What a Week 4 and lead up to Week 5 it has been! We saw James Madison put up 70 points in a win over North Carolina. We will be seeing a new QB at the helm for the University of Las Vegas (UNLV). And Utah State is heading to the PAC-12…or whatever they are going to call themselves. With Week 5 and beyond in our sights, let’s take a look at some potential Group of Five (G5) options on your waivers. For this article, I am looking for individuals who are 30% owned or less.
G5 Waiver Options
Quarterbacks
Alonza Barnett – James Madison
Fantrax Rostership: 26%
Total Fantasy Points: 111.4
Fantasy Points Per Game: 37.1
As mentioned in the introduction, James Madison dropped 70 points on North Carolina in Week 4. Alonza Barnett had an eye-popping 71.3 fantasy points in that game! Let’s not forget, Barnett dropped a pathetic 8.25 points against Gardner Webb just 2 weeks prior. Let’s focus on the positive. We have seen flashes, and his attempts continue to rise. He had 18 in Week 1, 22 in Week 2, and 34 in Week 4. He also offers you a nice floor in the rushing department with 9 attempts in Weeks 1 and 2, and 13 in Week 4. I feel confident Barnett can net you 4 to 6 points weekly on the ground. We have more than likely seen his ceiling in 2024, but Barnett is one heck of a G5 Waiver Option!
Christian Veilleux – Georgia State
Fantrax Rostership: 3%
Total Fantasy Points: 79.2
Fantasy Points Per Game: 26.4
Christian Veilleux is averaging 38 pass attempts and completing 24 passes per contest. The opportunity is there to get you yardage points. He only has 1 turnover-worthy play in 2024. So he passes a lot, 7th most in the G5, and doesn’t turn the ball over? That is a recipe for a good G5 Waiver addition heading into Week 5. The proof is in the pudding. He has had fantasy outputs of 22.7 and 37.85 points in his last 2 outings. Please be aware his average depth of target (ADOT) is only 7.8 yards, which is mid-pack in the G5. That low ADOT is due in part to him only having 2.23 seconds to throw the ball, which is one of the worst in the G5.
Emmett Brown – San Jose State
Fantrax Rostership: 21%
Total Fantasy Points: 144.2
Fantasy Points Per Game: 36.1
Last week I mentioned Emmett Brown. If you would like to see what I had to say about Brown last week, you can read that here. Some of you listened and picked him up as we saw his rostership rise from 9% to 21%. However, he is still under the 30% threshold. He is on a bye in Week 5, but add him now! Brown is crushing it in 2024, and here are his ranks on a few metrics in the G5: 4th in pass attempts per game (39), 1st in passing yards per game (322), 1st in passing touchdowns (13), 4th in passing completions per game (24.5), and 1st in big-time throws (14). Just think, all of that could be still sitting on your waivers. After his bye week, Brown is an excellent G5 Waiver Option for the rest of the season.
Tyler Huff – Jacksonville State
Fantrax Rostership: 8%
Total Fantasy Points: 112.9
Fantasy Points Per Game: 28.2
Tyler Huff is on bye in Week 5, but he is a name to know for Week 6 and beyond. On a per-game basis he is averaging: 22 pass attempts, 220 passing yards, and 67 yards on the ground. If you need consistency at the position, Huff has had that the last 3 weeks. He has had fantasy outputs of: 30.1, 35.55, and 31.5 during those weeks. During this time he has been averaging 86 yards on the ground. Huff has a nice floor and is a solid G5 Waiver Option for the rest of the season.
Running Backs
Rahsul Faison – Utah State
Fantrax Rostership: 10%
Total Fantasy Points: 49.6
Fantasy Points Per Game: 12.4
I can’t stress this enough, but dependable running backs are hard to come by on waivers. One hot name on your waivers is Rahsul Faison. He is averaging 18 touches for 101 yards per game. His touches per game ranks 9th in the G5 and his yardage ranks 11th in the G5. He is getting the opportunities and turning them into fantasy points! Faison is heading into his bye with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games under his belt. In Week 3, he rushed the ball 19 times for 115 yards. In Week 4, he toted the rock 27 times for 148 yards and 1 touchdown. If you need help in your running back room, Rahsul Faison is a G5 Waiver Option for you. Now if you need a guy for Week 5, see my next name below.
George Pettaway – James Madison
Fantrax Rostership: 16%
Total Fantasy Points: 44.7
Fantasy Points Per Game: 14.9
If you are looking for a Week 5 running back option, look at George Pettaway. James Madison plays at home against Ball State. Ball State just allowed 335 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns to Central Michigan. Ayo Adeyi has missed some time due to injury. In his absence, Pettaway has steadily seen an increase in rushing attempts: 8, 10, 16. He has back-to-back weeks of 80+ rushing yards. He is also a non-zero in the passing game, averaging two receptions per game for 23 yards. Nothing crazy, but a nice little cherry on top. When the G5 Hive interviewed James Madison beat reporter, Shane Mattlen, he mentioned George Pettaway as his 2024 Offensive Breakout player. George Pettaway could be a nice plug-and-play for you in Week 5.
Wide Receivers
Cade McDonald – Miami (OH)
Fantrax Rostership: 26%
Total Fantasy Points: 55.2
Fantasy Points Per Game: 18.4
Like Emmett Brown, Cade McDonald was discussed in my article last week. He saw his rostership rise only 4%. Guys, what are we doing? He is averaging 6 receptions on 9 targets and 97 yards weekly! Looking at those stats compared to the rest of the G5, his targets rank 6th and his yardage ranks 5th. He is currently leading his receiving room with a 32.8% reception share and has accounted for 41.6% of the receiving yardage. His quarterback, Brett Gabbert, is averaging 35 pass attempts and 228 passing yards per game. Both of those numbers are top 20 in the G5, so I believe McDonald can keep up these numbers as the season progresses. As we head into conference play, Cade McDonald can be a big G5 Waiver Option addition.
Dean Patterson – Florida International (FIU)
Fantrax Rostership: 2%
Total Fantasy Points: 54
Fantasy Points Per Game: 13.5
Off the beaten path is Dean Patterson. He is averaging 6 targets and 3 receptions for 46 yards per game. Why would I recommend Patterson to you? Patterson was off to a slow start, but according to NBA Jams rules, he is “heating up”! He has posted back-to-back 8 target and 5 reception games for 79 and 68 yards respectively. Not to mention, he has scored in both of those games. Fantasy-wise, he has scored 18.9 points in Week 3 and 25.7 points in Week 4. What will Week 5 provide against Louisiana Tech at home? If you have the room, I suggest you stash him now and find out. He has a bye in Week 6 before a nice stretch of games against the likes of Liberty, UTEP, Sam Houston, and New Mexico State.
Tight Ends
Anthony Torres
Fantrax Rostership: 7%
Total Fantasy Points: 44.7
Fantasy Points Per Game: 11.2
I have neglected tight ends the last couple of weeks. Well, not this week! He is on a bye but go snag Anthony Torres. Torres is averaging 2 receptions on 3 targets for 26 yards. Nothing spectacular, but his touchdowns are. He has 4 on the season, which is atop the G5 for tight ends. While touchdowns are not a sticky stat, we need something to grasp for in this wasteland of tight end waivers. Torres is 3rd on the team in receptions, 4th on the team in receiving yardage, but T-1st on the team in receiving touchdowns. Toledo’s 23 RedZone attempts rank 2nd in the nation; however, their 78.3% success rate (touchdowns and field goals) leaves room for improvement. If we are able to see Toledo be more effective in the RedZone, Anthony Torres could be the beneficiary.
With Week 5 and beyond in our sights, I have done my best to dive into the G5 landscape by bringing some names to your attention. Most leagues have had their waivers run, yet these individuals are still widely available in 70% or more of leagues. If your league utilizes a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB), I bet you can get away with a small bid for any of these individuals. If you are looking for other additions, be sure to check out John Laub’s article, College Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 4 Gemstones. Or you can catch me every Monday night ~10:30 pm EST on YouTube or X as Justice and I bring you The G5 Hive Live. We break down the week that was and look forward to the week ahead.