Last Minute Waiver Wire Pickups Week 5: Joshua Dobbs, Gus Edwards, Tyler Boyd and More
The waiver wire period has come and gone and you may have missed out on the guy you wanted. The waiver wire darlings everyone was clamoring for are long gone and you're still looking to fill out your roster and maybe even your lineup. These are the late waiver wire adds that you should be picking up. Everyone listed is rostered in less than 50% of leagues.
Last Minute Waiver Wire Pickups
Quarterbacks
Joshua Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 8.6%
Dobbs has been one of the biggest surprises this season, but it seems that a lot of fantasy owners still haven't figured out that the Cardinals aren't as bad as we all thought they were going to be. After a disastrous Week 1, he has scored at least 17 fantasy points in each of the last three weeks including a 23 and 25-point game. This week he has a plus matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals who are in the bottom half of the league when it comes to slowing down fantasy quarterbacks. He is more than worthy of pickup this week if you need to stream a QB due to bye weeks or injury.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 43.3%
We were surprised to see that Stafford still hasn't eclipsed the 50% ownership line even with bye weeks and injuries starting to have an impact. He has actually had a bounce-back year and the Eagles are really struggling to stop the pass this season. Stafford hasn't been incredible and hasn't proven to have much of a ceiling. However, he has shown to be a safe option with a decent floor. His ceiling could be a bit higher this week being that Philly is allowing the six-most points to fantasy QBs this season at 20.59 points per game. There is also a chance that Cooper Kupp will be back this week.
Running Backs
Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
Rostered: 33.8%
It looks like Edwards is now the clear RB1 in Baltimore. He has been dominating the backfield in both touches and snaps. In Week 4, he had 15 carries while no other back had more than three and he led the backfield with three targets. This week he takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers whose rush defense ranks 29th in the league. They are also allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. This is an outstanding matchup and it doesn't look like you have to worry about a crowded backfield anymore.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Rostered: 49.5%
Warren is here because options were extremely limited and there is no reason his ownership percentage should be so low. There just aren't decent running backs on the wire and Warren has an emerging star who needs to be owned and is worthy of flex consideration on a weekly basis. The matchup with the Ravens this week isn't good, but it's not awful either. If you are looking to the wire for a late pickup this is a good long-term solution you can also use now.
Wide Receivers
Michael Wilson, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 20.5%
Wilson is a rookie that a portion of the fantasy industry loved this summer as he got a ton of buzz at camp. He plays a much-needed role on the outside for Arizona and is coming off a breakout two-TD game. This is a decent, but not great matchup against the Bengals who haven't been great against the pass this season as we mentioned earlier. There is a real chance that Wilson just takes off from here and never looks back. Even if you don't want to start him yet, you should be adding him if at all possible.
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Rostered: 18.5%
This used to be a slam dunk waiver add. Tee Higgins gets hurt and you add and start Boyd without thinking twice. Not so much this season with Joe Burrow's struggles. Still, he is worth an add if you need to start someone this week. We immediately saw his targets spike last week once Higgins left with an injury. While he isn't nearly as safe as he would have been in the past in this offense, he still has a high ceiling as the Bengals' WR2.
Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Rostered: 3.7%
Conklin is widely available and is matched up against the Denver Broncos this week. In what should be a shock to no one, the Broncos are terrible against tight ends. They are terrible against everyone. This season they have allowed seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. It's hard to be bad at stopping everybody, but the Broncos have managed. With Patrick Surtain likely shadowing Garrett Wilson, this could be the perfect game for Conklin to go off.
Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 49.4%
The Cardinals' theme continues here with Ertz who is seeing a ton of targets this season. Through four games he has been targeted 30 times and has caught 20 of them. This week he draws the Bengals who are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends. Ertz should be owned in just about every PPR league and is a great start this week. This offense is better than expected and he is a much bigger part of it than expected. Forget what you thought and react to what you're seeing.
