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2020 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire – Replacing Ekeler & Chubb

By Corbin Young
Tee Higgins Week 1 Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers

A couple of significant running backs suffered injuries in Week 4 in Austin Ekeler and Nick Chubb. Since Kareem Hunt and Joshua Kelley are unavailable, we’ll look at other Browns and Chargers running backs to pick up. Thus, here’s the 2020 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire to identify the top players to add this week. There are a few notable running backs on the Chargers and Browns backfield to target, and a Patriots running back. The rookie wide receivers mentioned last week all performed relatively well in Week 4. Outside of those key players above, we’ll include a few deep-league players to monitor. Let’s dive into the 2020 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire.

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2020 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

Justin Herbert put up another quality performance going 20-for-25 for 290 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He also led the Chargers in rushing yards with five carries for 14 yards since they faced a tough Buccaneers run defense. Austin Ekeler also suffered an injury, and Herbert connected on a few deep passes. Two of his three passing touchdowns came on two long passes of 72 yards and 53 yards. If you need a quarterback in a 1-QB league, then Herbert is worth a 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire pickup. 

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater totaled three touchdowns on Sunday with two through the air and one via the ground game. He passed for 276 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one interception, and also added 32 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He’s a streaming option for next week since they face the Falcons on a short week.

Running Backs – 2020 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Recently activated off of injured reserve, Damien Harris took advantage of the opportunity on Monday night with 17 carries for 100 rushing yards. He led the Patriots in carries and rushing yards with Rex Burkhead close behind with 11 carries for 45 rushing yards. The Patriots placed Sony Michel on injured reserve, and Harris looked great in Week 4. However, expect the Patriots to continue to mix and match with Burkhead, Harris, and James White. Fantasy managers waited for this type of production from Harris, so let’s hope it continues moving forward.

Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Unfortunately, Austin Ekeler suffered a significant hamstring injury. According to Adam Schefter, Ekeler expects to miss multiple weeks due to this injury. If Joshua Kelley’s somehow available, then he’s the top waiver-wire pickup. However, in most leagues, Justin Jackson is hanging on the waiver wire. Since the Chargers tend to use multiple running backs, Jackson is one of the top 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire pickups. I listed Jackson as an honorable mention breakout running back but missed on Kelley’s high involvement to start the season.

D’Ernest Johnson & Dontrell Hilliard, RB, Cleveland Browns

Nick Chubb suffered a knee injury on Sunday that will sideline him for multiple weeks. On Sunday, the Browns ran all over the Cowboys totaling over 300 rushing yards. Kareem Hunt received the bulk of the workload, but D’Ernest Johnson led the Browns in rushing since they led for most of the game. Johnson finished with 13 carries for 95 rushing yards, and his teammate Dontrell Hilliard also sprinkled in five carries for 19 rushing yards. Johnson is the priority add with Hilliard ranking as a deep league pickup.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With Leonard Fournette ruled out, rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn stepped up, but that occurred after veteran LeSean McCoy suffered an ankle injury. Vaughn finished with three carries for four rushing yards and three targets for two catches, 22 receiving yards, and a touchdown. He’s a name to monitor as a speculative pickup if Fournette’s injury lingers on into the remainder of the season.

J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington Football Team

In the 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire article, J.D. McKissic ranks as a deep league pickup in PPR leagues. McKissic caught seven of eight targets for 40 receiving yards and rushed for six yards. Through three weeks, McKissic logged a 49.5% snap share (No. 28) and projects to share the backfield with Antonio Gibson, who exploded in Week 4.

Wide Receivers – 2020 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

We already mentioned Justin Jefferson last week as a Week 4 waiver wire pickup, and thus add him immediately if he’s hanging around on waivers. Jefferson caught four of five targets for 103 receiving yards. With the way the Vikings continue to run the ball, Adam Thielen and Jefferson could continue their efficiency. 

Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Similar to Jefferson, put a claim in immediately for Tee Higgins. He finished second on the team in targets and receiving yards behind Tyler Boyd. Higgins caught four of seven targets for 77 receiving yards. With A.J. Green struggling, Higgins ranks as a must-add wide receiver in the 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire. 

Scotty Miller, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With Chris Godwin out, Scotty Miller stepped up against the Chargers with seven targets, five receptions, 83 receiving yards, and one touchdown. Mike Evans also left the game with an injury and then returned. O.J. Howard also suffered an Achilles injury, meaning Miller’s target share should increase moving forward until Godwin returns. In the 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire, prioritize the rookies above, but Miller falls in that WR4 radar in PPR leagues.

Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

Let’s keep it going with the rookie trend here since Laviska Shenault finished Sunday’s game second on the team in targets and receiving yards. Shenault earned six targets for five receptions and 86 receiving yards. I ordered the rookies on this list in terms of the way I would prioritize them on waivers if they were available. 

Emmanuel Sanders & Tre’Quan Smith, WR, New Orleans Saints

With Michael Thomas and Jared Cook ruled out in a juicy matchup against the Lions, both Emmanuel Sanders and Tre’Quan Smith finished with good performances. Sanders finished with nine targets for six receptions and 93 receiving yards.

Meanwhile, Smith caught both of Drew Brees’ touchdowns and hauled in all four targets for 54 receiving yards. Before this game, Smith looked like the better option with 13 targets, nine receptions, and 128 receiving yards in Week 2 and 3. On the flip side in Week 2 and 3, Sanders logged eight targets for five catches and 74 receiving yards.

Cole Beasley, WR, Buffalo Bills

Although the target volume dropped in Week 4, Cole Beasley averaged over 6.5 targets per game through three weeks with 15 total receptions and 228 receiving yards. In Week 4, Beasley earned four targets for three catches, 32 receiving yards, and one touchdown.

Damiere Byrd, WR, New England Patriots

With Cam Newton ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19, the pair of Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer shared duties. Damiere Byrd ended up leading the Patriots receivers and caught five out of ten targets for 80 receiving yards. In two out of three games when the Patriots trailed, Byrd earned 19 targets, 11 catches, and 152 receiving yards. He’s a name to monitor in deeper leagues.

Greg Ward, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Greg Ward led the Eagles in targets on Sunday yet only caught four of seven targets for 38 receiving yards. Through three weeks, Ward logged a 15% target share (No. 61) but totaled 11 and seven targets in two out of the three weeks. A deep league-wide receiver to monitor and pickup with the depleted Eagles wide receivers.

Tim Patrick, WR, Denver Broncos

More of a deep league candidate, but Tim Patrick caught a touchdown pass in back-to-back games. On Thursday night, Patrick caught six of seven targets for 113 receiving yards and one touchdown. In 16-team leagues or larger, Patrick is worth a 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire pickup. 

Streaming Tight Ends

Robert Tonyan, TE, Green Bay Packers

Another efficient night for Aaron Rodgers, where he threw three touchdown passes to Robert Tonyan. Through three, he caught all five targets for 78 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His targets hovered in the 3-5 range each game, and Tonyan caught a touchdown in three consecutive weeks. This one pains me to write as someone who lost a matchup due to Tonyan’s massive performance. John Paulsen of 4for4 even calls him “Baby Kittle.”

Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Although the Week 4 line doesn’t look great with two targets for a 13-yard touchdown reception, the Colts defense held the Bears in check, and Philip Rivers struggled. A couple of concerns include his target share, snap share, and routes run with Jack Doyle, and now Trey Burton back. However, he’s an upside tight end pick up in the 2020 fantasy football Week 5 waiver wire. 

Drew Sample, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

After a down Week 3 where Drew Sample totaled one target, one reception, and one yard, he received five targets for three receptions and 47 receiving yards. Sample falls into the streaming tight end category where you’re hoping for 3-4 catches for around 40 receiving yards. Not a ton of upside, but worth mentioning as a tight end pick up in deeper leagues. 

For more help in identifying this week’s top pickups, check out Peter Chung’s Week 5 FAAB Guide.

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