X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fake News or Real Deal? Week 5 Waiver Outlooks

Week 4 featured some good games and performances, as well as some not so good games and performances (**cough, London, cough**). However, as we head into our first full slate of games in the month of October, we continue to search the waiver wire news for the next "Law Firm" Benjarvus Green-Ellis or Reuben Droughns. This isn't always an easy choice to make as these columns in the past have sometimes been notoriously filled with an abundant amount of "fake news" just to get you to click on the story (this isn't the case here, I promise).

Need help and can't decide whether the players featured in articles this week are legitimately worth your roster space? Good thing we are here to put things back into perspective and examine whether this week's news regarding the studs of the waiver wire is actually "fake news" or if there is some authenticity to their performances.

Let's get started!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Fake Fantasy News or Real Deal Value?

Deshaun Watson - QB, Houston Texans

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is the latest name being thrown out there in waiver wire columns this week. Watson was drafted by Houston in the first round, 12th overall in the draft this past offseason. He had a fantastic career during his three seasons as a Clemson Tiger, winning numerous awards throughout his tenure with the program. Watson ended his career with 10,168 yards on 814-for-1,207 passing and 90 touchdowns. His mobility also allowed him to compile a staggering 1,934 rushing yards that were complimented by 26 touchdowns on the ground. Watson got off to an ok start in the league, throwing only one touchdown over Weeks 1 and 2 against Jacksonville and Cincinnati. However, many people, especially those on the fantasy side of things, began to take notice of him during Week 3 against the New England Patriots. Watson threw two touchdowns and 301 yards in the contest and narrowly led to the team to a victory over the reigning Super Bowl Champions. However, though he didn’t get the “W” and threw two picks, he automatically showed up on the fantasy radar. Watson followed up the effective performance against the Pats with four touchdowns and 283 passing yards against the Tennessee Titans. As a result, he is now more desirable to fantasy players than the cast of “Magic Mike” is middle-aged women. But I digress.

The real question remains, are the waiver news and columns regarding Watson actually legit, or is is another example of fantasy yellow journalism? Or better yet, is this another classic example of “fake news” in 2017. Though Watson should have silenced any doubters after his effective performance against New England, he didn't and for some reason he still can be found as a free agent in a good chunk of leagues throughout the fantasy realm. Is there a reason for this or are people too oblivious to appreciate what is unfolding? The last remaining undefeated team, the Chiefs, are next up for the rookie. Kansas City is no joke, having acquired victories this season over playoff caliber teams such as the Patriots and Redskins, would a win on Sunday over Andy Reid's squad be enough to catapult him out of the waiver wire pools and onto fantasy teams? Watson undoubtedly has his hands full but the play he has exhibited so far should be enough to finally get him the respect that he deserves. He is playing well beyond his youthful age of 22 years old and is getting better each week as the season progresses. The odds are in his favor as the Chiefs haven't been as hot defensively as there preceded reputation. This season, they have given up 93 rushing yards to opposing quarterbacks, which makes him a healthy option on Sunday.

Verdict

Things are looking good for the rookie. The news regarding Watson is far from fake, especially if he has a solid performance on Sunday against the unbeaten Chiefs. He is definitely the real deal and as a result, we can chalk this up as "not fake news."

 

Alvin Kamara - RB, New Orleans Saints

Last Sunday, we witnessed another overseas matchup in London as the Miami Dolphins “hosted” the New Orleans Saints. The game, which was a monstrosity from the start with 14 flags in the first half alone, will go down as one of the worst games in recent memory. However, if you look past the constant penalties and the exhausting pace of play, we witnessed the fantasy emergence of rookie running back Alvin Kamara. Kamara, who was selected in the third round with the 67th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of the University of Tennessee, put on a splendid performance. Kamara rushed the ball only five times, accruing only 25 yards. However, what he did on the receiving end is what turned him into this weeks’ fantasy wet dream. Kamara had 10 receptions, good for 71 yards and a touchdown in the win. With a performance like that, those involved in the fantasy world scrambled to the waiver wire faster than I run to the dessert table at Thanksgiving. But is Kamara actually the real deal? Or Fake News?

The plan going into the season, or at least what everyone though, was for running back Mark Ingram to see a good chunk of the snaps from the backfield with veteran back Adrian Peterson also getting in his fair share. However, that hasn’t worked out exactly as planned, at least half of it hasn’t. With Ingram getting at least 14 rushing attempts in Weeks 3 and 4, Peterson is slowly starting to fade away. We all have seen the evil eye that he gave to head coach Sean Payton during the Week 1 matchup against Peterson’s former team, the Minnesota Vikings. Perhaps, that was an omen of things to come. With the team getting ready to face the Lions on Sunday, I believe it is safe to say that the London game was Kamara’s official fantasy coming out party. With the Lions having issues stopping passes from the backfield, we can expect Kamara to have another efficient game on Sunday.

Verdict

Expect Mark Ingram to continue to running the ball with Kamara getting his fair share of receptions. Also expect Adrian Peterson to remain irrelevant and unhappy on the sidelines. In any event, it would be a safe bet to say that the Kamara is the real deal and that Kamara being fantasy relevant is "not fake news."

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
J.J. Wetherholt

Absent From Lineup All Week
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Jac Caglianone

Roams Right Field At Double-A On Thursday
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
Sebastian Walcott

Smacks Second Home Run Of 2025
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Kenley Jansen

Records His Sixth Save Of The Season
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Miguel Vargas

Homers Against The Twins On Thursday
Hunter Goodman

Delivers In Game 1 On Thursday With Two Hits
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Christopher Morel

Home Run Seals Victory For Rays
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Zach Neto

Hits Go-Ahead Home Run On Thursday
Yandy Díaz

Yandy Diaz Tallies Three Hits In Win Against Arizona
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Pete Fairbanks

Picks Up Fourth Save On Thursday
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Picks Up Save On Thursday
Corbin Burnes

Picks Up Eight Strikeouts In Thursday's Start
MacKenzie Gore

Strikes Out Eight In Loss On Thursday
Cade Povich

Picks Up Win On Thursday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Scores Three Runs, Steals A Base On Thursday
Alex Bregman

Homers In Loss To Seattle
Mike Yastrzemski

Homers, Drives In Two On Thursday
Salvador Perez

Notches Four Doubles, Four RBI In Thursday's Doubleheader
Jordan Beck

Homers Three Times On Thursday
Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders
Jaxson Dart

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall
Matthew Golden

Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants
Omarion Hampton

Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20
Emeka Egbuka

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF