We asked our writers to name their top waiver-wire targets at running back and wide receiver entering Week 5 of the 2018 fantasy football season. Here’s what they said.
All players are owned in 30% or less of Yahoo leagues.
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Who’s your top running back pickup of the week?
Nyheim Hines (IND)
With four or five carries in each game, Hines isn’t doing much as a ball carrier but he has become a useful weapon in the passing game, Hines entered Week Four as the No. 35-scoring running back in PPR leagues then caught nine-of-11 targets for 63 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Texans. PPR leaguers can view Hines as a Theo Riddick or Duke Johnson type of player who can certainly be a useful source of receptions out of the flex spot or as a bye week fill-in.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
I don’t want anything to do with the Colts running game. But I am very interested in their passing game with Andrew Luck at the controls. Nyheim Hines is a non-factor in the Colts non-productive running back by committee system but he is a weapon catching the ball. With T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle questionable to play Thursday, Hines could become even more valuable after his 9-63-2 stat line in Week 4. So far in four weeks, he has caught 22 of his 26 balls out of the backfield. The Colts also have four upcoming games that are against average to below-average defenses (Patriots, Jets, Bills, Raiders).
Jamy Bechler – @WinningDFS101
The Colt cannot run the ball. Frank Reich has realized this and Nyheim Hines is the beneficiary. Hines is seeing plenty of targets in a Colts attack that focuses on the short passing game. He brought in 9-of-11 targets for 63 yards and a pair of scores against the Texans Sunday. Look for more of the same as the Indianapolis offensive line struggles badly to open up holes in the running game and presumed preseason starter Marlon Mack cannot stay healthy.
Justin Mackey
Sorry, I know this is going to be redundant, but it’s got to be Hines – especially in PPR leagues. None of the Colts three backs – Hines, Jordan Wilkins, and Marlon Mack – are averaging more than 3.6 yards per carry or 34 yards per game. But Hines showed this week he can be a major factor in the passing game. He hauled in nine of his 11 targets for 63 yards and touchdowns against the Texans and is now third on the team in targets behind T.Y. Hilton and Eric Ebron. Now, Andrew Luck likely won’t throw for 63 times in one game again, but it’s intriguing to see how much Hines was involved in the passing game, especially without Hilton on the field.
Jon Munshaw – @jon_munshaw
Let’s start by saying the Colts aren’t going to run 90 plays in many more games ending in overtime’s closing seconds. Nyheim Hines benefited from an inflated snap count (62), but he still saw the field far more often than Jordan Wilkins (31) with the Colts playing catch-up. He made the most of those opportunities by catching nine of 11 targets for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Hines leads the team in catches (21), and the opportunities should keep coming with the running game and defense faltering. Thursday night’s tilt at New England could present the perfect game script for Andrew Luck to look his way in a pass-heavy effort, so Hines especially needs to be accounted for in PPR leagues.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
Ronald Jones (TB)
I know, I know. Jones did next to nothing on Sunday as the Bucs were hammered by the Bears — his most notable play was a dropped screen pass in the red zone. But this is a second-round pick with explosive burst who stands a good chance to come out of the bye week as the Bucs’ starting running back. Peyton Barber has had four games to prove he deserves the job, and he’s averaged 3.0 yards per carry. I can’t promise that Jones will be better, but at least the potential is there. Tampa Bay didn’t have much incentive to bench Barber when they were winning football games, but after two straight losses that should change. They’ve already decided to go back to Jameis Winston at quarterback, and giving their rookie RB an extended look should be next. This offense has the potential to be not awful and starting running backs don’t grow on trees, so forward-thinking fantasy owners should stash Jones on their benches now.
Andrew Seifter – @andrew_seifter
Nick Chubb (CLE)
34.3 yards per carry and two touchdowns — what’s not to like? Ok, that efficiency might be unsustainable, but Chubb’s three carries on Sunday showed why some considered him the best running back in the draft. He doesn’t have an immediate opportunity, as Hyde is firmly entrenched as the bell-cow, but he offers massive upside if Hyde goes down. Given Hyde’s injury history, running style, and heavy workload, that’s a decent gamble. Nyheim Hines offers more immediate help if that’s what you’re looking for, but pass-catching backs tend to offer limited upside. On most of my rosters, I’d prefer Chubb’s RB1 potential.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
Jalen Richard (OAK)
When we think of the Oakland backfield Marshawn Lynch appears to be the team’s two-down back with a sprinkle of Doug Martin. However, the back that is getting almost all of the attention on third down is 4% owned Jalen Richard. In two out of three games Richard has averaged 14 fantasy points. Sure, he is very much dependent on Oakland trailing in games but if they are then he will be utilized heavily. The good news is in case you didn’t know, Oakland is not a very good team and will find themselves trailing a lot in 2018. Richard has 15 receptions already. He’s also quite an easy player to plug into your lineup. If he’s against a superior team then put him in your flex and if he’s facing an inferior opposition then bench him. He has also been known to rip off the odd splash play – something he has not done yet. Think of him as a discounted Chris Thompson. He’s ready to have a breakout game to help you win your week.
Marc Mathyk – @Masterjune70
Who’s your top wide receiver pickup of the week?
Christian Kirk (ARI)
Christian Kirk is only 11% owned despite the fact that each week he has only shown improvement and more usage. Last week he had eight targets, seven receptions for 90 yards. Although he is on arguably the league’s worst offense, now that Josh Rosen is under center, Kirk’s stock should rise as well as his fantasy points. He’s young and dynamic and already looks to be the number one receiving target on the team that includes Larry Fitzgerald. Fitz is starting to show his age now appearing to be on the injury report. Although Kirk was supposed to be Fitz’s replacement in the slot, Kirk has demonstrated that he isn’t a one-trick pony and is more versatile than most people thought. Don’t be surprised if this rookie finds the end zone this week and continues to dominate with a better quarterback behind the helm.
Marc Mathyk – @Masterjune70
Dede Westbrook (JAC)
The Jaguars are doing a good job moving Westbrook all around the field. He’s almost evenly split his snaps between both outside receiver spots and the slot. This allows Westbrook to take advantage of mismatches as shown in Week Four as he led Jacksonville in targets (13), catches (9), and yards (130.) Jacksonville travels to Kansas City in Week Five, which offers up an excellent matchup for Westbrook to have another solid week.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Westbrook has now surpassed 80 yards in two of his past three games and just led Jacksonville in targets in Week 4 against the Jets. The second-year player now leads the Jaguars in targets (28), receptions (21), and yards (294). Unfortunately, that success has been marred by two down performances in Weeks 1 and 3 when he caught a combined eight passes for 82 yards, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be rostered at this point. And with an easy matchup coming next week against the Chiefs, Westbrook definitely considers flex consideration in most leagues.
Jon Munshaw – @jon_munshaw
I was going to highlight Taywan Taylor to change up the responses, but Dede Westbrook is just 17-percent owned after turning 13 targets into nine catches and 130 yards. He now leads the Jaguars in receptions (21), targets (28), and receiving yards (294) while registering 193 yards after the catch and six plays of 20-plus yards. A mouth-watering Week 5 matchup against Kansas City makes him a priority add for anyone needing a bye-week replacement.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
Keke Coutee (HOU)
In the first game of his career (after sitting out the first three games with a hamstring injury), he caught 11 of his 15 targets for 109 yards. Yes, he got more looks because Will Fuller left with an injury on the first drive of the second half, but he was a highly regarded rookie out of Texas Tech. He had 93 receptions for 1,429 yards, and 10 TDs last year in college. Houston’s defense is struggling and Lamar Miller has been a non-factor so there is plenty of opportunity for a third receiver in the slot for this explosive, pass-oriented offense moving forward.
Jamy Bechler – @WinningDFS101
The talented Texans rookie finally saw the field Sunday and torched the Colts for 11 catches and 109 yards following Will Fuller‘s early exit due to injury. With Fuller’s lingering injury issues, the door could be open to increased volume for Coutee in a Texans offense that has struggled to run the ball this season. Even with a healthy DeAndre Hopkins and Fuller, Coutee has the chops to be a productive third option for Houston.
Justin Mackey
Coutee runs fast (4.43 40-yard dash) and Deshaun Watson throws far (28 attempts of 20+ yards, most in the league). Sometimes these things aren’t complicated. DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller will get fed first, of course, but the Texans have a narrow passing tree — Coutee is already third on the team in targets despite making his debut on Sunday. Bonus points for the oft-injured Will Fuller leaving Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, giving Coutee an immediate path to targets.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
Taywan Taylor (TEN)
I’m fully on board with both Keke and Dede as pickups this week, but when push comes to shove my pick is Taywan. Last week was a big one for the 2017 third round pick out of Western Kentucky. Veteran Titans number two receiver Rishard Matthews requested — and was granted — his release, freeing up targets for Taylor. Then Marcus Mariota, who has been suffering through an elbow injury that made even gripping a football difficult, finally looked healthy enough to get this offense moving. Corey Davis was obviously the star of last Sunday’s game for Tennessee, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that Mariota also hooked up with Taylor seven times for 77 yards. Taylor has all kinds of natural ability, and now he’ll have a real chance to show what he can do. Remember, this is now an offense run by Kyle Shanahan protege Matt LaFleur, who oversaw the highest-scoring offense in the league last season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. With Mariota healthy and LaFleur’s offense on the rise, Taylor could quickly emerge as an every-week WR3.
Andrew Seifter – @andrew_seifter
So there you have it, the top WRs and RBs our writers are targeting on the waiver wire the week. Have any other questions? Let us know @FantasyPros.
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