The waiver wire has never been more consequential during the 2024 fantasy football season than it is now, with four teams -- the Chargers, Eagles, Lions and Titans -- kicking off BYE WEEK SZN in Week 5. Join me as we take our weekly tour around the less-traveled corners of the fantasy universe.
Let's get wired.
The only rule here: Players must be rostered in less than 60 percent of NFL.com leagues to be eligible for the list.
QUARTERBACKS
ROSTERED: 45%
People keep waiting for Darnold regression, but it has yet to arrive, with the first month of the regular season in the books. He is the first QB to win and have two or more pass TDs in each of his first four career starts for a team in the Super Bowl era. He’s the fantasy QB5 through Sunday’s games. Darnold has 11 TD passes so far. No one else has more than eight! About that potential regression, though ... this could be the week. He’ll face a tougher matchup against his former team, the Jets, in London, so keep that in mind. New York has allowed 24.18 fantasy points combined to QBs in the last three weeks (8.06 per game). The Vikings have a bye after making the trip overseas, so it might be a few weeks before it makes sense to put Darnold in your lineup. Given his production so far, he could be worth the stash. The guy still deserves to be more widely rostered for what he's achieved in 2024.
ROSTERED: 30%
It's beginning to look like first-year Seahawks OC Ryan Grubb is going to let Geno cook. He's the fantasy QB8 through Week 4, with more points than Jalen Hurts, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow and C.J. Stroud. Smith has had two high-volume games where he threw the ball 40-plus times, which helps explain why he leads the league in passing yards with 1,182 heading into Week 5. The 12th-year veteran racked up a career-high 395 yards through the air on Monday night, and he’s thrown a TD pass in every game this season. With the struggling Giants visiting the Seahawks this week, Smith is a strong streaming option.
ROSTERED: 21%
Fields is working his way toward must-start territory. He was the fantasy QB1 in Week 4, racking up 31.98 points in the Steelers’ loss to the Colts and putting himself in an exclusive club with his performance. Fields became just the ninth QB in NFL history to have a game with 300-plus pass yards, one or more pass TDs, 50-plus rush yards and two or more rush TDs. There’s more good news: He has a matchup in Week 5 against a Cowboys defense that could be without its top two players (Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence) due to injury.
RUNNING BACKS
ROSTERED: 46%
After a very quiet start to the 2024 campaign, Brown went off for 23.2 fantasy points in the Bengals’ first win of the season, gaining 92 yards from scrimmage and punching in two TDs. Zack Moss saw the bulk of the snaps for Cincinnati (58% to 42%), as usual, but the RBs had the same number of carries (15 apiece). The intriguing development was seeing Brown handle three of the team’s four red-zone carries. We can’t count on that becoming a trend with Moss still playing the leading role, but Brown is at least back on the radar in deeper leagues.
ROSTERED: 28%
Last week, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles poured cold water on the idea of Irving overtaking Rachaad White in the Tampa Bay backfield, and we then saw a 60/40 split in snaps between the backs on Sunday, favoring White. Irving is at least narrowing the gap in usage, and he continues to show he’s the more useful back as far as fantasy managers are concerned. The rookie has posted 11-plus fantasy points in each of the last two weeks, while White is averaging 7.4 over his last three games. Things seem to be trending in a positive direction for Irving, albeit at a slower pace than those of us rostering him would prefer.
ROSTERED: 18%
Kansas City's offense is a little bit of mess -- at least by Chiefs standards -- right now with Isiah Pacheco and now Rashee Rice injured. Hunt was the beneficiary in Week 4 -- his 2024 debut -- leading the team’s running backs in snaps (28), rushing attempts (14), rushing yards (69), yards per carry (4.9) and routes (11). Samaje Perine handled Kansas City’s lone goal-line carry on Sunday and pushed his way in for a 2-yard TD, while Carson Steele Fever might officially be over after he had just three touches for six yards with a fumble. Hunt is the Chiefs back to roster for now, although Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s expected return might only further cloud the picture in the K.C. backfield.
ROSTERED: 1%
Bigsby has been a highly efficient rusher in two games this season, breaking loose for a career-high 90 yards on seven carries in Week 4 after picking up 73 yards on 12 totes in Week 1. His ceiling is capped a bit since he’s a rusher-only in the Jacksonville offense (has not run a single route in 2024). If he can become a steady provider of 70-plus rushing yards on a weekly basis, he’ll be well worth rostering, and he has an opportunity to keep his foot on the pedal against a Colts run defense that had its share of struggles in the first month. With Travis Etienne playing through a shoulder injury, Bigsby figures to continue to see his share of touches.
Keep an eye on: With Jonathan Taylor suffering what's believed to be a mild version of a high-ankle sprain, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, we'll need to monitor Taylor's status this week. Trey Sermon, who had five carries on Sunday, would be next in line at RB1 for Indy. ... Jeremy McNichols has bounced around the league for eight seasons, never getting much of an opportunity. And then, out of nowhere, BOOM! Filling in for Austin Ekeler (concussion), McNichols had the NFL game of his life for the Commanders with eight carries for 68 yards and two TDs as the backup to Brian Robinson Jr. I'm not going to predict a repeat performance, but if Ekeler misses another game, McNichols is no worse than a guy who is going to see some touches in an offense no one can figure out how to stop. ... Look, I know the ceiling isn't particularly high, but I'm going to continue banging the Rico Dowdle drum here. He should be rostered in more than 18% of leagues. Dowdle scored a season-high 13.1 fantasy points in Week 4 thanks to a receiving TD and once again led the Cowboys in carries (11) and rushing yards (46).
WIDE RECEIVERS
ROSTERED: 14%
You have to like the volume for Robinson right now. He’s been targeted eight or more times in three of his four games in 2024, including 14 targets in Week 4. He posted a season-high 18.1 fantasy points against the Cowboys last Thursday and has scored at least 9.8 points in every game this season. With that in mind -- and with Malik Nabers’ Week 5 status in question while he’s in concussion protocol -- Wan'Dale looks like a potentially enticing Flex option.
ROSTERED: 4%
In the Panthers’ first week without the injured Adam Thielen, Legette was the receiver who filled the void, making six grabs for 66 yards and a TD on 10 targets. He also had two carries for 10 yards. As a tough customer who thrives on contested catches, the rookie already seems like he’s a favorite of QB Andy Dalton’s. The Panthers have a much tougher draw in Week 5 against the Bears’ defense after Week 4’s date with the Cincinnati sieve, so I’d be cautious with putting Legette in the starting fantasy lineup. He’s clearly worth rostering, though.
ROSTERED: 2%
After missing the first two games of this season due to injury, Downs is getting back to being the player we saw at times during his rookie year in 2023. He led the team with eight catches on nine targets for 82 yards and a TD against one of the league’s stingiest defenses on Sunday. Unfortunately, Colts QB Anthony Richardson left the game with a hip injury, but Downs didn’t miss a beat when backup Joe Flacco entered. In fact, Flacco went to Downs on his second attempt of the day, a four-yard TD pass. All but the first of Downs’ catches on Sunday came on passes from Flacco, so the second-year pro is a worthy pickup regardless of Indy’s QB situation with the winless Jaguars awaiting in Week 5.
ROSTERED: 2%
After seeing nine targets total in the first three games, Wicks was the intended target on a team-high 13 of Jordan Love’s throws on Sunday. He turned those into five grabs for 78 yards and a pair of scores. Christian Watson was carted off with an ankle injury he suffered late in the first quarter of Green Bay’s loss to the Vikings, and Wicks was targeted 12 times from that point on. Wicks’ issues with drops might give some managers pause, and understandably so, but if Love is going to keep going back to him -- and with Watson expected to miss multiple weeks -- the circumstances are ripe for Wicks to be a hot commodity on the waiver wire. The same goes for Romeo Doubs (rostered in 30% of leagues), who is third on the team in targets (19) and receptions (11). Love piled up 389 passing yards on Sunday, throwing the Packers back into the game against what had been a stout Vikings defense through the first three weeks, so Green Bay’s aerial attack could do plenty of damage with more favorable matchups against the Rams' and Cardinals’ pass defenses up next.
ROSTERED: 1%
Tucker is averaging 19 fantasy points per game over the last two weeks, scoring a TD in each contest. I’m not expecting him to sustain those levels, but he’s going to provide value as long as Davante Adams is sidelined with the hamstring injury that kept him out on Sunday. Tucker tied for the team lead with five catches against the Browns and ran for a 3-yard score. He should be squarely in the Flex conversation for those of you in deeper leagues if Adams misses another game.
UPDATE: Adams informed the Raiders on Monday that he would prefer to be traded, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday.
Keep an eye on: Cooper Kupp's status will once again be worth monitoring, but Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington have stepped up in the two games Kupp has missed with his ankle injury. Whittington led the Rams in targets (8) and receptions (6) against the Bears, while Atwell led the team in receiving yards (82) for the second straight week. And don't forget about Demarcus Robinson, who leads the squad in routes (130) and air yards per target (16.8).
UPDATE: Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday that Kupp will not play in Week 5. That means Atwell, Whittington and Robinson are once again viable Flex plays in deeper fantasy leagues.
TIGHT ENDS
ROSTERED: 6%
Otton is averaging just 3.5 catches for 26 yards per game this season, so I understand if you’re wondering why he’s being mentioned here. Well, he was a top-10 fantasy tight end in Week 4 and he’s been targeted 17 times in the last two contests. There are only two players at the position with more targets over that span (Dallas Goedert, 19; Jake Ferguson, 18). Otton is worth a look if you’re feeling desperate at tight end -- and you’re certainly not alone if you find yourself in that situation, especially with a bye for Sam LaPorta and Goedert in Week 5.
ROSTERED: 1%
The idea that Luke Musgrave was the Packers tight end to roster this season is now a distant memory. Kraft has more than twice as many routes (93 to 41) and targets (17 to 7). The pecking order was never more clear than it was in Week 4, when Jordan Love targeted Kraft nine times (a career high) and connected with him six times for 53 yards, a TD and a two-point conversion. Kraft did lose a fumble against the Vikings, but that didn’t prevent him from finishing as the TE1 for the week in fantasy (17.3 points). I’d be eager to roll the dice on him with so little depth at the position from a fantasy perspective.
DEFENSES
ROSTERED: 41%
It might come as a surprise, but the Broncos have the No. 3 fantasy defense this season, averaging 10.5 points per contest. They left a Jets offense discombobulated in Week 4 after it seemed like Aaron Rodgers and Co. were starting to figure things out. Now Denver has home dates against the offensively challenged Raiders and Chargers in the next two weeks. This is a defense to pick up and hold for a while.
ROSTERED: 20%
Monday night’s game in Detroit turned into a nightmarish affair for a beat-up Seattle defense. If the unit can get healthier, it has a highly favorable matchup in Week 5 with the Giants coming to the Pacific Northwest. New York has been one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the league, even with Malik Nabers shredding defenses. Big Blue will be far less formidable without the rookie wideout if he is not cleared from the concussion protocol for the game. Keep an eye on the injury report, but with or without a healthy Nabers, the Giants are worth streaming against in fantasy.
ROSTERED: 14%
The Raiders’ defense has been an up-and-(mostly)down group so far, but here’s a golden opportunity to stack consecutive solid fantasy performances. After a nine-point outburst against the Browns, Las Vegas gets a chance to be the latest D to leave Denver's Bo Nix lost in the wilderness. Just when it looked like the rookie QB was starting to figure things out, he threw for 60 passing yards in the rain against the Jets. Nix had -7 pass yards at halftime on 15 pass attempts, making him the first QB with 15-plus pass attempts to have negative pass yards in the first half of a game since at least 1991. We’re not going to see that level of inferiority every week (or even every 30 years), but Denver has now been held to 10 points or fewer in two of the last three games. Things will look even more promising for Vegas if Maxx Crosby is able to return from the ankle injury that kept him out on Sunday.
