Week 5 Waiver Wire & More W4 Game Reviews
Chris Harris reviews the remaining Week 4 games (Falcons-Saints, Cowboys-Texans, Chiefs-Raiders, Cardinals-Giants, Titans-Ravens, Packers-Buccaneers) looking for usage and efficiency clues, then brings on guest Peter Overzet to rank the top Week 5 waiver wire targets. Major injury fallout (Rashee Rice, Tyquan Thornton, Lamar Jackson, Tank Bigsby, Ladd McConkie) reshapes several backfields and receiver corps, driving a thin but opportunity-rich waiver pool.
The Tuesday review episode works through five Sunday games the main crew hadn't covered yet (Cowboys-Texans, Chiefs-Raiders, Cardinals-Giants, Titans-Ravens, Packers-Bucs) before Chris Harris brings on Peter Overzet for a full Week 5 waiver wire ranking. The through-line: several backfields and receiver rooms are in real flux heading into bye season, and the hosts spend most of their capital on patient, upside-driven adds rather than desperation plays.
The arguments
The Falcons' offensive explosion is real, not just garbage-time padding. Harris notes Atlanta has now demolished the Packers and Saints in back-to-back road games, with Bijan Robinson scoring easily even without his longtime left tackle (Jake Matthews, out with injury) and Michael Penix Jr. hitting bombs to Jahan Dotson once the game was in hand. He's careful to separate this from Brian Robinson's garbage-time usage, arguing Robinson only got volume because Bijan had already done the heavy lifting in a blowout — not a role you should expect in competitive game flow.
Alvin Kamara's speed is gone, and the Saints' run game is effectively dead. Harris points to a specific red-zone wheel route where Kamara was matched against a 225-pound linebacker — the exact matchup you want a back to win — and he simply wasn't faster than the defender. Combined with Devon Vele's strong hands but zero early-game involvement, Harris says he won't recommend any Saints running back against Minnesota next week; it's Olave, Johnson, and hope.
Woody Marks is quietly outplaying David Montgomery on a per-snap basis. Harris breaks down Houston's touches (30 Montgomery, 22 Marks) and argues Marks showed more change of direction and finished the tying/go-ahead score with a move Montgomery couldn't make. He frames this as something Houston, at 0-4, should be looking at for a shakeup rather than a fantasy-actionable split yet.
The Chiefs' receiver room is in crisis, and that opens a real (if risky) Tyreek Hill speculation window. Harris and Overzet both flag that Tyquan Thornton suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle and Rashee Rice re-aggravated his hamstring, leaving Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, and rookie Jalen Allen as the current depth. Both hosts independently rank Hill as their No. 5 overall waiver add — a true stash given reports he wouldn't be ready for roughly a month, but with real ceiling if the Chiefs actually sign him.
Jeremiah Love still doesn't look comfortable as a north-south runner, while Emari Demercado (Algier) is winning the early-down role. Harris reviews Arizona's snap/carry split (Algier 29, Love's workload concentrated on one early drive) and concludes Love looks like an unfinished backfield piece who needs more reps in short space before he's a lateral-cut weapon between the tackles. He still flags Love as a must-start against Detroit next week purely on matchup.
Carnell Tate's workload spike (9 targets, 145 yards) deserves real added consideration, even against ugly quarterback play. Harris notes Cam Ward reportedly told broadcasters he wanted to feed Tate more, and the tape backs it up — three straight targets picking on corner Awuzie — though Ward's overall accuracy was shaky. Not a slam-dunk star turn, but Harris says it's enough to bump Tate up in volume-based estimation going forward.
What it means for your roster
- Priority waiver add: Keon Coleman — both hosts rank him their top pickup, but tie his value heavily to DJ Moore's shoulder/AC joint issue; add him, don't rush him into lineups yet.
- Speculative stash, no FAAB priority spend: Tyreek Hill — both hosts list him around No. 5, explicitly recommending minimal (cheap, "$1-2 bet") bids given the month-long timeline rumor.
- Running back streaming/handcuff tier: Will Shipley — Overzet's No. 1 add (15-20% FAAB) with Tank Bigsby on IR and Saquon Barkley's hamstring outlook trending worse than expected; Harris agrees but is more cautious given Philadelphia's banged-up line and the London trip vs. Jacksonville's run defense.
- Streaming QB priority: Jacoby Brissett vs. Detroit's league-worst defense to opposing QBs is the unanimous top streamer; Jameis Winston is the high-variance QB2 option given his boom/bust tape against Arizona.
- Low-cost adds: Brian Robinson (Harris's No. 2, 31% rostered — underpriced insurance, not a confident bye-week starter) and Trey Harris (Chargers WR, 91% route share with Ladd McConkie's foot re-aggravation putting his status in doubt).
- Monitor, don't act yet: Woody Marks in Houston's backfield and Caleb Johnson's fumble-driven doghouse status in Green Bay (clearing early-down work for Marshawn Lloyd) are worth a bench stash watch, not immediate priority claims.
“He's the Robert Pattinson of running backs.” — Christopher Harris
Players in this episode
↑ Opened the game with an explosive long touchdown run and continues to look like a true workhorse for a surging Falcons offense.
↑ Dominated with 17 catches and scored the game-winning touchdown against man coverage with no safety help.
↓ Guest speculated Barkley may not rush back from his hamstring injury and could miss multiple weeks, boosting Shipley's outlook.
↑ Flashed explosiveness with a 20-yard escape run and a late 30-yard gain; currently RB11 in fantasy and considered a must-start despite sharing work with Mike Washington.
↓ Looked comfortable running laterally but struggled finding creases between the tackles in a lighter workload game; not yet trustworthy for fantasy despite draft pedigree.
↑ Hosts called him the fantasy MVP of the season so far, citing a 76-yard run and multiple broken-tackle touchdowns, arguing he's in the conversation for best RB in the NFL.
↓ Broadcasters reportedly indicated his knee still isn't right despite a big Week 4; he was quiet most of the game until a garbage-time TD.
↓ Left the game with a hamstring injury and is expected to miss time, further thinning the Chiefs' receiver corps.
↓ Can make a man miss but lacks second-gear acceleration afterward; hosts say he's not moving the needle much for fantasy.
↑ Scored twice in a blowout spelling Bijan Robinson; hosts say he's a reasonable bye-week fill-in but shouldn't be relied on for featured-back volume going forward.
↑ Showed more explosiveness and change of direction than Montgomery, scoring the go-ahead touchdown; hosts suggest Houston should consider giving him more work.
↓ Scored twice but was clearly beaten on a wheel route by a linebacker, leading hosts to conclude his speed is largely gone; not recommended as a starter vs. Minnesota.
↑ With Chiefs WRs banged up, his agent is reportedly talking to KC about a return; hosts rank him as a deep speculative add (honorable mention/No. 5) given uncertain timeline (possibly out until November).
↑ Logged 91% of routes and a 19% target share with Ladd McConkie banged up again, making him an appealing speculative add if McConkie misses time.
↑ Ranked as the top streaming QB option this week given a plus matchup against a Lions defense allowing the most fantasy points to opposing QBs.
↑ Exploded for 23.6 fantasy points with DJ Moore out, running 94% of routes; both hosts rank him their top waiver WR add while cautioning about his history of disappearing afterward.
↑ Looked sharp again including a deep TD to Jahan Dotson; hosts are starting to warm to him as a potential streaming option, though not yet vs. Baltimore.
→ Threw multiple ugly interceptions but also big touchdowns and runs; hosts call him a 'high-event' boom-bust streamer, especially appealing vs. Arizona.
↓ Had a huge game (two TDs, 55-yard catch) before suffering a dislocated ankle and is done for the season.
↑ With Tank Bigsby headed to IR, Shipley is the longest-tenured back left and both hosts rank him as a top waiver RB add despite a banged-up Eagles offensive line.