Fantasy Football Week 5 Waiver Wire: Damien Williams, Samaje Perine among potential backfield solutions

The injuries are starting to pile up at running back, and we had two prominent guys go down in Week 4 with David Montgomery (knee) and Joe Mixon (ankle). Hopefully, their replacement options can become potential Fantasy starters in the majority of leagues.

Let’s start in Chicago, where Montgomery is expected to miss 4-5 weeks with a knee sprain. That should allow Damien Williams (16 percent rostered on CBS Sports) the chance to be the featured running back for the Bears, and he should be the top priority off the waiver wire.

Williams is dealing with a thigh bruise, but he’s expected to be OK for Week 5 at Las Vegas. And if he starts, consider Williams a No. 2 running back in all leagues. He’s worth adding for at least 25 percent of your remaining FAAB budget, but you might see Williams go for much more than that to a running back-needy team.

We know Williams should get plenty of work in place of Montgomery, who averaged 18.8 total touches per game this year. Williams just had eight carries for 55 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against Detroit, along with two catches for 15 yards on two targets.

In case the thigh injury for Williams is a problem then you should plan to add Khalil Herbert (1 percent) as well with a secondary waiver move. Herbert is worth up to 5 percent of your remaining FAAB.

For the Bengals, Mixon is considered day-to-day by coach Zac Taylor, although ESPN reported that Mixon is week-to-week with a low-ankle sprain. Clearly, there’s still a chance Mixon can play in Week 5 against Green Bay. But if he’s out, Samaje Perine (8 percent rostered) would likely start, and he’s worth adding in all leagues as the No. 2 player off the waiver wire behind Williams.

Perine could share playing time with Chris Evans (2 percent rostered), who could work on passing downs, but there should be enough work to make Perine a flex against the Packers. Mixon has averaged 22.5 total touches per game this year.

In terms of FAAB, Perine is worth up to 15 percent of your remaining budget. I wouldn’t want to overpay for Perine in case Mixon plays in Week 5, but he did miss 10 games in 2020 with a foot injury. Evans is worth 1 percent of your remaining FAAB just to see what role he has in tandem with Perine.

There are other running backs to add in case you can’t get Williams or Perine, including Kenneth Gainwell, Brandon Bolden, Jeremy McNichols, Darrel Williams, Alex Collins and Jeff Wilson. We’ll get into those guys and more at other positions below, and this should be a busy week on the waiver wire.

Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.

Week 5 Waivers

• Injuries: Christian McCaffrey (hamstring), David Montgomery (knee), Joe Mixon (ankle), Elijah Mitchell (shoulder), Peyton Barber (foot), Tony Jones (ankle), Giovani Bernard (knee), JaMycal Hasty (ankle) and Rashaad Penny (calf)
• Drop list: Ty’Son Williams (91 percent rostered), Kenyan Drake (80 percent), Ronald Jones (64 percent) and Mark Ingram (63 percent). Williams might return as the Ravens lead running back at some point this year, but Fantasy managers in 10-team leagues or fewer can move on after Williams was inactive in Week 4 at Denver with Le’Veon Bell joining the active roster. … Drake had one carry and no catches in Week 4 at the Chargers with Josh Jacobs back. It’s clear Drake isn’t going to get extended work for the Raiders unless Jacobs and Barber both miss time. … Jones scored in Week 4 at New England, but he still has seven total touches or fewer in every game this year, with only one reception. He won’t have increased Fantasy value as long as Leonard Fournette is healthy. … Ingram scored 14 PPR points in Week 1 against Jacksonville and has combined for 10 PPR points in three games since. He’s also combined for just 13 total touches in his past two games against Carolina and Buffalo.
  
  
• Check to see if available: J.D. McKissic (73 percent rostered), Latavius Murray (71 percent) and A.J. Dillon (65 percent). McKissic has scored at least 16 PPR points in two of his past three games, and he’s worth using as a flex option in PPR most weeks, including Week 5 against the Saints. … Murray is now the lead running back in Baltimore after he had 18 carries in Week 4 at Denver. He only managed 59 rushing yards, but he scored a touchdown for the third time in four games. Murray will be a weekly flex if he continues to get this kind of work, with his value higher in non-PPR leagues. … Dillon is a lottery ticket in case something ever happens to Aaron Jones. And Dillon just had a season-high 16 total touches in Week 4 against Pittsburgh and finished with 96 total yards, so more work could be coming in tandem with Jones.

• Injuries: Teddy Bridgewater (concussion), Jimmy Garoppolo (calf), Tua Tagovailoa (ribs), Ryan Fitzpatrick (hip), Tyrod Taylor (hamstring) and Andy Dalton (knee)
• Drops: Baker Mayfield (70 percent rostered) and Justin Fields (63 percent). Mayfield has yet to top 19 Fantasy points in any game this year. … Fields has combined for nine Fantasy points in two starts and is on the verge of getting benched for Dalton when he’s healthy. Fields is only worth holding in keeper and dynasty leagues.
  
  
• Check to see if available: Sam Darnold (71 percent rostered) and Trevor Lawrence (69 percent). Darnold has scored at least 21 Fantasy points in every game this season, including at least 25 points in each of his past two games. He also has five rushing touchdowns on the year. … Lawrence is worth a flyer this week against the Titans, who have allowed three quarterbacks to score at least 21 Fantasy points in four outings.

Add in this order:

• Injuries: Amari Cooper (hamstring), DK Metcalf (foot), A.J. Brown (hamstring), Julio Jones (hamstring), Tee Higgins (shoulder), Chase Claypool (hamstring), D.J. Chark (ankle), Will Fuller (finger), Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Darius Slayton (hamstring), Jerry Jeudy (ankle), Jarvis Landry (knee), Michael Gallup (calf), Elijah Moore (concussion), T.Y. Hilton (neck), Russell Gage (ankle), Tyrell Williams (concussion) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (hamstring).
• Check to see if available: Check to see if available: Henry Ruggs (79 percent rostered), Shepard (74 percent) and Jakobi Meyers (70 percent). Ruggs had a down game in Week 4 at the Chargers with three catches for 60 yards on six targets, but he still has at least six targets in each of his past three games. He’s going to win you some weeks, and I want to stash him on my bench for when the matchups are right. … Shepard will hopefully return soon from his hamstring injury, and I would add him in all leagues where available. Prior to getting hurt in Week 3 he had at least 18 PPR points in each of his first two games. … Meyers would be the No. 1 receiver to add in PPR leagues where available, and he has at least 12 targets and 16 PPR points in two consecutive games coming into Week 5. Mac Jones continues to lean on Meyers, and he’s worth starting in PPR moving forward.
  
  
• Drops: JuJu Smith-Schuster (93 percent rostered), Brandon Aiyuk (89 percent), D.J. Chark (85 percent), Will Fuller (81 percent), Jarvis Landry (68 percent) and Mecole Hardman (51 percent). Smith-Schuster and Aiyuk should only be dropped in 10-team leagues or smaller, but clearly it’s been a disappointing start for both receivers. Smith-Schuster has fewer than 53 receiving yards in every game this season, has three games with four catches or less and has yet to catch a touchdown. Aiyuk has three games with one catch or less and has yet to top 37 receiving yards in any outing, with one touchdown. … Chark, Fuller and Landry aren’t worth holding while they are injured, unless you have an IR spot, and Chark is likely out for the season. … Hardman might never be a consistent Fantasy producer, and with Josh Gordon now joining the Chiefs, things could get worse, so it’s easy to let him go.

• Injuries: George Kittle (calf), Rob Gronkowski (ribs), Logan Thomas (hamstring), Tyler Higbee (ankle) and Gerald Everett (illness)
• Check to see if available: Mike Gesicki (76 percent rostered), Dalton Schultz (72 percent) and Jared Cook (67 percent). In the past two games with Brissett starting, Gesicki had 18 targets, 15 catches, 143 yards and a touchdown, and he scored at least 16 PPR points in those outings. Hopefully, that continues when Tagovailoa returns, as well as when Fuller is healthy. … Schultz should be considered a must-start tight end right now since he has at least 17 PPR points in two consecutive games, and he has three games this season with at least six targets and six catches. He has 15 targets in his past two outings, and it’s nice to see Dak Prescott leaning on him. … Cook did well Monday night with six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. He now has two games with at least seven targets on the year and should be a low-end starter in most leagues.
  
  
• Drops: Robert Tonyan (69 percent rostered), Austin Hooper (46 percent) and Evan Engram (43 percent). Tonyan is going to score touchdowns, but he only has one on the season and three catches or less in each game. You can find a streamer doing more, so he’s someone to consider dropping. … Hooper has one touchdown on the season and four games in a row with nine PPR points or less. There’s little reason to hold onto him now. … Engram has six targets in his two games this season, but he’s combined for just nine PPR points. The Giants receiving corps is crowded when healthy, and Engram will likely struggle for consistent production.

• Cardinals (62 percent rostered) vs. SF

  Vikings (18 percent rostered) vs. DET

  Raiders (16 percent rostered) vs. CHI

  Cowboys (35 percent rostered) vs. NYG

• Greg Joseph (25 percent rostered) vs. DET

  Randy Bullock (3 percent rostered) at JAC

  Nick Folk (10 percent rostered) at HOU

  Trevor Vizcaino (14 percent rostered) vs. CL