Fantasy football WR waiver pickups, Week 5
Tyler Boyd (37 percent rostered)
Tee Higgins suffered a rib injury in the Bengals 27-3 loss to the Titans on Sunday, paving the way for Tyler Boyd to earn a full-time role. Boyd excelled when Higgins wasn’t on the field in 2022 and is primed for a potentially large target share on an offense that has looked like a shell of itself thus far.
While Boyd may be the Bengals’ No. 3 receiver on their depth chart, he’d most likely be the No. 2 or even have a case to be the No. 1 receiving option on a handful of teams in the NFL. He is a proven NFL receiver with multiple 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and has exceeded the 750-yard mark in five consecutive seasons.
Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow has been reluctant to hang onto the ball and air it out while playing through a calf injury to avoid potentially taking hits while standing in the pocket. This quick-hitting passing game should enable Burrow to look for Boyd in the middle of the field early and often as someone who spends the majority of his time in the slot.
With the Bengals having a bye in Week 7, it would not be surprising to see the team take a cautious approach with Higgins and have him return after the bye. Boyd should be a top priority for anyone in need of immediate wide receiver help with bye weeks beginning and so many injuries to the position
Zay Jones (31 percent rostered)
Zay Jones has missed the past two games after suffering a knee injury in Week 2 versus the Chiefs but was a focal point of the Jaguars passing game up until then. He earned 13 targets through the first two games before missing the net two and operated as the team’s second receiver behind Calvin Ridley in two wide sets, relegating Christian Kirk to the slot.
A former second-round pick in 2017, Jones struggled to find his footing in the NFL before signing with the Jaguars in 2022. He recorded career-highs in targets (121), receptions (82), and yards (823) in 2022 and is attached to an ascending quarterback in Trevor Lawrence on a high-powered offense.
In 2022, Jones was the overall WR26 in PPR formats. While it may be difficult to reach the career-high marks he set last year with Ridley in the mix, there is certainly a path to Jones being a viable WR3/FLEX for the remainder of the season when he is able to return from injury. He is more than worthy of a speculative add and end-of-bench stash if he is available on your waiver wire.