The injuries continue to pile up for wide receivers this year in the NFL, which makes my waiver wire stashes more important for team’s with deep rosters.
The Cincinnati Bengals took the biggest hit on Sunday. Ja’Marr Chase left early with a concussion and Tee Higgins has a groin injury.
The Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers were part of the parade of WR injuries leading the way to most waiver wire pick-ups.
Let’s get into our deep dive of the waiver wire!
Week 5 Stashes
Brycen Tremayne, Carolina (2 percent on Yahoo!, 7 percent on Sleeper)
John Metchie, Carolina (0.1 percent on Yahoo!, 15 percent on Sleeper)
Brycen Tremayne and John Metchie both stepped in nicely to give the Carolina Panthers solid playing time at WR.
Yes, Tetairoa McMillan dominated targets in the Panthers’ big win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, but Tremayne and Metchie were both featured in the offense.
Tremayne played 92 percent of the snaps (3 more percentage points than Tet) and he finished with 2 catches on 3 targets and 32 yards. And this came after his 4-catch, 83-yard performance in Week 3.
Metchie shined for a stretch last season for the New York Jets but he stepped into the No. 3 role and played 37 percent of the snaps with 3 catches on 5 targets and 37 yards receiving.
The duo could be pressed into action for another week or two thanks to injuries. Jalen Coker could return to the lineup this week after suffering a quad injury in Week 3, and Xavier Legette was placed on IR during the weekend for his knee injury.
Dohnte Meyers, Cincinnati (2 percent on Yahoo!, 3 percent on Sleeper)
Dohnte Meyers may be the most valuable of my waiver wire stashes this week.
He has proven to be a reliable No. 3 in a potent offense and played well when pressed into a bigger role in the Bengals’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meyers has played 56 and 89 percent of the snaps in the last two games as the No. 3 WR. Andrei Iosivas was placed on IR after tearing a tendon in his thumb serving as the No. 3 WR to start the season.
Then Meyers was forced into more playing time when Chase suffered his concussion in the first half of Sunday’s game and Higgins was injured late in the game.
Currently, Meyers heads into the Miami game as the de facto No. 1 until we get more news on Higgins’ injury and as Chase works through concession protocols.
And the Bengals have a juicy matchup against the winless Miami Dolphins.
Malachi Fields, New York Giants (7 percent on Yahoo!, 15 percent on Sleeper)
Malachi Fields, a third-round draft pick, has settled in as the Giants No. 2 WR, behind No. 1 Malik Nabers.
Fields has played the most snaps among the Giants WR as Nabers worked his way back from his knee injury. Fields has played at least 66 percent of the snaps in each game.
He has seen 15 targets and caught 8 passes for 126 yards and a touchdowns.
And the Giants schedule looks favorable as they only play three elite pass defenses during the rest of season, giving Fields more chances to grow in the offense.
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