Wide receiver is king in fantasy football right now, and the position is deeper than ever in 2016. Even with the bye weeks kicking into full force, fantasy owners should have no shortage of useful options on their bench or the waiver wire.
Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 wide receivers to target for Week 5
With the bye weeks ramping up, fantasy owners will have to look to the wire to fill out their rosters. Here are the top receiving options for Week 5.
This week we have to account for the absences of several key players. The Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and Jacksonville Jaguars are all on bye, so the receivers sitting out are a murderer’s row of top-tier talent. Allen Robinson, Doug Baldwin, Brandin Cooks, Jeremy Maclin, Willie Snead, Allen Hurns -- that’s a lot of important players whom owners have to replace on short notice, so the waiver wire will be an important factor in Week 5.
With that in mind, here are five recommended waiver pickups at receiver, owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! standard leagues.
Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys (45 percent)
Beasley didn’t quite take off like we expected with Dez Bryant out Sunday, getting just four targets in a win over the San Francisco 49ers. Still, the slot receiver has been one of Dak Prescott’s favorite weapons this season and he’ll be on the PPR map with Bryant still at less than 100 percent. Beasley has a tough matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he will be more of a WR5 in standard leagues.
Sammie Coates, Pittsburgh Steelers (17 percent)
Has Markus Wheaton been displaced for good? Coates got the start and played a big role in the Steelers’ boat racing of the Kansas City Chiefs, hauling in six catches for 79 yards. He also played 33 snaps compared to 21 for Wheaton. Coates has been mostly a tease this season, and his role could decrease when Eli Rogers comes back. But for now, Coates has done enough to earn flex consideration against the New York Jets this week.
Eddie Royal, Chicago Bears (13 percent)
Seemingly a thorn in the side of fantasy owners for years, Royal just refuses to go away. With Brian Hoyer playing competent, mistake-free football and spreading around his targets evenly, Royal caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. In all likelihood, that will be his season-high stat line, but with the Indianapolis Colts’ beatable defense on the schedule, Royal can’t be ignored as a potential WR3. He’s a worthy streamer during the bye weeks.
Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills (7 percent)
Woods doesn’t have much explosiveness to his game and can’t do the things Sammy Watkins can. But with Watkins on injured reserve, Woods is the default No. 1 receiver in Buffalo’s offense and played like it, putting up seven catches for 89 yards against the New England Patriots. Woods is a harder sell in standard leagues because he doesn’t get yards after the catch, but if Tyrod Taylor keeps feeding him targets then he has a safe PPR floor.
Dontrelle Inman, San Diego Chargers (2 percent)
This is more of a speculative add because Inman is the No. 3 option behind Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams. However, he feasted on the New Orleans Saints’ defense with seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Inman also dropped a critical pass on the Chargers’ final drive, so he has some work to do to win back Philip Rivers’ trust. Still, he has some interesting upside against the Oakland Raiders this week, in a game that figures to be another shootout. Inman is worth stashing in 12- and 14-team leagues.
