Frey’s Fantasy Focus: Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups
Josh Frey
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Depending on size and championship timeframes, most fantasy leagues are around a quarter of the way through their season. If your team has struggled with injuries and quiet performances to start the year, you’re probably looking for someone to jumpstart some scoring. This week brings an intriguing set of players to watch on the waiver wire. Here are just a few to consider this weekend.
Raiders D/ST (42.8%)
Last time I included the Las Vegas defense in this series, it didn’t pan out. It has to at some point though, right? The Raiders are yet to put up a big fantasy output this year despite having decent success on that side of the ball to start the year. This week may finally finally show the fruits of their labor, though. Las Vegas goes against a very underwhelming Bears offense that will be without star RB David Montgomery. Chicago is yet to score 25 points in a game this season, and Justin Fields has started just two games in which he got demolished by the Browns and relied heavily on his RBs against the Lions.
The Raiders pass defense has been a strength for much of the season, and it should continue to be so against the Bears. Namely, the pass rush led by Maxx Crosby should feast against one of the league’s worst offensive lines in terms of pass protection. The run defense will be the x-factor for the Raiders, but it should be much easier going against Damien Williams rather than Montgomery.
TE Tyler Conklin (20.7%)
Following their opening drive, the Vikings as a whole struggled to do anything against a stout Browns defense. As a result, Tyler Conklin totaled just 18 yards on the day as a receiver. However, following a week where the third-year tight end had eight targets and a touchdown reception against Seattle, Conklin’s target volume remained high versus Cleveland.
This week brings a much more favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions who just two weeks ago gave up a triple-digit yardage performance to Mark Andrews. If Conklin continues to get an above-average amount of targets, he should be in line for a very solid day against a soft secondary.
WR Deonte Harris (2.5%)
After a slow first three weeks, Deonte Harris emerged as the Saints clear No. 1 receiver last week in their overtime loss against New York. He had just seven targets through the first three games, but earned eight versus the Giants. Of course, there’s a chance this will be an outlier as New Orleans has the fewest pass attempts in the league and has dedicated themselves to being a run-first team.
However, with rookie sensation Tony Jones Jr. being sidelined for at least three weeks, they may be forced to go to the pass more often. If that is the case, Deonte Harris has a great chance for another breakout game against a Washington defense that has allowed the sixth-most passing yards and fourth-most passing touchdowns. Even if his targets go down by a touch, his speed and elusiveness make him a constant big play threat.