Five Deep League Players to Add to Your Fantasy Team for Week 5

Stashes are a tough thing to get right. Sometimes you pick up Damien Harris in week two, hold him for a while, and look like a genius. Other times you draft Bryce Love across three leagues and, well, we know how that’s turned out so far. A good stash is a work of art. Just ask Gordon Hayward in the bubble. 

Whether you have bye week issues coming up, need a shakeup, or are worried about your team’s longevity, here are some deep, and I mean DEEP, wire stashes that might be worth the risk if your team has space.

Running Back

Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens (available in 97% of Yahoo! leagues)

For some reason, Gus Edwards gets no love, and it makes very little sense. Running back committees are scary, there’s no doubt about that, but Edwards led this backfield in snaps in week 4, and is a Dobbins or Ingram knick away from a hefty role. He’s never averaged less than 5 YPC in his career and has put up 700+ yards in each of the past two seasons, both while still splitting time. He won’t win your league this week, but if you have room on your bench is a viable stash.

Dontrell Hilliard, Cleveland Browns (available in 100% of Yahoo! leagues)

The Cleveland Browns run the ball. They run the ball so much. It angers those that own Odell, it hides Baker’s shortcomings, and it gives the backfield crazy value. They run the ball 34+ times per game. Nick Chubb is gone for the time being, and those 20 carries per game have to go somewhere. Kareem Hunt will undoubtedly see his usage increase. D’ernest Johnson, a guy whose owners broke the bank for, will be the other primary beneficiary. Hilliard, whose owners can snag without going to the bank, played 15 snaps in week 4, only two less than Johnson. On those 15 snaps, he got the ball six times. Don’t be surprised if Dontrell Hilliard has some sneaky value in the coming weeks.

Wide Reciever

Damiere Byrd, New England Patriots (available in 97% of Yahoo! leagues)

Byrd has quietly put together a lovely little string of games so far, with 14 grabs for 179 yards over the last three games. Potentially just as important are the 22 targets he’s seen in that span as well. He won’t put up WR1 numbers, but he sees enough volume to make him a viable bye-week fill-in without having to worry about a bust. If you’re not willing to take five catches for 80 yards as a bye-week replacement, you might be reaching too high. The Patriots have an early bye, week 6, which means he’ll likely only have one more game without Cam Newton under center, which sets him up nicely for week 7-11 needs. 

Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (available in 63% of Yahoo! leagues)

All this guy does is make plays. Ok, that might be a bit of an over-exaggeration, especially if you look at his stats from this season. Still, his 37% ownership is awfully low for a guy who has posted back-to-back seasons of either 10+ touchdowns or 1000+ yards. A rocky start shouldn’t mean that everyone gives up on a guy like this. With Justin Herbert under center, Williams’ big-play ability (the 2019 league leader in YPC, 20.4) should be back on full display when he returns to the field.

Darren Fells, Houston Texans (available in 99% of Yahoo! Leagues)

Texans TE1 Jordan Akins is dealing with a concussion, putting his availability at risk for the next few weeks. For a position as thin as tight end, consider Fells if you need a spot-start. Guys like Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, and Noah Fant all have bye weeks coming up, and with slim pickings at the position, Fells’ seven touchdowns in 2019 are quite inviting. You’ll need to hope he gets into the endzone—because let’s face it, he’s not outrunning anyone for a big boom play—but there are worse options to hope for than this one.

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