries for an additional 10 yards for good measure.

— BONUS: RB Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (ESPN: 42%; Yahoo: 23%): Bijan Robinson popped up on last Thursday’s injury report with a shoulder injury before practicing fully on Friday. He tweaked his hamstring against the Saints and was listed as limited on Atlanta’s estimated practice report Monday since they play this Thursday. Allgeier could have standalone flex appeal even if Robinson is active. He’s produced at least 65 yards on 10 touches in two of the last three games. Allgeier is an obvious starter if Robinson misses any time.

— BONUS: TE Cade Otton, Buccaneers (ESPN: 6%; Yahoo: 15%): Otton is the overall TE14 in standard formats (TE8 in PPR) since Week 3. He’s had at least six receptions and eight targets in two straight games. According to Pro Football Focus, Otton has run 702 routes over the past two seasons, which is 65 more than any other tight end. He practically never leaves the field, and that’s usually half the battle in fantasy.

— BONUS: RB Tank Bigsby, Jaguars (ESPN: 6%; Yahoo: 12%): I can’t imagine there’s a hotter seat in football than the one Doug Pederson is sitting on. Jacksonville is in need of a spark and the second-year back could be just what the doctor ordered — Bigsby is averaging 8.2 yards per carry. Also, Travis Etienne is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that potentially could linger.

— BONUS: WR Josh Downs, Colts (ESPN: 9%; Yahoo: 21%): Downs is the overall WR32 in standard formats (WR26 in PPR) since he returned from injury in Week 3. In competitive games, or any game where Indy is expected to play from behind, Downs should see enough targets to maintain flex appeal on a weekly basis (regardless of who is at QB).

— BONUS: RB Justice Hill, Ravens (ESPN: 10%; Yahoo: 14%): Hill is the overall RB30 in standard formats (RB25 in PPR) through four weeks. He has topped 54 total yards in three of four games, serving as the perfect complement to the punisher (Derrick Henry).

— BONUS: WR Tre Tucker, Raiders (ESPN: 10%; Yahoo: 9%): Tucker is the overall WR9 in standard formats (WR10 in PPR) since Week 3 with at least five receptions and a TD in two straight games. Davante Adams is currently week-to-week with a hamstring injury.

— BONUS: RB Trey Sermon, Colts (ESPN: 1%; Yahoo: 2%): Jonathan Taylor left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury in the second half. It’s being called a “mild” high-ankle sprain. It sounds like Taylor will be fine, but if he’s on your roster, you should probably invest in Sermon just in case.

— BONUS: D/ST Broncos (ESPN: 5%; Yahoo: 17%): Denver is the fourth-highest scoring defense in fantasy through four weeks, scoring double-digit points in three of four games. The Broncos are only allowing 13.8 points per game and rank second in NFL with 16 sacks (only the Vikings have more).

— BONUS: D/ST Patriots (ESPN: 2%; Yahoo: 4%): New England is a premium streaming option at home against the hapless Dolphins sans Tua Tagovailoa.

— BONUS: D/ST Packers (ESPN: 28%; Yahoo: 31%): Only the Vikings have scored more fantasy points through four games than Green Bay. The Packers have forced three turnovers in every game this season, and have already produced more interceptions (eight) than they did during the entirety of last season. They are also fifth in the NFL with 13 sacks.

DROP

— QB Justin Herbert, Chargers: In his previous four seasons, Herbert had only seven games where he failed to pass for at least 200 yards, and that included his final game last year against the Broncos where he suffered a broken index finger on his throwing hand in the second quarter that sidelined him for the final four games of the season. His 179 yards against the Chiefs on Sunday were his season high. Herbert is banged up (foot and ankle), with a hobbled offensive line — What’s new? — a lesser (younger?) wide receiver group, and is now in charge of a run-first offense. He’s droppable in leagues that require only one QB.

— TE Mark Andrews, Ravens: If nothing else, including Andrews here may guarantee he goes off this week against the Bengals. If you hold on to him and he does, you’re welcome. Otherwise, it’s hard to see this getting any better. Andrews has two-or-fewer targets in three of four games, including a single target in each of the last two games. He looks healthy, so maybe he’s just not an essential part of the offense anymore. Zay Flowers replaced him last season as Lamar Jackson’s top target and Isaiah Likely is pushing him for reps/targets at his position.

— WR Gabe Davis, Jaguars: Davis has three-or-fewer receptions in every game this season and his yardage has decreased every week. He’s a boom-or-bust option at best on a weekly basis and potentially Trevor Lawrence’s fourth option once Evan Engram is healthy.

— RB Cam Akers, Texans: Akers has been fine the last two games, but he’s done nothing to fundamentally shift the backfield hierarchy once Joe Mixon returns, which is likely this week against the Bills.

— RB Carson Steele, Chiefs: Fumbling twice in three games (losing both) got the rookie benched. There’s a chance he gets more opportunities simply because the Chiefs are running out of offensive weapons, but he had fumbling issues in college as well.