Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups: Best Fantasy Sleepers to Target After Box Score Review

The first game of Week 5 is in the books, and while that doesn’t tell us anything about what’s to come this weekend, looking back on Week 4 can.

A few players stood out from last week who could be fantasy-relevant moving forward and who just might be available on the waiver wire. That’s noteworthy, because injuries are still a problem in fantasy and bye weeks have begun.

The Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans will be off in Week 5.

With all of this in mind, let’s examine some late-week wire targets to consider.

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

With Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert on bye this week, few viable fantasy quarterbacks are available. There’s a chance, though, that Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller Trevor Lawrence is unclaimed in your league.

Lawrence is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues and only 33 percent of ESPN leagues.

While Lawrence has not been a good fantasy option this year, he did show signs of progress against the Houston Texans in Week 4. He only threw for 169 yards, but he found the end zone twice and didn’t turn the ball over.

This week, Jacksonville will host the rival Indianapolis Colts. It’s an opponent he knows well and a team that has struggled to corral opposing quarterbacks this season.

Only the Jaguars and Washington Commanders have allowed more fantasy points to the position in 2024.

Las Vegas Raiders running back Alexander Mattison only logged five carries in Week 4, but he rushed for 60 yards against the Cleveland Browns. While those numbers might suggest a true boom-or-bust option, the film says otherwise.

Mattison was noticeably more explosive and effective than starter Zamir White and is now a legitimate threat to take over the starting role.

“He’s deserved more reps,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce told reporters, “and he’ll get ’em.”

Las Vegas will be up against a very good Denver Broncos defense in Week 5, but Mattison will have opportunities to earn fantasy points. The Broncos have allowed the 1th-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs, which makes them a middling matchup—not an awful one.

Mattison is only rostered in 37 percent of Yahoo leagues and 29 percent of ESPN leagues.

Based purely on the box score, Green Bay Packers wideout Dontayvion Wicks is a must-add for Week 5. The second-year receiver caught five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.

However, Wicks’ value goes beyond the box score alone. He got an opportunity because of Christian Watson’s ankle injury, and Watson is not expected to face the Los Angeles Rams this week because of it.

And the couple of times Wicks saw extensive playing time last season, he shined. He caught six passes for 97 yards in Week 14 and had six catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns in Week 17.

Quarterback Jordan Love is back for Green Bay, and Wicks has a favorable matchup against the Rams, who have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers. Wicks is rostered in 54 percent of Yahoo leagues and 38 percent of ESPN leagues.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie tight end Erick All Jr. is an intriguing option for a week that won’t have Sam LaPorta or Dallas Goedert available.

All is in a tight-end committee with Mike Gesicki, but Cincinnati may already be favoring the rookie. All has caught four passes in each of the last four games, and while his yardage totals have been low (27 per game over the last three weeks), his PPR floor is solid.

There’s some potential upside with All this week too. The Bengals are set to host the Baltimore Ravens, who have a good defense but one that has struggled against opposing tight ends.

Only the Kansas City Chiefs have allowed more fantasy points to the position this season.

While All probably won’t be a top-10 scorer this week, he’s worth starting in a pinch and should be available. The Iowa product is rostered in only two percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.