NFL fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 5

Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season was interesting, to say the least. We saw multiple four-touchdown performances highlighted by David Montgomery and Christian McCaffrey and there were some key injuries as well as stout defensive performances that resulted in some strange box score totals.

Per The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, seven teams failed to score a touchdown in Week 4.

Hopefully, Week 5 can bring more offensive fireworks for fantasy football managers. With that said, be sure to keep an eye out on your waiver wire this week for these players who are still available in more than 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy football leagues.

Fantasy football QB waiver pickups, Week 5

CJ Stroud (48 percent rostered)

CJ Stroud was featured in the Week 3 waiver wire column and has since seen his rostership increase by 33 percent.  Stroud has looked like the real deal through his first four career games in the NFL and seems to have the potential to be a franchise-altering quarterback for the Texans.

Despite his entire offensive line being decimated by injury, he currently ranks fourth in passing yards (1,212), ahead of superstar quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes among others. Currently the QB11 through the first four weeks, Stroud has exceeded 20 fantasy points in three consecutive games. While it hasn’t resulted in fantasy production yet, he has received three-plus rushing attempts in every game this season, which could provide a nice boost to his value as time goes on.

Stroud’s excellent play seems sustainable when you consider he has weapons to work with between third-year breakout Nico Collins, rookie receiver Tank Dell, veteran slot man Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz, and Dameon Pierce out of the backfield and should continue to improve as his offensive line gets closer to full strength.

Stroud is currently the betting favorite to win 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and showing no signs of slowing down. Pick him up before it’s too late.

Joshua Dobbs (6 percent rostered)

The Cardinals have been better than advertised this season in large part due to the efforts of quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Dobbs has been with the Cardinals for less than two months after arriving on the team in late August via trade, but he has taken command of the huddle and proven he can be a professional starting quarterback in the NFL.

Dobbs scored 23-plus points in two of his last three games and is currently this year’s QB16, ranked ahead of players such as Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Deshaun Watson, and more. He has rushed for 41 or more yards in three consecutive games, which gives him a respectable floor while simultaneously improving his ceiling on a weekly basis.

The Cardinals continue to be underdogs in every game they play, which should continue to set up Dobbs for plenty of fantasy-friendly game scripts moving forward. Dobbs has proven he belongs to be rostered in more than six percent of Yahoo leagues and could be a great option for those who have bye weeks coming up or don’t feel comfortable starting a hobbled Joe Burrow.