In an NFL season that has been extremely unforgiving on the injury front, the waiver wire has not exactly provided a ton of help so far. Ahead of Week 5, this week might be the week that changes.
This article will look at the best available players on the 2022 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire. If you do not already, feel free to follow me on Twitter (@HermsNFL).
I tried to tell you about some of these players on Saturday. Check out my weekly waiver wire stashes article to make sure you're not late to the party. But for now, let's look at some of the best waiver wire pickups ahead of NFL Week 5.
2022 Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire
Top Waiver Adds
George Pickens, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (39% rostered Yahoo / 37.6% rostered ESPN)
Rookie wide receivers have been a common theme of the waiver wire in 2022, and that trend continues this week. By several accounts, Pickens was the biggest standout in Steelers training camp over the summer, and in Week 5, his performance marks the first time a Pittsburgh pass-catcher went over 100 yards.
Fantasy managers everywhere have patiently awaited the emergence of Pickens in this Pittsburgh offense. Now that the Steelers have committed to a change at quarterback (something we'll discuss later), it appears there will be plenty more where that came from.
Who was Kenny Pickett’s favorite target from his first NFL action yesterday?
Of his 13 pass attempts:
-Pat Freiermuth 4 targets
-George Pickens 5 targets
-Chase Claypool 1 target
-Diontae Johnson 2 targets
-Zach Gentry 1 targetPickett to Pickens in full effect.#HereWeGo
— Luke Sawhook ?? (@lukesawhook) October 3, 2022
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons (19% rostered Yahoo / 16.8% rostered ESPN)
I had included Allgeier as a waiver stash if Cordarrelle Patterson's knee injury would cause him to miss time. Unfortunately, that knee issue has turned out to be quite serious, as Patterson is now on IR. Falcons running back Caleb Huntley also got some run in Sunday's game, but Allgeier is the one who did the better of the two, just looking at the raw numbers.
With Patterson sidelined for at least the next four games, the rookie out of BYU should be a solid roster filler for fantasy managers for multiple weeks. Allgeier is the running back I am most interested in acquiring.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Washington Commanders (54% rostered Yahoo / 37.4% rostered ESPN)
You've had a while to go ahead and stash Robinson Jr. in your IR slot, a recommendation I mentioned ahead of Week 1 almost a month ago. The latest news is that he will be activated off the NFI list and will (presumably) suit up for the Commanders soon. With Antonio Gibson's performances slipping week-to-week, he does not have much job security. In all likelihood, this is your last opportunity to acquire Robinson Jr. outside of a trade scenario.
I sometimes hate sounding like a broken record in this column, but this is an example of an item that bears repeating. While Allgeier is a player who will likely have the more significant immediate impact, I am particularly excited about the long play of Robinson Jr.
Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27% rostered Yahoo / 11.3% rostered ESPN)
It isn't easy to imagine the Buccaneers have another game this season where the running backs amass three total rushing yards. Still, Sunday night was a pretty interesting coming-out party for the rookie out of Arizona State. I mentioned this behind the paywall a few weeks ago, but White profiles far better as a pass-catcher than Leonard Fournette in an offense that dumped targets down to the running back at the fourth-highest rate in the league last season. Take a shot on White to see if this trend sticks. Plus, I can say he's a very nice dude on a personal level:
?HERMS x @chaad_3 ?
COLLAB OF THE CENTURY
(fr fr such a cool moment. that was so much fun! thanks @therealNFLguru & @TheFFRealist for including me in the podathon!) pic.twitter.com/gcYqFJR15B
— ????? ? (@HermsNFL) July 16, 2022
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (6% rostered Yahoo / 4% rostered ESPN)
It seems I was really onto something when I said I didn't think Mitchell Trubisky would survive the month of October as the Steelers starting quarterback. Granted, I didn't know I'd be correct within two days of the month's beginning, but here we are. While the next few games of the schedule will be challenging, go ahead and scoop Pickett now in Superflex leagues. Pickett's preseason performance shows he can be efficient for fantasy managers.
Best of the Rest
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