Week 5 is nearly complete with only the Monday Night Football contest yet to be played. Week 6 is the first week with four teams on bye, so the depth of your fantasy team could be tested. It is crucial to maintain a balance of upside and weekly reliability on your bench.
This week's suggested waiver wire targets primarily feature players who can help managers now, along with a few players who could have league-winning upside down the line. There are options on the waiver wire across all positions this week. Only two suggested players here are owned in more than 30% of Yahoo leagues. As a whole, the 10 waiver wire add suggestions are a widely available group. Let's dig in.
Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Yahoo Ownership: 2%
Chase Edmonds had a season-high in rushing attempts, rushing yards, targets, and receiving yards in Week 5. After the game, coach Kliff Kingsbury admitted that David Johnson's "back was acting up sometime in the first half." If this is a lingering issue, it is possible we see Edmonds take some of the work from Johnson in the fastest-paced offense in the league. The second-year back has actually been the most efficient back on the team, with a better success rate and Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) than David Johnson so far this season. Edmonds has deeper flex appeal and league-winning upside if anything were to happen to David Johnson. He is one of the better handcuffs in fantasy football.
Chris Herndon, TE, New York Jets
Yahoo Ownership: 29%
Chris Herndon's four-game suspension is officially up as the second-year tight end will return to action in Week 6. Early reports suggest Sam Darnold will also be returning for the Jets in Week 6. Herndon finished the season strong last year with at least six targets in three of his last six games. For reference, prior to Monday Night Football only seven tight ends had six or more targets in Week 5. Only two tight ends have finished with over 500 receiving yards, 4+ touchdowns, and more than 8.9 yards per target in their rookie season -- those two are Rob Gronkowski and Chris Herndon. The tight end position, as usual, is an absolute dumpster fire. Herndon will be in the TE1 conversation moving forward based on upside alone. He should be rostered in all formats.
Gerald Everett, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Yahoo Ownership: 8%
If Herndon is already on a roster in your league, Gerald Everett is a good second option this week. Everett set career highs in targets (11) and receiving yards (136) in Week 5. The 25-year-old has been a much bigger part of the offense so far this season, playing over 50 snaps in each of the past four weeks. With 19 targets in the last two games, Everett is a must-add for teams desperate for a tight end.
Ito Smith, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Yahoo Ownership: 14%
Ito Smith finished with more than 10 PPR fantasy points for the second straight week in Week 5. After seeing only three offensive snaps in week 3, Smith handled a healthy 37.5% of the running back snaps in week 4 and 47% in Week 5. Smith has established a red zone role for himself in this Atlanta Falcons offense. He has the same amount of touches (eight) in the red zone as starter Devonta Freeman through 5 weeks. Smith has a low floor each week as long as Freeman stays healthy, but still has a large enough role in the offense to provide flex appeal. Smith is one of the better handcuffs in fantasy football and is worth a pickup if you need help at the running back position.
Gardner Minshew, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Yahoo Ownership: 23%
Minshew madness came to a halt against the Panthers in Week 5 with the Jacksonville Jaguars ending their 2-game win streak. That is not to say Minshew had a bad fantasy day, though. Despite losing the game, Minshew threw for a career high 374 passing yards against a Carolina Panthers defense that ranked as the fourth-best passing defense in the league according to our power rankings -- which adjust for strength of opponent. The Panthers have gone up against the following quarterbacks so far this season: Jared Goff, Jameis Winston, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson, and Gardner Minshew. No other quarterback surpassed 225 passing yards against the Panthers secondary. The legend of Gardner Minshew continues.
Minshew finished as a top-10 QB in Week 5 and will have top-10 upside once again in Week 6 against the Saints at home. The Saints secondary has struggled at times this season and has a middle of the pack passing defense according to our power rankings. Fire Minshew up as a top 15 QB option in Week 5 with the potential to be a weekly starter in fantasy football moving forward.
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, New Orleans Saints
Yahoo Ownership: 9%
Teddy Bridgewater finished as a top-five quarterback in Week 5 (pending Monday Night Football) and has another decent matchup in Week 6. Bridgewater offers nice upside as a player you can stream for Week 6, with Drew Brees likely missing at least one more week with a thumb injury. Bridgewater set a career-high in passing yards (314) along with 4 touchdowns in Week 5 against a Buccaneers defense that ranked in the top half of the league against the pass according to our power rankings. Bridgewater and the Saints travel to Jacksonville next week, where Bridgewater will be a great streaming option if Jalen Ramsey remains sidelined. If your starting quarterback is on bye or injured in Week 6, Bridgewater is a great streaming option.
Reggie Bonnafon, RB, Carolina Panthers
Yahoo Ownership: 19%
Christian McCaffrey has been the best running back in fantasy football across all formats so far this season. He has the most rushing attempts (105) and the second most targets (41) of any running back through the first five weeks of the season. Reggie Bonnafon was the back who stepped in with McCaffrey on the sideline with cramps late in the fourth quarter. Bonnafon took advantage of his opportunities, rushing 5 times for 80 yards and a touchdown. It is possible we see the Panthers try and scale back McCaffrey's workload after he cramped up in Week 5. Bonnafon is worth a speculative add if you have room at the end of your bench as one of the higher upside handcuffs in fantasy football.
Mohamed Sanu, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Yahoo Ownership: 41%
Mohamed Sanu has five or more catches in every game so far this season. He has been a consistent flex option so far, failing to surpass 10 PPR points just once through the first five weeks of the season. Sanu gets a nice matchup against the Arizona Cardinals who rank in the bottom half of the league against the pass according to our power rankings. Sanu has weekly flex appeal with WR2 upside on a Falcons offense that has thrown for the second-most passing yards in the league so far this season. Sanu should be rostered in 100% of leagues.
Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yahoo Ownership: 34%
Diontae Johnson had his third straight week with at least six targets in Week 5. While he failed to do much with his opportunities this week against the Ravens, he has now led the Pittsburgh Steelers in targets for two weeks in a row. The Steelers offense is certainly less promising without Mason Rudolph as their quarterback, but Johnson is still worth an add based on volume alone. The Steelers travel to play the Chargers bottom-five secondary in Week 6 on Sunday Night Football with Devlin Hodges as their starting quarterback. If the Steelers are forced to play from behind in that game we could see Johnson have another usable fantasy week. Johnson should have flex appeal in Week 6, and for the rest of the season, if he continues to see this type of volume.
Washington Redskins D/ST
Yahoo Ownership: 3%
The Washington Redskins defense has not been great so far this season. They are ranked as a bottom-10 defense in the league according to our power rankings. Even still, they are a top streaming option in Week 6 with a matchup against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have given up the most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses with at least one turnover in every game so far this season. Available in almost all leagues, Washington will should be one of the most popular adds of the week.