Mattek Fantasy Football

Ferguson runs all routes but cannot earn targets; he has a 10.5% target share on the year despite full-snap participation. The source ranks Tyler Higbee ahead of him for the upcoming week.

Wright did not play in Week 5, with Olly Gordon significantly ahead of him on the Dolphins' depth chart. The source questions why anyone would hold a backup running back with no path to meaningful playing time.

The Joe Mixon signing clarifies Helani's role as limited to third-down and distance situations. Emanuel Wilson is significantly ahead of him on the depth chart.

Jennings produced nothing in games without Justin Jefferson, indicating heavy dependence on the star receiver's presence and limited standalone value.

Despite running a high volume of routes, Pittman Jr. faces significant target competition from Jeremy Bernard and Roman Wilson. Roman Wilson is outperforming him on a target-per-route basis, while Jeremy Bernard is specifically targeting his role. The source expresses regret on draft capital allocation to Pittman Jr.

The source believes Kyler Murray is heading towards being benched despite the Vikings being 4-0. The Vikings rank 31st in the NFL in yards per play, and two of their wins came without an offensive touchdown, suggesting offensive struggles that could lead to Murray's benching. The source drafted Murray as a starter in multiple leagues but will not start him going forward and identifies him as an easy drop as bye weeks approach.

Marcus Mariota is expected to miss some time due to injury.

Lamar Jackson may miss multiple weeks due to injury, creating opportunity for backup Tyler Huntley in Superflex formats. The Ravens play in a dome against the Falcons, which provides a favorable matchup context.

Efton Chisum made an impressive one-handed touchdown reception in Week 5, ran 43% of routes, and received 10% of targets. With Matt Collins banged up and the Patriots' wide receiver room depleted (AJ Brown still out), Chisum has a clear path to increased volume. The source notes the Patriots' WR room is one of the worst in the NFL, creating opportunity for Chisum to see more targets.

Troy Franklin ran 39% of routes after Pat Bryant left the game with an ankle sprain. Pat Bryant is expected to miss about a month of the season, so Franklin will get his routes, but Mattek Fantasy Football notes that Franklin is not as good as Bryant, positioning him as a deep-league add for route volume with limited upside.

Pat Bryant left the game with an ankle sprain and is expected to miss about a month of the season. Mattek Fantasy Football identifies him as an obvious drop due to the ankle injury.

Josh Jacobs will eventually come off the commissioner's exempt list and return to the Packers. Mattek Fantasy Football notes this in the context of the Packers having the worst running back room in the NFL, suggesting Jacobs could have a role once eligible, though his timeline remains unclear.

Pierre Strong will be called up to replace the injured Chris Brooks in the Packers backfield. Mattek Fantasy Football's sense is that Strong will get a chance to play long-down-and-distance situations but will not get any early-down rushing work, limiting his fantasy upside in a run-heavy role.

Saints RB was the running back two in a game where Alvin Kamara got banged up; played only 26% of snaps and 13% of long-down-and-distance work. Positioned as a low-end add with potential if Kamara misses time.

Saints RB played only 26% of snaps and 13% of long-down-and-distance work after getting banged up in Monday night football. He briefly exited the game in the third quarter for evaluation in the blue tent before returning, but the injury may linger and cause more problems.

Bengals WR positioned as a low-end add with upside in a specific injury scenario. If both T. Higgins and Jamar Chase are out due to Chase's concussion, Mattek Fantasy Football would rather have Mitchell Tinsley on the roster than anyone else.

Chiefs TE competing with Jaylen Royals for Taekwon Thornton's vacated role; ran only 2 routes in the game and was targeted on 1 snap. Mattek Fantasy Football would not spend more than 1–2% FAAB on him, preferring Royals due to higher route volume. Possible that Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy could elevate him after two weeks off to game-plan without Thornton.

Cardinals WR had an 80-yard touchdown called back by penalty and posted a 73% route share with 24% target share. Mattek Fantasy Football called him out as a sneaky start last week and remains high on him, believing he is better than Van Jefferson, Deami Brown, and probably better than Trayon Burks at this stage of his career.

Cardinals WR had only a 40% route share but absolutely smashed in the Thursday night game. Mattek Fantasy Football does not fully believe in the sustainability of the performance but acknowledges there are worse sources of potential points.

Chiefs TE played significantly more snaps after Taekwon Thornton left the game. The Chiefs did not play any snaps out of 11 personnel after Thornton's departure, with Gray seeing increased usage alongside Jaylen Royals. However, Mattek Fantasy Football advises not going too crazy on Gray, recommending no more than 1–2% FAAB spend.

Ferguson was out last week. Higbee emerged as the primary receiving tight end in his absence, and the source expects Higbee to maintain approximately 75% of routes and 12-18% target share even if Ferguson returns.

Higbee posted 11 PPR points with 76% of routes and 12% of targets last week with Kobe Parkinson and Terrence Ferguson out; he was the primary receiving tight end. Second-round pick Max Cla played only one snap in 13 personnel. The source has evidence from the most recent two games that Higbee is Ferguson's backup, not Parkinson, Davis Allen, or Cla. Even if Parkinson returns next week, the source expects Higbee to maintain his role with approximately 75% of routes and 12–18% target share in the Rams offense with a decent chance of scoring. Matt Stafford is noted as an all-time kingmaker, and Higbee has had fantasy runs before (once drafted as a top-10 tight end). The source added him in many leagues and started him in three or four deeper leagues, expressing happiness with his role.

Bell had a 60-yard touchdown called back by a ticky-tack penalty (foot barely stepped out of bounds), but the Miami Dolphins only ran 39 plays last week, limiting overall offensive volume. The Dolphins are not very good, which constrains Bell's upside despite the big play.

Saints WR earned starting role as day-three pick; played 85% of snaps in Monday Night Football, saw 5 targets with high average depth of target, and would be interesting add in deeper formats if Chris Alave misses time; source intrigued by physical profile and unusual path to starting role for late-round pick.

Signed to Seahawks practice squad with potentially career-ending foot injury; 2024 season showed very low efficiency (one of worst success rate seasons in NFL, worst receiving efficiency season), and source would prefer Tyreek Hill; unlikely to play Week 5 given Charbanet ahead of schedule and Jadarian Price's return, creating roster crunch that could lead to waiver wire release. However, source also suggests him as a waiver wire pickup alternative to dropping Jaylen Wright.

Washington posted 12 PPR points with 90% of routes and 30% of targets last week. The source identifies him as the clear choice if you had to start a Dolphins wide receiver over Chris Bell. While the Dolphins only ran 39 plays last week and are not very good, Washington provides a nice fantasy football floor. In a game where Miami runs NFL-average 60 plays, Washington could see additional usage out of the backfield.

Eagles practice squad RB ranked second among three backfield options; profiles as the best like-for-like backup to Tank Bixby and direct complement to Saquon Barkley's role; had 1,000 yards in his first NFL season with Houston but struggled after the Texans switched to a zone running scheme; source prefers him for the Tank Bixby backup role in deeper leagues. Source notes it would not be surprising if Pierce received 13 rushes for the Eagles in Week 5, suggesting closer path to startability than other practice squad options.

Eagles practice squad RB ranked third among three backfield options; offers special teams value; started a game for the Chiefs; source rates him as the best team player and gamer among the three but ranks him third overall for fantasy purposes in deeper 14–16 team leagues. Source does not expect immediate startability in Week 5.

Alave limped off during Monday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons on the final drive. The source notes that Alave is very fragile, which is relevant context for his injury durability going forward.

With Taekwon Thornton out for likely the rest of the season, if Rashi Rice is unable to play in week six, Royals would assume Rice's role; he is likely Rice's backup. After Thornton left the game, the Chiefs did not play any snaps out of 11 personnel; instead, Noah Gray played more, with Royals and Gray playing significantly more snaps. Royals runs more routes than competing option Cyrus Allen. The source advises not going too crazy on Royals and recommends spending no more than 1–2% FAAB.

Trey Harris is a major beneficiary of the Chargers offensive collapse, running 91% of routes and receiving 70% of targets. He provides consistent production despite team dysfunction. The source describes him as a favorite waiver wire sneak and recommends spending $1–2 FAB but notes he is not a top waiver priority.

Jordan Tyson is the source's favorite waiver wire sneak with better expected volume and similar efficiency compared to Tyreek Hill. Tyson has resumed running off to the side in Saints practice, indicating recovery progress. The source is actively adding Tyson in 4-0 and 3-1 teams. Tyson was drafted eighth overall by New Orleans and the source expects him to be a better player than other Saints receivers and more capable of earning volume. The Saints have heavy pass volume and a weak defense. The earliest comfortable lineup insertion is Week 9 due to the Saints' Week 8 bye. Tyson has insanely high fantasy football upside when he returns.

Taquan Thornton dislocated his ankle, creating depth chart opportunity in the Chiefs wide receiver room.

Tyreek Hill's agent Drew Rosenhouse reported that Hill will sign with the Kansas City Chiefs this week. Hill was relatively efficient in limited 2024 action before a season-ending injury. The source recommends adding Hill if you have a strong fantasy team (4-0 or 3-1 record) needing playoff depth. However, Hill is targeting a November return and likely unavailable until Week 8 or later, so the source advises against spending significant FAB dollars given the delayed contribution timeline and upcoming bye weeks.

Emanuel Wilson is the source's top waiver wire add for Week 5 and is projected to score better than Will Shipley in fantasy points. The source assumes Wilson has already been claimed in every competitive league due to immediate Week 5 point production need.

Jamar Chase is banged up but has a chance to play against the Dolphins in Week 6; his status affects Mike Cassiki's role projection, as Cassiki becomes a full-time slot receiver when Chase is unavailable.

Dalton Kincaid's role was minimized in the Bills offense last week with 49% route share, which Mattek Fantasy Football attributes partly to Keon Coleman's strong emergence in the passing game.

Keon Coleman scored 23 PPR points on 78% route share and 23% target share in his last game; with DJ Moore sidelined by shoulder reinjury, Coleman has emerged as one of the better waiver wire wide receiver adds of the season. Mattek Fantasy Football notes Coleman fits a better role than DJ Moore in the Josh Allen offense, is most effective down the field, and receives plays designed for Josh Allen's scrambles. Recommended FAAB bid: 15%.

Will Shipley is the only other running back on the Eagles with game snaps this season and will retain his long down and distance role with Saquon Barkley out Week 5 and Tank Bsby sidelined. Mattek Fantasy Football recommends bidding aggressively on waivers, though does not project a 16–18 touch per game role. Shipley was a productive college prospect at Clemson and should see early-down opportunities.

Saquon Barkley will miss Week 5 due to hamstring injury; Mattek Fantasy Football assesses the injury as severe and does not expect Barkley to play in Week 6 either, creating an extended absence window.