Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season was interesting, to say the least. We saw multiple four-touchdown performances highlighted by David Montgomery and Christian McCaffrey and there were some key injuries as well as stout defensive performances that resulted in some strange box score totals.
Per The 33rd Team's Ari Meirov, seven teams failed to score a touchdown in Week 4.
Hopefully, Week 5 can bring more offensive fireworks for fantasy football managers. With that said, be sure to keep an eye out on your waiver wire this week for these players who are still available in more than 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.
Fantasy football QB waiver pickups, Week 5
CJ Stroud (48 percent rostered)
CJ Stroud was featured in the Week 3 waiver wire column and has since seen his rostership increase by 33 percent. Stroud has looked like the real deal through his first four career games in the NFL and seems to have the potential to be a franchise-altering quarterback for the Texans.
Despite his entire offensive line being decimated by injury, he currently ranks fourth in passing yards (1,212), ahead of superstar quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes among others. Currently the QB11 through the first four weeks, Stroud has exceeded 20 fantasy points in three consecutive games. While it hasn't resulted in fantasy production yet, he has received three-plus rushing attempts in every game this season, which could provide a nice boost to his value as time goes on.
Stroud's excellent play seems sustainable when you consider he has weapons to work with between third-year breakout Nico Collins, rookie receiver Tank Dell, veteran slot man Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz, and Dameon Pierce out of the backfield and should continue to improve as his offensive line gets closer to full strength.
Stroud is currently the betting favorite to win 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and showing no signs of slowing down. Pick him up before it's too late.
Joshua Dobbs (6 percent rostered)
The Cardinals have been better than advertised this season in large part due to the efforts of quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Dobbs has been with the Cardinals for less than two months after arriving on the team in late August via trade, but he has taken command of the huddle and proven he can be a professional starting quarterback in the NFL.
Dobbs scored 23-plus points in two of his last three games and is currently this year's QB16, ranked ahead of players such as Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Deshaun Watson, and more. He has rushed for 41 or more yards in three consecutive games, which gives him a respectable floor while simultaneously improving his ceiling on a weekly basis.
The Cardinals continue to be underdogs in every game they play, which should continue to set up Dobbs for plenty of fantasy-friendly game scripts moving forward. Dobbs has proven he belongs to be rostered in more than six percent of Yahoo leagues and could be a great option for those who have bye weeks coming up or don't feel comfortable starting a hobbled Joe Burrow.
Fantasy football RB waiver pickups, Week 5
Jaleel McLaughlin (5 percent rostered)
Broncos running back Javonte Williams suffered a hip injury in the team's Week 4 win against the Bears and it was Jaleel McLaughlin, not Samaje Perine who stepped up in a big way in his absence. Perine is rostered in 51 percent of leagues, not qualifying for this list, but if he is available in your league he is the top waiver wire priority over McLaughlin.
While Perine saw a majority of the snaps once Javonte Williams left with a hip injury, it was McLaughlin who was the more productive back. He turned 10 touches into 104 yards and a touchdown, compared to Perine's 35 scoreless yards on eight touches. McLaughlin had a higher route participation than Perine and also earned more touches than Perine despite playing fewer snaps.
McLaughlin has been receiving praise from head coach Sean Payton dating back to the offseason after landing with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Youngstown State University and it is clear that Payton trusts him with the ball in his hands. Despite his small stature (5-foot-7, 187 pounds), Payton has shown he is comfortable using McLaughlin in the red zone and near the goal line.
Williams' status for Week 5 remains up in the air, but he was taken to the locker room and ruled out of the Week 4 game versus the Bears shortly thereafter. Williams is still not fully recovered from the torn ACL/MCL injuries he suffered last season and the injuries could be connected if the hip injury occurred on the same side of the body.
Even if Williams can suit up for Week 5, McLaughlin makes for a worthy flier given how he performed on Sunday and Williams' injury history.
Chuba Hubbard (25 percent rostered)
With Miles Sanders currently banged up and nursing a groin injury, Chubba Hubbard led the way in the Panthers backfield, earning 16 carries to Sanders' 14. Hubbard and Sanders both received 16 touches and should each continue to see double-digit touches while the Panthers look to get rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, who has visibly struggled through his first four NFL games, up to speed.
Despite operating as the No. 2 running back behind offseason acquisition Miles Sanders, Hubbard has averaged 4.6 yards per attempt thus far and recorded at least two receptions in every game this season. With matchups against the Lions and Dolphins over the next two weeks, where both teams will be heavily favored, the Panthers could find themselves in negative game scripts, turning Hubbard into a potential PPR scam.
The Panthers offense hasn't had much going for them through four weeks and is desperately in search of finding Young a true No. 1 wide receiver in the trade market according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Until/if they can acquire one, Hubbard makes for a worthy bench stash with potential PPR juice in the coming weeks and is a player worth monitoring while Sanders continues to deal with a nagging groin injury.
Fantasy football WR waiver pickups, Week 5
Tyler Boyd (37 percent rostered)
Tee Higgins suffered a rib injury in the Bengals 27-3 loss to the Titans on Sunday, paving the way for Tyler Boyd to earn a full-time role. Boyd excelled when Higgins wasn't on the field in 2022 and is primed for a potentially large target share on an offense that has looked like a shell of itself thus far.
While Boyd may be the Bengals' No. 3 receiver on their depth chart, he'd most likely be the No. 2 or even have a case to be the No. 1 receiving option on a handful of teams in the NFL. He is a proven NFL receiver with multiple 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and has exceeded the 750-yard mark in five consecutive seasons.
Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow has been reluctant to hang onto the ball and air it out while playing through a calf injury to avoid potentially taking hits while standing in the pocket. This quick-hitting passing game should enable Burrow to look for Boyd in the middle of the field early and often as someone who spends the majority of his time in the slot.
With the Bengals having a bye in Week 7, it would not be surprising to see the team take a cautious approach with Higgins and have him return after the bye. Boyd should be a top priority for anyone in need of immediate wide receiver help with bye weeks beginning and so many injuries to the position
Zay Jones (31 percent rostered)
Zay Jones has missed the past two games after suffering a knee injury in Week 2 versus the Chiefs but was a focal point of the Jaguars passing game up until then. He earned 13 targets through the first two games before missing the net two and operated as the team's second receiver behind Calvin Ridley in two wide sets, relegating Christian Kirk to the slot.
A former second-round pick in 2017, Jones struggled to find his footing in the NFL before signing with the Jaguars in 2022. He recorded career-highs in targets (121), receptions (82), and yards (823) in 2022 and is attached to an ascending quarterback in Trevor Lawrence on a high-powered offense.
In 2022, Jones was the overall WR26 in PPR formats. While it may be difficult to reach the career-high marks he set last year with Ridley in the mix, there is certainly a path to Jones being a viable WR3/FLEX for the remainder of the season when he is able to return from injury. He is more than worthy of a speculative add and end-of-bench stash if he is available on your waiver wire.
Fantasy football TE waiver pickups, Week 5
Jonnu Smith (1 percent rostered)
Currently the PPR TE11, Jonnu Smith is outpacing his teammate and fellow tight end Kyle Pitts. Smith has one less target than Kyle Pitts, who was labeled as a generational prospect when the Falcons selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but has failed to live up to the hype.
Smith has earned six or more targets in three straight games after receiving zero in Week 1 and recorded season highs in receptions (6), targets (8), and yards (95) in Week 4 against the Jaguars in London. While many have questioned for years why Pitts hasn't been funneled targets on a team lacking receiving options, head coach Arthur Smith traded for a tight end this offseason in [Jonnu] Smith who is familiar with the offensive system and tendencies dating back to their days together in Tennessee with the Titans, where [Jonnu] Smith enjoyed the best seasons of his career to date.
While it will continue to drive fantasy managers who roster Pitts crazy, said managers could benefit from adding Smith to their roster and seeing how the situation plays out. If Smith can continue to command targets at this rate, he should have no issues hitting back-end TE1 value.
Logan Thomas (6 percent rostered)
Despite barely being drafted in fantasy football circles this summer, Logan Thomas has only three and five fantasy points less than high-profile fantasy tight ends such as New York Giants Darren Waller and San Francisco 49ers George Kittle. He has scored 7.3 or more PPR points in every game he's played in thus far, a feat only four other tight ends can say they've reached thus far (Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Sam LaPorta, and Evan Engram) while providing managers with a reasonable floor to work with for a tight end position that doesn't have many reliable options.
Second-year signal-caller Sam Howell and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy have shown a propensity to favor the tight end position through four weeks thus far. The Commanders are currently tied for seventh in the NFL with the Colts in tight end targets (33), with Thomas leading the way for the team's position group (14) despite missing a game.
You could do much worse than starting Logan Thomas at your tight end position and he makes for a worthwhile addition to any fantasy manager who didn't end up with one of Kelce, Andrews, LaPorta, Engram, or T.J. Hockenson.