Fantasy Football fool’s gold: 3 players you should believe in, 2 players you shouldn’t in Week 5

The NFL season is just about 25 percent done and there may not be a more difficult year for fantasy football players than the 2024 campaign. Injuries have decimated many top contributors while other proven stalwarts have had suboptimal starts to the season, leaving managers scrambling to the waiver wire every week to try and find an answer.

As we have done throughout the season, this fool's gold column offers a look at the latest names to trend on the wire and determine whether these players should be trusted or are destined to bust. Let's kick things off in Kansas City where the running back room took another turn in Week 4.

Fantasy Football Fool's Gold: Week 5 Report

Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs' offense continues to suffer body blows as Rashee Rice may be lost for the season with a suspected torn ACL, joining Marquise Brown and Isiah Pacheco on the shelf. The latter's absence led the fantasy market to take the plunge on Carson Steele and Samaje Perine two weeks ago (a move we advised against in this space) and now it looks like the pair has been unseated by Kareem Hunt.

Kansas City brought back their one-time star to the practice squad after Pacheco's injury and gave him the top spot in the backfield thanks to ball security issues from Steele. Hunt dominated the workload, carrying 14 times for 69 yards and adding two catches for 16 more yards, although Perine snagged the rushing touchdown.

While it looks like Hunt has surpassed the two existing backs on the depth chart, this situation remains fluid since former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire is likely going to be activated from the non-football injury list soon. Teams in need of immediate help should take a look at Hunt but anyone with options should stay away from what will surely devolve into a committee situation for as long as Pacheco is out.

Verdict: Bust

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers

All eyes in Green Bay are on the injury report on Christian Watson's status after he suffered a dreaded high-ankle sprain in the Packers' loss to Minnesota on Sunday. Head coach Matt LaFleur said that Watson is out at least this week on Monday, but high-ankle sprains tend to be multi-week absences and Watson hasn't proven himself to be the most durable player in his short tenure in the NFL.

One guy who stepped up in Watson's absence was Dontayvion Wicks, who was a preferred target for the returning Jordan Love. Wicks led the team with a whopping 13 targets, catching five of them for 78 yards and two touchdowns in Green Bay's failed comeback attempt.

The target volume is new for Wicks, who had only nine combined looks over the first three games, but two of those saw run-heavy game plans for Malik Willis and had a healthy Watson available. The more telling number is that Wicks has been targeted on over a quarter of the routes he has run, indicating this volume should be here to stay as long as Watson is on the shelf.

Grade: Trust

Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers

While the eyes of most fantasy managers have been on Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers in the rookie receiver department, a few of the other pass catchers taken in April's draft have been useful fantasy contributors. Another guy joined the fray on Sunday as Carolina's Xavier Legette had his breakout game as a pro, catching 6-of-10 targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers' loss to Cincinnati on Sunday.

The Panthers gave Legette his biggest workload of the season after placing veteran Adam Thielen on injured reserve with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 3 and he responded nicely. Andy Dalton has helped move Carolina's offense effectively since taking over for Bryce Young and has supported two fantasy relevant receivers in the past, giving Legette a chance at fantasy relevance even after Week 3.

While the workload is promising for Legette, he is still running behind Diontae Johnson on the depth chart and is tied to a veteran quarterback who hasn't been a regular starter in two years. The long-term outlook is bright for Legette but this situation isn't worth investing in, especially if Thielen is able to come back in three weeks and push him back down the depth chart.

Verdict: Bust

Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders

Few could have predicted that the Washington offense would be one that fantasy owners would want to get a piece of but Jayden Daniels' emergence has lifted all boats for the Commanders. With Daniels producing historic efficiency numbers for a rookie, Washington is 3-1 and in first place in the NFC East thanks to its explosive offense.

While the top Commanders' receivers were taken during fantasy drafts over the summer, one guy who slipped through is tight end Zach Ertz, who quietly signed with Washington in the offseason to provide a veteran safety blanket for the rookie quarterback. The connection between Daniels and Ertz has been strong over the first month of the year as the pair have linked up 16 times in four games.

Although Ertz hasn't found the end zone yet, he did snag a two-point conversion in Week 4 and is a steady PPR presence at the tight end position. In a year where tight ends have been a dumpster fire for fantasy owners, you can do far worse than plugging in Ertz for a solid 5-7 points a week.

Verdict: Trust

Rico Dowdle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

The running back situation for Dallas has been a confusing committee throughout the season as Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle have been sharing the work for the Cowboys to succeed Tony Pollard, who left for Tennessee in the offseason. The arrow has been trending towards Dowdle, however, who has looked more explosive than Elliott and has drawn the start from Mike McCarthy in each of the past three games.

The Cowboys got Dowdle's best work of the season in Week 4 as he carried 11 times for 46 yards and caught a touchdown on a 15-yard reception. While Elliott may still be a factor in short-yardage and goal line situations, Dallas' best bet is to feed more work to Dowdle since he has looked like the fresher runner in the early going.

The upcoming schedule isn't great for Dallas but a rash of injuries to the Cowboys' defense could lead to more emphasis on ball control to protect that unit, which would increase the workload for Dowdle in the future. There is still a window to buy in on Dowdle but it should close quickly if he posts a strong effort against Pittsburgh's swarming defense on Sunday night.

Verdict: Trust