Here we are. Bye weeks have descended on us like a plague. We are now missing some big names this week like Amon-Ra St Brown and Jameson Williams as well as DeAndre Hopkins. There are other names like Ladd McKonkey, Quentin Johnston, and Calvin Ridley who will be out this week. This is all on top of all the injuries we have already seen. It’s a good thing in the long run because players like A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith get another week to get healthy. It’s a bad thing for fantasy managers who are now looking to fill even more holes in their fantasy rosters. We are here with the Week 5 wide receiver streamers and sleepers.
Week 5 Wide Receiver Sleepers and Streamers
Streamers
Michael Pittman- Indianapolis Colts
It’s a shock to me that Michael Pittman is on this list and has had such a weak season so far. Pittman has yet to score a touchdown. Week 4 was the first time he surpassed 50 yards let alone 100 yards. Now was that because Joe Flacco replaced Anthony Richardson who suffered a hip pointer injury? That remains to be seen. We could see as early as this week. Early reports are that Richardson shouldn’t miss time. So does Richardson being back under center and at the helm help or hinder Pittman?
We might get another big week from Pittman based on the matchup. The Jacksonville Jaguars are giving up the fourth most points to the wide receiver position. Their best corner, Montaric Brown rates as the 42nd best cover corner by PFF.com. That means there are 10 more cornerbacks than there are teams better than Brown. That’s a good sign for Pittman this week, even if it is Richardson throwing the ball.
Pittman is still playing on a ton of snaps and is the top target-getter for the Colts. He might not be the wide receiver one that you drafted him to be but as a solid wide receiver streamer, Pittman should do well against a weak Jaguars secondary.
Xavier Legette- Carolina Panthers
If you look back last week I wrote about how Dionte Johnson was a good wide receiver streamer. We liked what Andy Dalton brought to the Panthers offense. We liked the snaps and targets Dionte Johnson and while those are still true we saw a shift this week for rookie Xavier Legette. With veteran Adam Thielen missing time Legette has stepped up.
Before Week 4 Legette was playing under 60% of the team’s snaps. In Week 4 it jumped to 87%. What is also exciting was that the percentage of routes run out wide versus the slot increased from below 60% to closer to 65%. I expect that trend to continue
The matchup in Week 5 sends the Panthers to Chicago to face the Bears. With Dionte Johnson on the field, He will be drawing top coverage. On the Bears that is Jaylon Johnson who PFF.com rates as the 8th best cover corner. This leaves Legette to be covered by Tyrique Stevenson who is rated as 55th best cover corner by PFF.com. It’s a good matchup for a rookie who the team is trusting with more opportunities and who is developing into a solid weapon for Andy Dalton and the offense.
Jerry Jeudy- Cleveland Browns
Are the Cleveland Browns a good team? No, not at all. Does that mean they can’t produce solid fantasy football options? No of course not. One of those options right now is Jerry Jeudy. What we have seen this year from Jeudy is a player who is playing at least 80% of the team’s snaps. He has also seen at least six targets each week and nine this past Sunday. We know Jeudy has the skills to be a solid fantasy football asset and despite being on a bad team he is still doing that.
Week 5 takes the Browns to the Washington Commanders. A team that is beating out expectations this season. A team that has scored over 20 points every week and the past two have scored 40 on average. It’s a great sign from a game script standpoint. If the Commanders get a lead or keep the game competitive then passing will be a bigger part of the game plan. Jeudy will continue to see solid opportunity numbers and will be a viable wide receiver streamer in Week 5.
Sleepers
Dontayvion Wicks- Green Bay Packers
Injuries suck. We saw Packers wide receiver Christian Watson suffer an ankle injury in Week 4. This opened the door for Dontayvion Wicks to see an increase in his playing time. Wicks in Week 4 says his snap percentage went from around 47% to 76%. Wicks is the next man up for Watson. He plays a similar role to Watson. A role where they are on the outside on two wide receiver sets but can also move into the slot on three wide receiver sets.
Week 5 is against the Los Angeles Rams who have a week secondary. They don’t have the depth or top-end skill, especially at the safety help that would contain the deep threat like Wicks. We saw Wicks get 12 targets in Week 4. It was Jordan Love’s first week back after missing two games. They also didn’t have time to game plan for Wicks. With a week’s worth of practice, I believe that Wicks will be a solid part of the game plan moving forward.
Xavier Worthy- Kansas City Chiefs
We all know that Xavier Worthy is fast. We know he has one of the best quarterbacks in the league throwing him the ball. The question has always been “What will his role in the offense be”? We have seen bits and pieces of it so fat through four weeks. We have seen him on jet sweeps and wide receiver screens. We have seen glimpses of the deep ball that made Mahomes and Tyreek Hill so popular. We now get to see what Worthy can fully be in the KC offense.
Star wide receiver Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury in Week 4. While the extent of it is yet to be known, early reports suggest it is season-ending. Worthy scored which he hasn’t done since Week 1 and his snap share was the largest it’s been, eclipsing 70% for the first time. The snaps, targets, and void at the top of the pecking order are all things that Worthy can step into. When any play can be taken 80 yards for a score because you can outrun everyone on the defense then the more he gets the ball the more we will see it. Worthy is probably on someone’s bench but I’m acquiring him wherever I can.
Mack Hollins- Buffalo Bills
We all had questions about who would be the leader of the Bills passing offense. So many people thought Keon Coleman or Dalton Kincaid or Khalil Shakir or Curtis Samuel would be the guy. And while all but Samuel have been solid options this week if you are looking for a wide receiver sleeper I’m willing to go barefoot and start Mack Hollins.
I know he hasn’t really produced unless he has a touchdown but the opportunities are opening up for him. We saw him see six targets in the Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. A game where the Bills were behind on the scoreboard all game. The same could happen this week against the Houston Texans. A team that is capable of scoring at any point in time. A team that can score quickly. Mack Hollins is developing into a big wide receiver that can physically dominate cornerbacks. At 6’4 he is the model of what Keon Coleman can turn into in terms of how to use his size. I like the opportunities that Hollins is seeing and will continue to see when the Bills get behind on the scoreboard. Given the Texans are bottom ten in terms of giving up points to the wide receiver position Hollins could have a surprising week.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 5 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!