Fantasy football injuries can wreck even the best Fantasy football strategy, leaving owners scrambling to find replacements with Fantasy football waiver wire claims. Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3 and was placed on the IR, giving teammate Xavier Legette an opportunity to make more of an impact last week. He took full advantage, catching six of 10 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown, finishing with nearly 20 Fantasy points. Carolina's offense has improved following the quarterback change from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton, making Legette a player to think about with Week 5 Fantasy football free-agency picks.
Injuries sustained during the preseason can also leave some players left out of Fantasy football lineups, and Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has been a prime example this season. He did not make his regular-season debut until Week 3, but he scored 22.2 Fantasy points against the Steelers last week and is available in most Fantasy football leagues. So before making any Week 5 Fantasy football waiver wire claims, be sure to see what SportsLine Fantasy football expert R.J. White has to say.
White has dominated NFL picks for years, but he got his start in sports media as a Fantasy baseball and football analyst. He finished No. 1 among all experts for his draft rankings the first year FantasyPros tracked MLB expert accuracy on their site. White has continued to excel at season-long and dynasty Fantasy baseball and football formats.
Now, he's revealed his top waiver wire picks from among the widely available Fantasy football free agents entering Week 5. You can see his top Fantasy NFL waiver wire picks and full analysis over at SportsLine.
Top Fantasy football waiver wire picks for Week 5
One player White is advising Fantasy players to target on the Week 5 waiver wire: Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. Despite scoring just 10.5 Fantasy points last week, Hunt led Kansas City's backfield with 16 touches. The Chiefs are having to fill a void left by Isiah Pacheco's leg injury, and rookie Carson Steele no longer appears to be the primary replacement option.
Steele lost a fumble early in last week's game and did not play another snap, giving Hunt the bulk of the carries in his first game of the campaign. The Chiefs have one of the league's best offenses, so Hunt has a higher ceiling than just about anyone on the waiver wire this week. White notes that Hunt's owners will have to worry about the potential return of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but the eight-year running back is still worth picking up this week.
White is also strongly recommending Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks. The 23-year-old commanded just nine total targets through his first three games, but he was targeted a team-high 13 times by quarterback Jordan Love last week. Wicks caught five of those passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and teammate Christian Watson was carted off with an ankle injury. Watson is expected to miss multiple weeks, giving Wicks a significantly bigger role in the offense.
"The combination of Christian Watson's high ankle sprain and Jordan Love's return boosts the stock of all healthy Packers receivers heading into Week 5," White said. "Doubs has 15 targets in the two games Love has started versus five in the two games he missed. Wicks led the team with 13 targets in Week 4 as Love threw it 54 times after the Packers fell behind big in the first half, and while he only caught five balls he did score two TDs to have a much bigger impact than Doubs." See who else to target on the Fantasy football waiver wire at SportsLine.
How to set your Week 5 waiver wire claims
White is also all-in on a rookie running back who is likely to see his role increased. This player is widely available and could be a huge boost to your Fantasy football lineup. You can only see who it is at SportsLine.
So which players should you target on the Fantasy football waiver wire before Week 5, and which rookie running back is a must-add? Visit SportsLine now to see the best league-winning Fantasy football free agents entering Week 5, all from a proven Fantasy football and NFL expert, and find out.
