Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 5 pickups feat. Chase Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, and more 

The fantasy football season has reached its first set of scheduled bye weeks, as the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, and Detroit Lions will be off in Week 5. With fantasy starters unavailable, the waiver wire can be an excellent tool for optimizing your fantasy lineups with players with the best matchups. At Sportskeeda, we'll review the best options for running back, wide receiver, and tight end positions to assist you with your waiver priority and FAAB allocation for Week 5.

The primary goal is to utilize your bench spots to put your team in the best possible position to maximize each week's point total. We cast a wide net of potential targets as we consider all players under a 70% ownership threshold on popular platforms like ESPN and Yahoo! Sports.

Carolina Panthers v Las Vegas Raiders - Source: Getty

Best Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire targets ranked

Top 10 Week 5 Waiver Wire Targets	Position	Team
1. Chase Brown	RB	Cincinnati Bengals
2. Dontayvion Wicks	WR	Green Bay Packers
3. Bucky Irving	RB	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Rico Dowdle	RB	Dallas Cowboys
5. Xavier Legette	WR	Carolina Panthers
6. Wan'Dale Robinson	WR	New York Giants
7. Tucker Kraft	TE	Green Bay Packers
8. Kareem Hunt	RB	Kansas City Chiefs
9. Josh Downs	WR	Indianapolis Colts
10. T.J. Hockenson	TE	Minnesota Vikings

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Top Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups

Waiver Wire Week 5 Running Backs to target

Washington Commanders v Cincinnati Bengals - Source: Getty

1] Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

ESPN 55% | Yahoo! 61% | FAAB Range 15-25%

There's no better way to restock your running back depth in fantasy football than on the waiver wire. If you need a spot start or an injury replacement in case Jonathan Taylor doesn't play, this is your week to be aggressive when waivers run in your league. Last week, we suggested veteran Zack Moss in the running back rankings and picks article due to the veteran scoring three touchdowns in the previous two weeks.

With a favorable matchup against a poor Carolina rush defense, Moss didn't have a significant day on the ground with 51 rushing yards, but he did get in the endzone like we had hoped for and finished as a solid RB2 with 17.8 fantasy points. But Chase Brown stole the show.

The second-year back broke out with 80 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, leading the Bengals in rushing for the second consecutive week. Brown finished as the RB5 overall with 23.2 fantasy points, highlighted by his two explosive runs of 10 yards or more. He showcased his big-play ability again and saw his usage increase to a season-high 40% against Carolina. Brown should find plenty of fantasy rosters this week, and this should be the top priority regardless of the position needed.

2] Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

ESPN 52% | Yahoo! 52% | FAAB Range 10-20%

We recommended Bucky Irving as a priority add last week, and the rookie back found the endzone in Week 4 for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay increased his snap count from 18 plays (32%) to 32 (42%) against Philadelphia, and what popped on the stat sheet was his usage around the goal line. Irving led the Buccaneers with five high-value rushing attempts, while starter Rachaad White didn't receive a single attempt on the goal line in Week 4.

White is still the preferred option in Tampa Bay but played a season-low 58% of the offensive snaps on Sunday. Despite 14 fewer touches on the season, Irving has more fantasy points (32.7) than White (31.8) and outgained him 203 to 115 on the ground through four games. Even if you were not planning on starting Irving on Thursday Night Football this week, you should try to stash him for future fantasy weeks.

3] Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

ESPN 43% | Yahoo! 48% | FAAB Range 5-10%

After Week 1, we speculated that Rico Dowdle would eventually take over the Dallas backfield, and he appeared as a priority in our waiver wire article for running backs. Since then, Dowdle has led the Cowboys in rushing yards each of the last three games and looks to be the preferred option over veteran back Ezekiel Elliott.

However, being the lead back in Mike McCarthy's offense isn't precisely fantasy gold. Dowdle received a season-high 11 carries last week against the New York Giants and only scored the second touchdown by a Cowboys running back all season. Dowdle out-snapped Elliott 45% to 29% for the season and had the team's only redzone carry last week. With bye weeks on the horizon, Dowdle shouldn't be floating around on the waiver wire this week.

Waiver Wire Week 5 Wide Receivers to target

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Green Bay Packers - Source: Getty

1] Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers

ESPN 10% | Yahoo! 14% | FAAB Range 10-20%

Christian Watson is hurt again. This time, the third-year receiver suffered another leg injury during last week's 31-29 loss to Minnesota. Watson could be a candidate for injured reserve this week and be kept off the field for the next four games. The speculation is that Watson suffered the dreaded high-ankle sprain after being carted off Sunday. Watson missed ten games the previous year with a nagging hamstring injury, leading to then-rookie Wicks taking on a more significant role in 2023.

Wicks finished with 39 receptions and 581 receiving yards for 100.3 fantasy points in limited playing time. Wicks is already involved in the weekly game plan this season and leads the team with three receiving touchdowns and had 13 targets last week. He shares the team lead in targets (22) with Jayden Reed and red zone receiving attempts with Reed and Tucker Kraft (4). Wicks is second in fantasy points (32.4) despite playing the third-most snaps for Packers pass catchers at 58%. Wicks played a season-high 76% of the snaps against Minnesota in Week 4 and should find plenty of fantasy rosters this week with more usage with Watson out.

2] Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers

ESPN 25% | Yahoo! 14% | FAAB Range 5-10%

Veteran Adam Thielen was placed on the injured reserve last week, which led to speculation about rookie Xavier Legette's increased role in the Carolina offense. Legette played a team-leading 87% of the snaps on Sunday and scored the first touchdown of his professional career against Cincinnati. The rookie jumped from three targets in Week 3 to second on the team with 10 in Week 4.

With veteran Andy Dalton giving the Dave Canales offense more stability, Legette could have some fantasy appeal as the secondary option behind Diontae Johnson. Carolina is transitioning under Canales' first year, which should give the rookie opportunities for growth and playing time in a non-competitive season.

3] Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants

ESPN 27% | Yahoo! 26% | FAAB Range 5-10%

Malik Nabers is stealing the headlines in the Big Apple, but Wan'Dale Robinson is taking his fair share of the pie. Robinson has already caught 26 balls this season and is second on the team with 38 targets - including 14 in a Week 4 loss to Dallas. The third-year receiver is only behind Nabers (74.1) and Devin Singletary (42.3) in fantasy points on the Giants with 39.8 despite playing fewer snaps than Darius Slayton this season.

Slayton is second in snaps for New York pass catchers at 81% but has 23 fewer targets than Robinson, who had only played 64% of the snaps. Head coach Brian Daboll has utilized Robinson's athleticism in goal-line situations as he had more red zone receiving attempts (7) than Nabers (6). Robinson should be on the radar this week when waivers run — especially in PPR leagues.

Waiver Wire Week 5 Tight Ends to target

Indianapolis Colts v Green Bay Packers - Source: Getty

1] Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

ESPN 5% | Yahoo! 4% | FAAB Range 5-10%

With Sam LaPorta and Dallas Goedert off the board next week, many fantasy managers will be trying to stream and there could be a starter in Tucker Kraft. The second-year tight end distanced himself from projected starter Luke Musgrave last week by playing in 86% of the snaps to Musgrave's 33% against Minnesota. As mentioned above, Kraft shares the team lead in red zone receiving attempts on the season (4) with Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed. Kraft has 17 targets to Musgrave's seven on the season and 12 receptions for 130 receiving yards and 23 fantasy points.

Musgrave has only five receptions for 22 yards and 4.7 fantasy points through four games, and his snap count fell from 56% in Week 3 to 33% in Week 4. With Christian Watson out with an ankle injury, Kraft could have a more significant role in the Green Bay offense, and there's not a better add at the position heading into Week 5.

2] T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

ESPN 68% | Yahoo! 52% | FAAB Range 4-7%

Sam Darnold is off to the best start of his career and could be getting back a valuable weapon in T.J. Hockenson. The two-time Pro Bowl tight end is working his way back from ACL and MCL tears in his knee just nine months ago. Hockenson can return to practice this week as the Vikings placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list in August. Hockenson's timeline is unclear but worth stashing for when he returns to the field for an unbeaten Minnesota team.