Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups: 5 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available: With the amount of injuries, committees and key players who went on bye in Week 4, the pickings are a bit slimmer this week, as owners were left scrambling a week ago to fill in roster holes. But that doesnt mean there arent any solid additions this week. Far from it. Below, Ive identified five players who remain available in the majority of ESPN leagues and are absolute must-own guys at this point in the season. Get them now while the gettings good, folks. All ownership statistics, point totals and points-against statistics via ESPN standard scoring leagues. Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants Owned: 42.7 percent Analysis: Yes, Eli Manning is on this list mostly because the Giants have finally, mercifully awoken on offense, and as a result, the veteran quarterback has had at least 15 fantasy points in the past three weeks. Owners who started him on a whim last week—and with Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson and Andy Dalton all out on bye, it was probably a few of you—were rewarded with 300 passing yards, four touchdowns, just one interception and 32 fantasy points. Look, no one is suggesting that Manning is a QB1 just yet. Manning owners have been burnt enough in the past to know thats a dangerous game to play. But he is a very nice QB2 to have at your disposal, and with few owners needing to add a quarterback this week since only the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders are on bye, bringing him aboard this week and stashing him makes a lot of sense. If you wait until you actually need a quarterback due to the bye weeks, theres a good chance Manning will be gone. And hey, if you have a fringe QB1 on your roster, you could do worse than starting Manning against an Atlanta defense that just allowed rookie Teddy Bridgewater to post 22 fantasy points. Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore Ravens Owned: 9.2 percent Analysis: This isnt the first time Ive featured Forsett on such a list, but after he was relegated to second man on the totem pole behind Bernard Pierce in Week 2 and Lorenzo Taliaferro in Week 3, hes probably available in your league once again. Heres the thing about Forsett: While Pierce has battled injuries and Taliaferros usage has varied wildly from week to week, Forsett continues to get steady touches as the teams change-of-pace back. Hes the only Ravens running back with at least six fantasy points in all four games, and his 17 touches led all Ravens backs in Week 4. In other words, in a committee situation where all three players have made a strong case for touches, Forsett seems the safest option simply because hes established a clear role. While Pierce and Taliaferro battle for touches, Forsett should stabilize around 15 touches a game (which is precisely what hes averaged to this point in the season). That makes him a worthy flex consideration and an absolute must-own player. Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings Owned: 0.8 percent Analysis: Matt Asiata is going to remain the teams starter, if only because hes the better player in pass protection and the more bruising runner by the goal line. But in terms of pure talent, McKinnon is head and shoulders above Asiata. That means the Vikings will likely continue feeding him the ball, and with the Vikings likely to rely on the running game as much as possible, both Asiata and McKinnon could each hold weekly value for fantasy owners. McKinnon is going to probably disappear on some weeks as the second option in this running game, sure. But if you need help at the position in a pinch and dont mind gambling on a player who could end up winning the starting job later in the year, McKinnons a logical addition. Larry Donnell, TE, New York Giants Owned: 26.8 percent Analysis: Um, duh. Larry Donnell is currently fourth amongst tight ends in fantasy points scored and has now registered eight or more points in three games this season. His coming-out party came this week against Washington, as he caught seven passes for 54 yards and three touchdowns. Theres nothing particularly enthralling about Donnells game, sure, but hes a reliable target who catches what is thrown his way and has clearly established a rapport with Eli Manning. At this point, he should be considered a weekly TE1 or high-end TE2. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs Owned: 37.1 percent Analysis: Duh part deux. Finally, Andy Reid has recognized his dearth of options in the passing game and has incorporated Travis Kelce into the offense with more regularity. The result has been eight fantasy points in Week 2, nine points in Week 3 and 15 points against New England on Monday night. The production seems sustainable, as Kelce leads the Chiefs with 24 targets. Alex Smith has to be thanking his lucky stars he has the talented tight end to rely on in the passing game, because heaven knows he doesnt have much talent at all at wide receiver. In other words, Kelce should continue to be a TE1 for owners. Finally, the breakthrough has happened for the talented Kelce. Hit me up on Twitter—Ill answer your fantasy questions and make some corny jokes, too. Its more fun than a Jay Cutler Fumblerooski. Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #NFL #FantasyFootball #Opinion
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 13:53:50 +0000
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