Scott Engel is in his eighth season of providing Fantasy Football coverage for Seahawks.com. An inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame, he is in his 23rd year as a Fantasy analyst and professional. You can now find more of his work and weekly rankings on RotoBaller.com and hear him every Saturday night on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.
This appears to be a week when you can be more judicious on the waiver wire and may even be able save some Free-Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) or your waiver positioning. There are two teams on byes. The Lions and Dolphins will be off, and this is not a week where you will have to be concerned with replacing a starting quarterback. Only two players from the idle teams, RB Kerryon Johnson and WR Kenny Golladay, should be considered very challenging to replace. We were also very fortunate in terms of injuries in Week 4, not losing any prime starters that will cause frenetic FAAB bidding or anxiety about whether or not you will actually have a chance to land someone highly necessary on waivers. The Seahawks enjoyed a week mostly free of drama at Arizona, and the feeling should be similar as you approach your free agency list in the next day or two.
Players are listed based on NFL.com ownership percentages but recommendations can be applied to all Fantasy Football platforms. Selections are listed in order of preference/priority.
Week 5 Waiver Wire Targets:
Running Backs
Jordan Howard, PHI (51.8 percent owned in NFL.com leagues):The veteran totaled 115 yards from scrimmage and rushed for three scores as he looked much like the version of Howard that we have seen earlier in his career. Howard was quiet in the first three games with his new team, but he ran with authority and was very tough to bring down against Green Bay last Thursday. The Eagles will get other RBs involved in the mix, but you have to grab Howard to see if he can sustain the momentum from a very impressive outing.
Chris Thompson, WAS (53.7 percent owned): He is one of the most dependable players on the Washington roster, and while the team does not have a major rushing threat, this receiving specialist acts as an extension of the running game by frequently catching short and flat passes. Healthy again, he has totaled 135 receiving yards over the past two games and is a quality depth option in PPR formats.
Ronald Jones, TB (31.9 percent owned): He had a career-best 19 carries for 70 yards and a TD and has totaled 150 rushing yards over the past two games. Jones looks like he finally may be emerging as a lead back the Buccaneers envisioned him to be when they drafted him in the second round last year. Under a new coaching regime, he has started to show more signs of Fantasy life.
Wide Receivers
A.J. Brown, TEN (2.0 percent owned): This has looked like a standout rookie WR class in 2019, as Seahawks fans and those who roster DK Metcalf in Fantasy Football already know. Brown is part of that group and delivered a breakout performance in Week 4, with 94 receiving yards and two TD catches. He took a 55-yard slant all the way to the end zone. Brown has tremendous downfield gears and considerable upside. Grab him as a Fantasy WR4 with promise for more.
Geronimo Allison, GB (32.6 percent owned): Many owners have dropped him as the yardage totals have been disappointing, but he scored twice in the past three games and the Packers are starting to pick up the passing tempo again. Outside of Brown on this week's WR list, there are not any truly outstanding alluring additions. But Allison is worth a flier to see if his play will continue to pick up as Aaron Rodgers starts to open things up more.
DeVante Parker, MIA (0.7 percent owned): Consider him as an option in larger leagues for upcoming bye weeks. Parker already has two 70-yard games and double figure Fantasy performances early in 2019. The considerable talent has always been there, and with Josh Rosen having to throw frequently every week, he'll continue to look to Parker as his guy to provide bigger chunks of yardage.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston, TB (53.6 percent owned): When a QB throws for 380 yards in two consecutive outings and totals seven TD passes in that span, you have to take him very seriously for Fantasy purposes. Under Bruce Arians, Winston has started to look like he is finally reaching his considerable potential over the past two games. He does have more to prove, but he is available in a lot of leagues where owners should take the chance to find out if this is truly a pivotal positive stretch in his career.
Jacoby Brissett, IND (18.9 percent owned): We mentioned him in this space earlier this season and will obviously have to tout him again based on the ownership percentages. Brissett has two three TD games already, eight scoring passes in the past three games and 575 passing yards in the last two. He has also overcome recent key receiver injuries while posting quality totals.
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham, GB (21.6 percent owned): The former Seahawk also benefitted from a sudden passing uptick in Green Bay, catching six passes for 61 yards and a TD last Thursday. The Packers are making a true effort to get Graham back into the offensive flow and he should continue to see frequent TD chances.
Noah Fant, DEN (3.0 percent owned): He had a 25-yard catch and run for a score in Week 4 and appears to be on his way to becoming more comfortable in the Denver offense and the pro game. Fant has a lot of promise as a playmaker, and at a very thin Fantasy position, he is worth stashing as he continues to improve, if you have the roster room.
Seahawks Fantasy Mailbag
For answers to your Fantasy questions early every week, fill out the bottom of this form on Sunday nights or early Mondays for priority consideration. You can also tag me or @Seahawks on Twitter.
Arron Gregory of Columbus asks: Will DK Metcalf's production be consistent enough or should I replace him with A.J. Brown on my roster?
Engel: Metcalf was targeted four times at Arizona, after never being targeted less than six times in each of the first two games. He has been targeted six more times than Brown and they both have 10 receptions. Both are first-year WRs and have a lot of upside, but Metcalf gets the call here because he is playing a more prominent role in his offense and is connected to Russell Wilson in terms of where his numbers will come from. Both are fine Fantasy newcomers, but you also have to exhibit patience with both of them and not overreact to certain performances by moving them off your roster.
Jim Teller of Glendale asks: I have Russell Wilson, Chris Carson and Metcalf on my roster, would you play all of them at the same time or is that too Seahawks reliant?
Engel: I can tell maybe you did not plan to land all three of them on your roster in your draft because you are posing this question. They simply may have been the best players on the board at points during your draft. A savvy Fantasy owner never leans too much on one team in seasonal Fantasy Football. It's too much of a boom-or-bust approach that apparently did not work out well for Fantasy purposes this past week. Carson dominated the Seahawks output statistically and that put a lid on other outputs. If the Seahawks also play a low-scoring game, that will cut into your overall Fantasy outlook as well. Wilson and Carson are key Fantasy starters and Metcalf is a very enticing WR4, but Fantasy stats often get spread out in an offense and you should distribute your production among more teams.
For more from Scott Engel, get the RotoBaller.com 2019 Fantasy Football Package, which includes his lineup rankings and regular weekly columns. Enter code "Seahawks" at checkout for a discount.
