Fantasy football: Boyd, Stafford lead add/drops for Week 5

Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Tyler Boyd and Matthew Stafford lead my fantasy football waiver wire priority list for Week 5 of the 2023 season.

Jimmy Garoppolo, Jaylen Warren, Chuba Hubbard, Romeo Doubs and the Washington Commanders defense/special teams are among my other targets to add off the waiver wire.

Players from the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be benched or dropped, as those teams have Week 5 byes.

My waiver wire priorities each carry an ownership percentage of 60% or less. Here are my top players to add and top players to drop for Week 5:

ALL-ADD TEAM

QB | Matthew Stafford; RB | Jaylen Warren, Chuba Hubbard; WR | Tyler Boyd, Romeo Doubs; TE | Jonnu Smith; D/ST | Washington Commanders; K | Riley Patterson

HONORABLE MENTIONS

QB | Jimmy Garoppolo; RB | Latavius Murray, Ezekiel Elliott; WR | Jameson Williams, Braxton Berrios; TE | Dalton Schultz; D/ST | Detroit Lions; K | Wil Lutz

TOP DROPS

QB | Kenny Pickett; RB | Kendre Miller; WR | Kendrick Bourne; TE | Juwan Johnson; D/ST | Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers; K | Dustin Hopkins

QUARTERBACK

Stafford, who also was among my waiver wire targets last week, rewarded his fantasy football stock owners with 319 passing yards and a score in a win Sunday over the Indianapolis Colts. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback threw for more than 300 yards in three of his four starts this season.

This week, the Rams will host the Philadelphia Eagles, who own one of the must generous pass defenses in the NFL. Stafford is a great streaming play who can also be used in Week 6, when the Rams host the Arizona Cardinals.

RUNNING BACK

This isn't a great week to get running backs off the waiver wire, but I would still add one to your bench for depth purposes. Jaylen Warren and Chuba Hubbard, who currently have backup roles, are my top targets.

I believe Warren and Hubbard both could end up being starters at some point this season.

Najee Harris remains the lead back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Warren's workload has increased each week this season. He totaled eight touches in Week 1. He touched the ball 10 times in Week 2 and 11 times in Week 3. The Steelers gave Warren a season-high 14 touches in Week 4, just one fewer than Harris.

Harris and Warren also both played 49% of the snaps in the Steelers' loss to the Houston Texans. Neither Warren nor Harris has shown explosion within the offense, but the Steelers backup should be on your radar as he continues to see increased work. He could turn into a matchup-based RB2 if Harris gets injured or he steals the starting job.

The disparity in the Sanders-Hubbard split is a bit more pronounced, with the former leading 69-37 in touches through four weeks, but each received 16 touches in Week 4.

Hubbard turned his opportunities into 63 yards from scrimmage, while Sanders logged just 32 yards. I wouldn't trust either running back for consistent production, but Hubbard should be on benches because of his increased usage. He is especially valuable for Sanders stock owners, who could be without a starting running back if he misses time or loses more work.

WIDE RECEIVER

Boyd and Doubs are my top waiver wire targets. Boyd logged 17 catches for 127 yards through his first four games, but should be in line for more work because of the rib injury Cincinnati Bengals starter Tee Higgins sustained in Week 4.

If Higgins misses time, Boyd would immediately become quarterback Joe Burrow's No. 2 target. The Bengals playmaker will be on my WR3 radar in Week 5 because of his expected increased opportunities.

Doubs totaled just eight targets through his first two games this season. He logged 25 looks over his past two appearances, including 13 in Week 4. Doubs totaled 95 yards on nine catches in the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday in Green Bay, Wis.

In Week 5, the Packers will battle a Las Vegas Raiders secondary that tied for allowing the most receiving scores (six) to wide receivers through four games. Doubs is another WR3 option for Week 5.

TIGHT END

Smith is my top tight end to add in Week 5. The veteran outproduced fellow Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts through four weeks. He also logged a season-high six catches for 95 yards in Week 4.

I expect inconsistent production from all Falcons pass catchers, but Smith is worth a streaming start in Week 5 because of his usage and recent production.