Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Jameis Winston Now A QB1?
By Matt Citak
(CBS Boston) Week 4 of the NFL season is officially in the books.
For the first time all season, a week of football went by without several significant fantasy contributors falling victim to the injury bug.
That is good news for all fantasy owners. But with no fantasy starters getting hurt, the quality of this week's waiver wire adds takes a hit.
However, there are still some strong players to add to your fantasy team with a quarter of the season done.
Here are your top waiver wire adds heading into Week 5.
QB Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts- Brissett is coming off a strong Week 4 performance. Going up against the Oakland Raiders, Brissett threw for 265 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. For those keeping count, that makes him 4-for-4 in throwing multiple touchdowns in a game this season. Brissett was able to finish with 23.50 points this week, and that was without his top target, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton. The Colts will face off against the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, which means a shootout is likely. Brissett will have to throw a ton to keep up with Patrick Mahomes, which makes him a great streaming option for Week 5 and a potential QB1 for the rest of the season.
QB Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers- It would come as no surprise if Winston was dropped in your league. The fifth-year QB was rather unimpressive in his first two games before putting up a strong outing against the Giants in Week 3. Well, he backed that up with an even better performance against the Los Angeles Rams this past Sunday. Winston threw for 385 yards, four touchdowns and an interception on his way to 30 fantasy points, and with a matchup against the New Orleans Saints on deck, Winston falls on the QB1 radar this week.
RB Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Jones was one of the bigger disappointments last season as he averaged a mere 1.9 yards per carry on 23 rush attempts. But the second-year back has looked much improved in 2019, and his success continued against the Rams on Sunday. Jones carried the ball 19 times for 70 yards and a touchdown while adding one reception for 12 yards. Jones has now topped 70 yards on the ground in three of four games this season, with the one exception coming in a week in which he was banged up. He may not have the highest ceiling, but Jones looks to be a formidable flex, or maybe even low-end RB2, option moving forward.
RB Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs- I know, I know, another Chiefs running back to throw into the fantasy mix? Williams has played in only two games this season and has looked good in one and not so hot in the other. In Week 3, Williams averaged almost seven yards per carry as he gained 62 yards on just nine attempts. However this past Sunday, the second-year player carried the rock eight times and was able to muster only 13 yards. Luckily for the fantasy owners that rolled the dice and started him, two of those carries went for touchdowns. Williams also caught three receptions for 43 yards, proving that he is not simply a touchdown-dependent back. It may be frustrating trying to predict which running back Andy Reid will turn to each week, but Williams has shown enough over the last two weeks to put himself on the fantasy map.
RB Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons- Let me start off by saying there is a considerable drop-off between Williams and Smith when it comes to who you should prioritize on the waiver wire. However, if you're desperate for a running back and you're looking for a speculative add, Smith is your guy. Smith touched the ball four times on Sunday, gaining 11 yards on the ground and 20 yards in the air. But more importantly for fantasy, head coach Dan Quinn decided to give Smith the team's goal line carry rather than Devonta Freeman. Freeman has not played well this year at all, averaging less than 2.5 yards per carry in three of his four games, which could open the door for Smith to pick up more touches. I wouldn't throw him into your lineup, but Smith could be worth an add this week.
WR Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers- It took four games, but Allison finally had himself a good game last Thursday night. The fourth-year receiver caught three of four targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers aren't amazing, but they are solid. However, Allison's teammate and stud receiver Davante Adams left the game due to a turf toe injury. Adams' injury does not sound too serious, but his status for Week 5 is very much up in the air. If Adams were to sit out this week, Allison, along with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, would become Aaron Rodgers' top targets against the Cowboys. That is more than enough to warrant an add.
WR Mohamed Sanu, Atlanta Falcons- It may not be the sexiest pickup, but Sanu is quietly putting together another solid season in Atlanta. Against the Titans in Week 4, Sanu reeled in nine of 12 targets for 91 yards, with the 12 targets registering as a team-high. The veteran receiver has at least five catches and 55 yards in three of his four games, and has reached 75 yards or more twice. He has yet to find the end zone, which certainly lowers his fantasy ceiling, but Sanu seems to be a reliable option for at least 4-5 catches each week. Don't expect a ton from him, but Sanu is a solid WR4.
WR Dontrelle Inman, Los Angeles Chargers- The Chargers have dealt with a rash of injuries to its offensive playmakers this season. This has opened the door for Inman, who finished Week 4 with five receptions for 76 yards. It remains to be seen how long Mike Williams will be sidelined, as the injury-prone receiver has had a hard time staying on the field in his short NFL career. With Williams and Travis Benjamin banged up, Inman should continue to have a role in the Chargers offense, which makes him a decent fantasy option.
TE Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers- Graham might be one of the most frustrating players to own in all of fantasy football. With his size and skill set, Graham should be one of the more dominating tight ends in the NFL. However, the 32-year-old tight end is too inconsistent. Within Green Bay's first four games, Graham has caught nine of 14 targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns in two games, while failing to even register a target in the other two. Starting him certainly comes with risk, as the veteran has proven to be touchdown-dependent while a member of the Packers. But with Adams banged up, Rodgers could look towards Graham even more often than normal in the red zone, which bodes well for his fantasy outlook. Graham is worth a pickup, but start him at your own risk.
Matt Citak is a contributing writer for CBS Local. Follow him on Twitter here for all things fantasy football, New York Giants and more.