This week’s five players to waiver wire add, cut, buy low and sell high begins with some of the young players who were sleepers heading into the season. Both Trey Lance and Darnell Mooney looked like potential fantasy starters with mid-round ADPs prior to the season, and we’re just starting to see them hit that potential now.
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The players to cut were several veteran mid-to-late round picks who just haven’t worked out yet, meaning it’s time to move on. The players to buy low and sell high start looking more at players with particularly good/bad upcoming schedules compared to what teams they've faced so far.
Related content for you: Related content for you: NFL Week 5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: All league sizes & scoring types via Andrew Erickson
FIVE PLAYERS TO ADD
1. QB Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a calf injury, which allowed Lance to play in the second half in Week 4. He should see at least one more start, and ideally do enough in that time to prove he should keep the starting job.
In limited opportunities, Lance has shown he can be exactly what fantasy managers are looking for in a starting fantasy quarterback. His 1.16 fantasy points per snap lead the league among quarterbacks with double-digit dropbacks. His average depth of target (aDOT) is closer to league average while Garoppolo’s 6.9 is near the bottom of the league. Those big plays and runs should lead to plenty of fantasy points. His PFF overall grade is second-lowest among QBs with double-digit dropbacks, so he should only get better from here.
It might take some growing pains in real life, but Lance has the making of a top-five fantasy quarterback. It's debatable whether he should start in fantasy leagues next week, but there is no debate if he should be on rosters.
2. RB Damien Williams, Chicago Bears
David Montgomery suffered a leg injury that could cause him to miss some games. The extent of the injury is unclear at the moment, but Williams should be picked up just in case. The Bears have been fine giving their starting running back over two-thirds of the offensive snaps, which is likely the minimum role Williams would have without Montgomery.
His snap volume alone would be enough to make him a fantasy starter, but Williams has also played slightly better than Montgomery this season. Williams can be started for as long as Montgomery is out.
| Player | PFF Rush Grade | 1DTD% | MT/Att | PFF Rec. Grade | Threat Rate | MT/Rec |
| David Montgomery | 71.8 | 26.1% | 0.22 | 72.9 | 13.20% | 28.6% |
| Damien Williams | 78.9 | 37.5% | 0.25 | 73.1 | 24.40% | 50.0% |
3. WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
The Bears' receivers got off to a very slow start to the season, leading some who drafted Mooney to drop him from their roster. He’s now available in nearly 60% of leagues on ESPN, but that will change this week after his five-catch, 125-yard performance. Mooney was a sleeper wide receiver before the season because of his potential with Justin Fields at quarterback. He had an 18.0 aDOT in this game and finally has a quarterback who can actually throw completable deep passes his way. It’s too early to put him in starting lineups, but this connection could continue all season and potentially for the next decade.
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