Week 5 Waiver Wire Pickups 2021: Fantasy Football Players You Need to Add

It's never to late to turn your fantasy season around. Making savvy additions on the waiver wire is one of the best ways to do just that.

Here are the top waiver wire pickups heading into Week 4 (pending Monday night's game).

Week 5 Waiver Wire

Note: Only players rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo! fantasy football leagues are eligible for this list.

Randall Cobb Fantasy

5. Randall Cobb, WR, Green Bay Packers (7% Rostered)

Aaron Rodgers demanded that the Packers bring Randall Cobb in this offseason, and we're finally starting to see why. After failing to top 32 yards in his first three games, Cobb hauled in 5 receptions for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 targets. He should be heavily involved in this offense as long as Marquez Valdes-Scantling remains on the shelf. MVS has been placed on IR, Cobb should have some WR3/FLEX appeal for the next two weeks.

Dawson Knox Fantasy

4. Dawson Knox, TE, Buffalo Bills (45% Rostered)

The breakout everyone expected from Dawson Knox in year two may finally be happening in year three. Knox has hauled in 4 touchdowns over the last three games, averaging a rock-solid 5.3 targets per game in that time. He's probably going to be a TD-dependent option, but this offense will give him plenty of chances to score. If you need help at tight end, Knox is your best bet.

Samaje Perine Fantasy

3. Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (2% Rostered)

Cincinnati Bengals' back Joe Mixon is officially week-to-week, meaning this is Samaje Perine's backfield for the time being. Assuming Mixon is out in Week 5, Perine could find himself in a really good spot. The Green Bay Packers entered Week 4 as a bottom-eight run defense by DVOA, and they just allowed Najee Harris to put up the fifth-highest RB score of the week in PPR leagues. As long as the Bengals can remain competitive in Week 5, Perine should be in for a solid RB2 performance.

Trey Lance Fantasy

2. Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers (31% Rostered)

Trey Lance looks poised to draw his first NFL start in Week 5. It's likely to be rocky from a real-football perspective, but he's going QB1 potential in fantasy. In just one half of play, Lance finished as the QB12. He accounted for 157 passing yards on 18 attempts, throwing 2 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. But his calling card is the ground game, as Lance racked up 41 yards on 7 carries. In what should be a shootout against the Arizona Cardinals, Lance has legit top-five potential. Though to be fair, he has a remarkably low floor as well.

Damien Williams Fantasy

1. Damien Williams, RB, Chicago Bears (8% Rostered)

David Montgomery went down with what looked to be a serious knee injury. It's unclear if it'll be a season-ending issue, but it seems like Montgomery is looking at a multi-week absence. While he's on the sidelines, Damien Williams should be in the RB2 conversation. Prior to Week 4, Williams and Montgomery were the only two Bears backs that had carried the ball this season. Williams should have this backfield all to himself while Montgomery is out.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.