Fantasy football: Trio of Chargers among best Week 5 add/drops

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb both went down to Week 4 injuries, which opens the door for other players to step up for fantasy football teams.

The Chargers will use Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley to fill in for Ekeler, while the Browns turn to Kareem Hunt as their workhorse. Jackson, Kelley and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert are among my top waiver wire additions for Week 5.

Several other players had big Week 4 performances and are worth roster additions and possible Week 5 starts. Make sure to remove Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers players from your starting lineup, as those teams have Week 5 byes.

New England Patriots wide receiver N'Keal Harry, Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan and Patriots running back Damien Harris are among my other favorite players to add ahead of your Week 5 matchup.

I have added more of my favorite players to target on this week's waiver wire and separated them by priority and position. The players I have listed ahead of Wednesday's waiver period have low ownership percentages in standard size leagues.

Here are my top players to add and top players to drop for Week 5:

ALL-ADD TEAM

QB | Justin Herbert; RB | Joshua Kelley, Justin Jackson, Damien Harris; WR | N'Keal Harry, Mecole Hardman; TE | Robert Tonyan; D/ST | Kansas City Chiefs; K | Chris Boswell

HONORABLE MENTIONS

QB | Teddy Bridgewater, Tua Tagovailoa; RB | Chase Edmonds, D'Ernest Johnson, Ke'Shawn Vaughn; WR | Tim Patrick; TE | Dalton Schultz; D/ST | Dallas Cowboys

TOP DROPS

QB | Ryan Fitzpatrick; RB | Sony Michel, Carlos Hyde; WR | Brandin Cooks, Marvin Jones, Michael Gallup; TE | O.J. Howard

QUARTERBACK

Justin Herbert was forced into action due to an injury to Chargers starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He has averaged 310 passing yards per game in his three starts since taking over. He has passed for five touchdowns and ran for another score. Herbert had his best performance yet in Week 4 when he completed 80 percent of his passes for 290 yards and three scores.

He is worth an add if you have Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford as your starter and need a bye week replacement or if you need a streaming starter going forward.

RUNNING BACK

The Chargers backfield split is a bit murky after Ekeler's injury, but I expect the team to give carries to the running back who produces most in any respective game.

Joshua Kelley has a higher ownership percentage than Justin Jackson in most fantasy football leagues so Jackson could be your only waiver wire option. I would suggest adding either one to your roster and putting them on your bench until we see how the Chargers split the workload.

Both players are flex or low-end RB2 plays, at best, in leagues with at least 14 teams.

Patriots running back Damien Harris came off of injured reserve and had 100 yards on 17 carries on Monday against the Chiefs. I expect Harris to continue to get work down the stretch after New England placed fellow running back Sony Michel on injured reserve before Monday's game.

The Patriots have a lot of options in the backfield, which makes any running back from the team a gamble play in fantasy football. I like Harris as a matchup-dependent RB2 going forward.

WIDE RECEIVER

Patriots wide receiver N'Keal Harry scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 4. He also had at least six targets for the third time in four games. I like Harry as a matchup-dependent WR3 and as a bye week fill-in. He is not an every-week starter.

Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman is one of many offensive options for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which makes it hard to know when he should be in your lineup. He is worth an addition for your bench and can be used as a bye week fill-in at WR3.

I would add Hardman to your roster as a free agent after your league's waiver period so you don't lose your priority for future waiver wire additions.

The Chiefs wide receiver has scored in back-to-back games heading into a Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

TIGHT END

Packers tight end Robert Tonyan had a career-high three touchdown catches in Week 4. He also had touchdowns in Week 2 and Week 3.

Tonyan has been a great option for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers so far this season, which makes him a great option for your fantasy football team if you are in a league that requires starting tight ends.