Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire: Best Pickups At Each Position

The 2021 NFL season continues rolling along, and so too does fantasy football action.

Four weeks generally is enough time to get a sense of how good (or not-so-good) your team is. And while it’s around this time the wire starts really drying up, there still are some good finds to be had.

So, here are the players you’ll want to eye this week on the wire (based on players available in 65 percent or fewer of Yahoo! leagues).

Quarterback: Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers (38% owned)
OK, so it’s time to stop messing around. Pick up Darnold if he’s still available in your league.

Darnold looks like a new man now that he’s free from the Jets, becoming an efficient passer who also can do damage on the ground, as well. He only has five touchdowns in the air, with three interceptions, but has thrown for 1,189 yard already — and the five rushing scores he has makes him a valuable fantasy add.

Other quarterbacks to target: Jared Goff (DET), Jameis Winston (NO), Daniel Jones (NYG)

Running back: Damien Williams, Chicago Bears (8% owned)
Williams hasn’t had that productive of a year, but the reason we roll with him here is because when David Montgomery went down, the Bears turned to Williams — and he performed well.

The veteran running back had eight carries for 55 yards with a touchdown, while catching two passes for 15 yards. Not the highest volume, but if the Bears are without Montgomery for any period of time, it sure looks like they might start feeding Williams increasingly often.

Other running backs to target: J.D. McKissic (WFT), Kenneth Gainwell (PHI), Alex Collins (SEA)

Wide receiver: Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams (5% owned)
Jefferson appears to be earning the trust of Matthew Stafford, which could be a huge thing from a fantasy standpoint. Because the Rams have so many weapons in the air, Jefferson has a tendency to get soft matchups, which he has proven capable of exploiting.

He has gotten targeted six times in each of his last two games, making 10 catches for 132 yards with a touchdown. The Rams have gotten the 2020 second-round pick more involved in the offense, and he might be a good guy to get in on the ground floor on.

Other wide receivers to target: Darnell Mooney (CHI), DeVante Parker (MIA), A.J. Green (ARI)

Tight end: Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills (47% owned)
Knox has gotten enough attention in the high-flying Bills offense this season to warrant picking him up at this point. Not a whole lot of tight ends left on the wire have gotten targeted four-plus times in all but one of their contests this season, with Knox reeling in a pair of touchdowns in a beatdown of the Texans last week.

Knox now has at least one touchdown in each of his last three games, making him well worth picking up.

Other tight ends to target: Jared Cook (LAC), Mo Alie-Cox (IND), C.J. Uzomah (CIN)