Busy Week on the Waiver Wire 🧀

Week 4 was one of the busiest weeks in fantasy football between injuries, shifting depth charts, and more. Faraz breaks it all down for us heading into Week 5 so that you know exactly what to expect moving forward in our latest YouTube video!

• Falcons RB Bijan Robinson limited in Monday’s practice estimation ahead of Atlanta’s Thursday Night matchup in Week 5 vs Buccaneers

  • With the Falcons and Bucs squaring off this Thursday night, the teams have already issued their first practice reports of the week. It’s only an estimation since neither team took the practice field yesterday, but Robinson popped up on the injury report with an ankle injury just a day after posting a season-low in total snaps and utilization in Week 4. The increased run for Allgeier in the Falcons’ offense is a slightly worrying development, especially considering how prominent his role was last year with Arthur Smith handling personnel and playcalling decisions. However, the early injury report provides a potential explanation for Bijan’s limited usage in what was a competitive game throughout this past weekend against the division rival Saints. Fantasy managers will want to stay closely tuned to any further developments the rest of the week regarding Robinson’s status, as Allgeier would receive a drastic boost in the rankings if he’d ultimately be tasked with handling the lead duties in the backfield. For the time being, there should be no concern for Bijan’s availability for Week 5 given that he was an estimated limited participant and not a DNP, but turning around on a short week following his quietest game of the year could produce another lackluster performance from the second-year running back.

• Texans WR Tank Dell and RB Joe Mixon both considered day-to-day ahead of Houston’s Week 5 matchup vs Bills

  • Both players had realistic shots to suit up for last week’s game against the Jaguars, but the Texans’ decision to give both players an extra week to rest looks in hind sight to have been a good one. Not only did the Texans escape with a win on the back of Nico Collins and the arm of C.J. Stroud, but all indications are that they’ll return both Dell and Mixon to the lineup in a high-stakes battle with the Bills this Sunday. Dell has yet to connect with C.J. Stroud on a touchdown pass this season and has largely underperformed, even with the presence of Stefon Diggs lowering the bar. He’ll look to find the end zone – and some fantasy relevance – in his fourth game of the year after sitting out last week. Meanwhile, Joe Mixon will look to settle things down in his return to a Texans backfield that’s been lacking identity in his absence. RBs Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale have struggled to make an impact over the past two and a half weeks, operating in clear roles but providing little in the way of fantasy production for those brave enough to start them. Mixon monopolized touches in his lone healthy game this year, and he should be expected to vacuum up the bulk of the opportunity once again in his return to the lineup against the Bills.

• Browns open 21-day practice window for RB Nick Chubb; Panthers yet to do so for 2024 2nd-round RB Jonathon Brooks

  • The move signifies that a return to action for Nick Chubb is on the horizon, and he’ll have up to the next three weeks to practice with the team before the Browns are required to elevate him to the 53-man roster. Chubb hasn’t played since suffering a gruesome leg injury in Week 2 of last year, and his return to the offense will inject some juice into a Browns offense that’s been scrambling for answers across the board over the first four weeks of the season. Whether or not he’s able to hit the ground running is an entirely different question, but his return likely spells doom for RB Jerome Ford’s days as a fantasy starter –especially considering he was barely clinging to his starting spot in the first place with D’Onta Foreman hanging around. Meanwhile, the Panthers have yet to open the practice window for Jonathon Brooks, whose return could be slow-rolled with the Panthers offense performing lightyears ahead of itself over the past two weeks with Andy Dalton at the helm. RB Chuba Hubbard looks the part of a significant obstacle to Brooks’ emergence as a difference making fantasy RB in 2024, and if he continues to play well, Brooks may need not get a crack at a workhorse role in his rookie year.

1. Wan'Dale Robinson (WR - New York Giants)

   • Four straight weeks of 10+ fantasy points, plus 6+ catches and 8+ targets in three of his first four games to open the season; he should not still be sitting at approximately 26% owned as he currently is. He's proven to be one of the very few depth options that consistently gets targets and volume weekly, making him a borderline FLEX play going forward.

2. Dontayvion Wicks (WR - Green Bay Packers)

   • Wicks made it 11+ points and 1+ TD in two of his last three games this past week with a career game, bringing in 5 catches for 78 yards and 2 TDs. That came on THIRTEEN targets - yes, you read that right. With Christian Watson (ankle) to miss time, potentially even heading for IR, Wicks will likely see an expanded role, though we shouldn't expect the absurd 13-target game he saw this past week each and every game.

   • I am not as high on Wicks as most as I have hesitations around the consistency in target volume within the Packers' offense given the number of weapons, even without Watson in the picture for about a month. With that said Wicks should still be a very high-priority waiver wire target as a likely short-term WR3/FLEX option and a long-term WR4 option.

3. Josh Downs (WR - Indianapolis Colts)

   • Downs returned to the field last week, posting 3-22-0 (on 5 targets) in his season debut but exploded for 8-82-1 (on 9 targets) in Week 4 vs the Steelers, reflecting more upon his reported exceptional offseason. He likely won't be a viable lineup option (yet) due to the inconsistency of the Colts' passing game, but with Anthony Richardson potentially sidelined due to a hip injury, Downs could be a very solid WR3/FLEX option in the short-term with Joe Flacco at QB.

4. Kareem Hunt (RB - Kansas City Chiefs)

   • It was Kareem Hunt as the definitive lead back in Kansas City this week, getting the most snaps (43%), carries (14), targets (3), and yards (85) of the Chiefs' RBs, though Samaje Perine did get the goal-line TD. Steele was a non-factor after losing a fumble on the opening series, drawing just 1 target and 1 carry the remainder of the game, making Perine the only competition for work going forward with Hunt seemingly expected to see an increased role as he gets acclimated into the offense (and back to game fitness).

5. Xavier Legette (WR - Carolina Panthers)

   • He was under my "top stashes" section in last week's waiver wire article, so hopefully you got ahead of the curve! If not, now's the time to pick him up after a seemingly breakout game of 6 catches for 66 yards and a TD (19.6 points) on 10 targets, plus adding another 10 yards on the ground. The 2024 1st Round pick appears to be seeing a greatly expanded role within the offense, especially in the absence of Adam Thielen (IR). As long as Andy Dalton remains the starter, Legette is a viable bench option.