Playing the Waiver Wire for Week 5

Week 4 was just another wacky week for Fantasy owners. Some of the best options of this past scoring period were sitting on a lot of waiver wires.

Brian Hoyer and Matt Cassel were Top 12 quarterbacks in standard leagues. Roy Helu and LeGarrette Blount were Top 20 running backs. Nate Washington, Alshon Jeffery and Jerricho Cotchery were Top 12 receivers. And Sean McGrath, Garrett Graham and Mychal Rivera were Top 10 tight ends.

Now, this doesn't mean all these players will succeed going forward. Far from it. But it does show you that playing the waiver wire is important to your success.

For the past two weeks, we've been telling you to add Danny Woodhead, who is among the top free agents being viewed on CBSSports.com Roster Trends. He was at 60 percent ownership after Week 2, and he only improved by 12 percent for Week 4.

The owners who added Woodhead, especially in PPR leagues, were rewarded with a huge game in Week 4 against Dallas with five carries for 32 yards and five catches for 54 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 20 catches in his past three games and is outplaying Ryan Mathews. Please add him in all leagues.

The other free agents being viewed on roster trends include Redskins running back Roy Helu (34 percent ownership on CBSSports.com), Titans receiver Nate Washington (21 percent), Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount (16 percent), Browns running back Chris Ogbonnaya (12 percent) and Raiders running back Rashad Jennings (7 percent).

Jennings and Helu would be injury replacements for their respective teams since Darren McFadden (hamstring) in Oakland and Alfred Morris (ribs) in Washington got hurt in their head-to-head matchup. Jennings would be the priority this week since Helu and the Redskins are on a bye.

Ogbonnaya has been the better running back in Cleveland since Trent Richardson was traded two weeks ago, and he might be worth owning over Willis McGahee. The Browns are a pass-happy team, and Ogbonnaya is the running back on the field in passing situations.

Blount now has two games in a row with at least six Fantasy points in a standard league, and he's outplayed Stevan Ridley. You should add Blount in deeper leagues, but eventually Ridley will come around – or at least we hope.

Washington has been great for the past two weeks with 35 Fantasy points over that span, but the quarterback change from the injured Jake Locker (hip) to Ryan Fitzpatrick makes me nervous. I'd add Washington, but I'd be hesitant to start him in Week 5 against Kansas City.

Editor's note: Must add is for players worth adding in all leagues. Maybe add is for players worth adding in 14-team leagues or larger. Desperation add is for players worth adding only if you're, well, desperate. The ownership percentage listed is how many leagues that player was owned in the previous week for CBSSports.com.

Quarterbacks

Must add: Brian Hoyer, Browns (12 percent)
Maybe add: Alex Smith, Chiefs (70 percent), Terrelle Pryor, Raiders (40 percent)
Desperation add: Matt Cassel, Vikings (4 percent), Ryan Fitzpatrick, Titans (1 percent)

This isn't a great week for quarterbacks off the waiver wire, but Hoyer should be the No. 1 passer added if you need a bye-week replacement for Robert Griffin III or Ben Roethlisberger. Hoyer has at least 22 Fantasy points in a standard league in two starts, and the Browns did the right thing by keeping him as the starter for Week 5. The Bills have also allowed every quarterback they've faced this season to throw two touchdown passes. ... If Pryor (concussion) gets clearance to play this week then make him your second priority. It's too bad Pryor had to miss that juicy matchup against the Redskins in Week 4. ... Smith is worth buying into long-term for the season. Forget about how he's getting it done with check-down passes, he has at least 20 Fantasy points in three of four games. And coach Andy Reid has him attempting at least 34 passes in every game this year. He just has a tough matchup in Week 5 at the Titans, but he could be useful in Week 6 against Oakland. ... Cassel did a great job against the Steelers with 21 Fantasy points, and unlike Christian Ponder, he allowed Greg Jennings and Jerome Simpson to be playmakers. Don't bother with Cassel this week with the Vikings on a bye, but if he remains the starter in Week 6 against Carolina he could be an option in two-quarterback leagues. ... Keep an eye on Fitzpatrick, but ignore him in Week 5 with a matchup against the Chiefs.

Running backs

Must add: Danny Woodhead, Chargers (72 percent), Roy Helu, Redskins (34 percent), Rashad Jennings, Raiders (7 percent)
Maybe add: Ronnie Hillman, Broncos (55 percent), Kendall Hunter, 49ers (35 percent), Johnathan Franklin, Packers (33 percent), Andre Ellington, Cardinals (27 percent), LeGarrette Blount, Patriots (16 percent), Chris Ogbonnaya, Browns (12 percent), Mike Goodson, Jets (3 percent)
Desperation add: Donald Brown, Colts (5 percent), Chris Polk, Eagles (1 percent), Anthony Dixon, 49ers (0 percent)

Woodhead should be the priority in all leagues if he's still available, but Jennings will likely be the most-added player this week. McFadden, shockingly, is hurt and could miss Week 5 against San Diego. Marcel Reece (knee) also got hurt against the Redskins, meaning Jennings could get a lot of work against the Chargers. He had 15 carries for 45 yards against Washington and eight catches for 71 yards. Those catches won't be there if Pryor starts, but Jennings has flex appeal in deeper leagues this week. ... The Redskins are off in Week 5, but every Morris owner needs to add Helu. Morris should return in Week 6 at Dallas, but if he's out then Helu would be a potential starter in all leagues. Helu had 13 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 43 yards against the Raiders. ... Hillman, Hunter and Ellington are all handcuff options. Hillman is worth stashing given Knowshon Moreno's injury history, Hunter has scored in consecutive weeks and would be a star if Frank Gore went down and Ellington is starting to outplay Rashard Mendenhall. All are worth speculating on in deeper leagues. ... Eddie Lacy (concussion) is expected back in Week 5 against Detroit, but James Starks (knee) might not return. That could give Franklin an extended look, and his value would skyrocket if Lacy has a setback. ... Goodson's four-game suspension is over, and he will likely share playing time with Bilal Powell with Chris Ivory (hamstring) hurt. Goodson is worth adding now in deep PPR leagues.

Wide receiver

Must add: Justin Blackmon, Jaguars (74 percent), Alshon Jeffery, Bears (57 percent), Marlon Brown, Ravens (53 percent), Nate Washington, Titans (21 percent)
Maybe add: Jerome Simpson, Vikings (23 percent), Robert Woods, Bills (15 percent), Austin Pettis, Rams (14 percent), Terrance Williams, Cowboys (6 percent), Keenan Allen, Chargers (3 percent)
Desperation add: Harry Douglas, Falcons (6 percent), Jerricho Cotchery, Steelers (2 percent), Justin Hunter, Titans (2 percent), Earl Bennett, Bears (1 percent), Jeff Maehl, Eagles (0 percent), Kris Durham, Lions (0 percent)

Blackmon's four-game suspension is over, and this is a good week for him to return at St. Louis. The Rams have allowed seven receivers to reach at least eight Fantasy points in a standard league this year. ... Brown is banged up with a hamstring injury, so make sure he's OK heading into Miami in Week 5. He has three touchdowns in four games and has been a valuable weapon for Joe Flacco. ... Jeffery had a breakout game in Week 4 at Detroit in a comeback effort with 20 Fantasy points, and the Bears are featuring him this season with at least eight targets in three of four games. He now has 12 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown in his past two games. ... Pettis has been the most reliable receiver for the Rams, and he is worth adding in deep PPR leagues, especially with a matchup against the Jaguars this week. ... Simpson now has over 120 receiving yards in two of four games, and the quarterback change to Cassel should help Simpson since Cassel will take shots down the field. ... Woods had his best game of the season in Week 4 against Baltimore with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. He has 18 targets the past two games, and EJ Manuel is trying to get him involved. He just missed a second touchdown against the Ravens when he couldn't maintain control of the ball going out of bounds. ... Williams will remain a starter for the Cowboys as long as Miles Austin (hamstring) is out. He had seven catches for 71 yards against the Chargers, but he lost a late fumble. If he's not punished for that and starts again in Week 5 against Denver he could be a sleeper against the Broncos. ... Allen had five catches for 80 yards in Week 4 against Dallas on six targets. If he can get more targets he could be a useful Fantasy option in deeper leagues based on how well Philip Rivers has played so far this season.

Tight end

Must add: Coby Fleener, Colts (71 percent), Heath Miller, Steelers (71 percent)
Maybe add: Brent Celek, Eagles (34 percent), Brandon Pettigrew, Lions (32 percent), Garrett Graham, Texans (5 percent)
Desperation add: Delanie Walker, Titans (6 percent), Mychal Rivera, Raiders (1 percent), Jeff Cumberland, Jets (1 percent), Sean McGrath, Chiefs (0 percent), Matthew Mulligan, Patriots (0 percent)

If Dolphins tight end Charles Clay (76 percent) is still out there then add him in all leagues along with Fleener and Miller. ... Fleener has double digits in Fantasy points in two of his past three games, and he should be owned in all formats. He should be a Top 10 Fantasy option for the rest of this season. ... Miller actually had a down game based on the expectations against the Vikings, but he still managed six catches for 70 yards on eight targets. He appears 100 percent back from last year's knee injury, and he's worth starting in all leagues when the Steelers come off their bye in Week 6. ... Celek has been relatively quiet since Week 1, but he did manage three catches for 57 yards on six targets in Week 4 at Denver. He has a good matchup against the Giants in Week 5 since four tight ends have scored against them this year. ... Pettigrew had his best game of the season in Week 4 against the Bears with seven catches for 54 yards on seven targets. It coincides with the first game Nate Burleson (arm) was out, so keep an eye on Pettigrew going forward. ... Graham has now scored in three of four games this season and has as many touchdowns as Owen Daniels. In deeper leagues, Graham could be worth starting. He has 16 targets through three games, so he's more than just a red-zone threat.

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