Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season will be the first week with two teams on official byes. Fantasy managers will need to replace players from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers; luckily, the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers return to action this week after having their Week 4 contest postponed due to the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak. Below, we look at the top fantasy football waiver wire adds for Week 5.
Fantasy football Week 5 waiver adds
New England Patriots RB Damien Harris
Congrats to fantasy managers who got a jump start with Harris by adding him Monday afternoon when Patriots RB Sony Michel was first placed on the Reserve/Injured list. Harris, a third-round choice in the 2019 NFL Draft, ran for 100 yards on 17 carries in New England’s 26-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the absence of QB Cam Newton put a greater focus on the ground attack for the Patriots, Newton’s eventual return after testing positive for COVID-19 will help open up some running lanes. With Michel on IR, the top job belongs to Harris for the foreseeable future.
Los Angeles Chargers RB Justin Jackson
Jackson has carried the ball just eight times for 13 yards while catching both of his two targets for another 12 yards through the air, but starting RB Austin Ekeler is expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to a serious hamstring strain.
While he’ll be replaced by fourth-round rookie Joshua Kelley in the lead role, the Chargers likely will continue using a two-RB system behind rookie QB Justin Herbert. Jackson will warrant FLEX consideration in favorable upcoming matchups against the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.
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Cleveland Browns RB D’Ernest Johnson
The most notable injury of Week 4 was to Browns RB Nick Chubb. He’ll be placed on IR due to a knee injury and could reportedly miss as many as six weeks.
Kareem Hunt will be the main beneficiary in both the passing and running games, but the undrafted Johnson should see plenty of the rushing work after gaining 95 yards on 13 carries after Chubb went down in Week 4. The Browns’ upcoming schedule includes difficult matchups against the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, but Johnson needs to be added as an insurance policy for Hunt.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Scotty Miller
Miller has topped 80 yards each of the last two weeks and scored his first touchdown of the season against the Chargers in Week 4. His usage depends heavily on the health of WRs Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Mike Evans (ankle) but both are at risk of missing the Week 5 Thursday Night Football matchup against the Chicago Bears on short rest.
Bucs TE O.J. Howard (Achilles) is also expected to miss some time, so Miller could see 5-10 targets and be able to return adequate fantasy value despite this week’s difficult matchup.
Green Bay Packers TE Robert Tonyan
The Packers are on bye this week, but this is always a good time to get the jump on your league mates. Tonyan reached the end zone three more times in Week 4 with season highs of six targets, six receptions and 98 yards.
WR Davante Adams will likely return in Week 6, but WR Allen Lazard will remain on IR. Tonyan has proven himself a reliable option for QB Aaron Rodgers and should have consistent red-zone usage all season in Green Bay’s thin receiving corps.
Use the bye week to plan ahead and claim Tonyan while others are focused on Week 5.
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