The injury bug was back in full swing in Week 4 of the NFL season with a plethora of players exiting games early and in the position of missing multiple weeks. As Week 5 approaches, if you have any FAAB left, now is the time to gain players that could potentially be week winners in the coming weeks. Here are the top five players to search and add from the waiver wire heading into Week 5.
5. Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans put a beating on the Cincinnati Bengals over the weekend. Derrick Henry ran 22 times for 122 yards and a touchdown while only seeing one target in the passing game. His backup, Tyjae Spears, saw only five carries but took them for 40 yards, averaging eight yards per carry. Spears was also the featured back for the passing game, seeing four targets and catching three passes for 18 yards. He is getting to the place where he has fantasy stand-alone value.
4. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud has now had three straight games over 25 points. He was the QB10 in Week 4 demolishing the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Stroud threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. He has now thrown for two touchdowns in each of his last three games as well while finishing QB10, 13, and 12. With bye weeks on the horizon and injuries always a concern, Stroud should be a rostered backup in most leagues if not a starter over players like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.
3. Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos
Jaleel McLaughlin is probably a name that you had never heard before this week. He is rostered in 2% of leagues and hasn’t surpassed 15 yards on the ground this season. Last week, Javonte Williams went down with an injury exiting the game. McLaughlin took the reins and dominated the rest of the game. He took seven rushes for 72 yards and caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. His total 104 all-purpose yards was the most of his career. If Williams is forced to miss more time, McLaughlin would be a startable, low-end RB2.
2. Jonnu Smith, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Desmond Ridder might not be able to find Kyle Pitts on the field, but he has sure been able to locate Jonnu Smith in the last couple of weeks. Smith finished Week 4 as the TE3 in the NFL with six receptions for 95 yards averaging 15.8 yards per completion. He out-targeted Kyle Pitts and looks like the better Falcons tight end to roster through four weeks. Smith was targeted 20 times in the last three weeks with 15 receptions. He could be a sneaky plug-and-play option going forward.
1. Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers
Romeo Doubs is still somehow rostered in less than 50% of leagues throughout ESPN and Yahoo platforms. Doubs is the WR16 on the season with three games over 18 points. In just his last two games, he has been targeted by Jordan Love 25 times, catching 14 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. Doubs is proving to be one of Love’s go-to targets and should not only be added off the waiver wire but also viewed as a FLEX consideration until proven otherwise.
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